From business to welding: Midland College’s CTE programs
What happened: Midland College currently offers 90 different awards, certificates, or degrees across its 31 Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs designed to provide students with workforce credentials.
Why it matters: These programs make up more than half of Midland College’s student population, serving both traditional college students and high school dual credit students, and are supported by millions in taxpayer funding.
Catch up quickly: Midland College says CTE is focused on equipping students with job-ready skills through hands-on training and industry-recognized certifications aligned with workforce needs.
The big picture: Programs offer a range of stackable credentials, which allow students to build on their training as they progress. Each program offers one or more of the following:
- Occupational Skills Award (OSA) and Institutional Award (INST) – short-term credential
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Certificate Level 1 – entry-level workforce training (typically 6–12 months)
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Certificate Level 2 – advanced training, often building on Cert 1 (typically 12–18 months)
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Associate of Applied Science (AAS) – two-year, career-focused degrees
| Program | OSA/INST | Cert 1 | Cert 2 | AAS |
| Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Technology | — | 2 | — | 1 |
| Automation | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Automotive Technology | 1 | 3 | — | 1 |
| Aviation Maintenance Technology | — | 3 | — | 2 |
| Behavioral Health | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Business Management | — | 3 | — | 1 |
| Child Care and Development | — | 3 | — | 1 |
| Computer Information Technology | 1 | 4 | — | 1 |
| Computer Programming | — | 2 | — | 1 |
| Computer-Aided Drafting and Design | — | 2 | — | 1 |
| Cosmetology | — | 1 | — | — |
| Criminal Justice | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Diesel Technology | 1 | 5 | — | 3 |
| Emergency Medical Services | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Fire Science Technology | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Health Information Management | — | 2 | — | 1 |
| Health Sciences Foundation | — | 1 | — | — |
| Natural Gas Compression | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Nursing-Associate Degree | — | — | — | 2 |
| Nursing-Vocational | — | — | 1 | — |
| Office Systems Technology | — | 2 | — | 1 |
| Paralegal | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Patient Care Technician | — | 1 | — | — |
| Petroleum Energy Technology | 1 | 3 | — | 2 |
| Pharmacy Technician | — | 1 | — | — |
| Radiologic Technology | — | — | — | 1 |
| Respiratory Care | — | — | — | 1 |
| Sonography | — | — | — | 1 |
| Substance Abuse Counseling | — | 2 | — | 1 |
| Surgical Technology | — | — | — | 1 |
| Welding | 1 | 3 | — | 2 |