Essential Information
Students looking to complete woodworking classes at public or private not-for-profit schools in Texas can choose from among several colleges. Most offer training trough their construction technology or continuing education programs. Topics of study typically cover the use of hand and machine tools to construct cabinets, furniture, and structural frames in respect to safety measures demanded by the field.
Read on for more information about the schools in Texas that offer woodworking programs as well as find a comparison table with such institutions' tuition costs, settings, and award titles.
Amarillo College
This Amarillo community college offers a woodworking course through its professional trades and industry continuing education program. Students pay a 1-time fee for the course, which includes the cost of all equipment and supplies. The class is taught in a woodworking shop stocked with band saws, table saws, sanders and wood lathes. Students learn how to safely handle these tools and complete woodworking projects.
Austin Community College District
Students can complete certificate programs in woodworking and carpentry at the Riverside Campus in Austin and a second location in Round Rock, two of eight total campuses serving students in Central Texas. The certificates in woodworking and carpentry are part of the college's building and construction technology program. In the woodworking program, students learn how to construct cabinets and furniture. Blueprint reading, shop safety and precision joinery are among the topics covered. The carpentry program focuses on various floor, roof and wall framing techniques.
Blinn College
The school's Division of Agricultural Sciences offers students an agricultural construction woodworking course at its main campus in Brenham, which is located within 70 miles of Houston and about 90 miles from Austin. This 3-credit-hour course includes classroom and lab training in such topics as proper hand tool use, construction drawings and wood finishing techniques. Credits earned in this class can be applied to the college's agricultural associate degree program or transferred to a program at a 4-year university.
Central Texas College
Students can learn about woodworking through several program options primarily available at the Central Campus in Killeen. Its carpentry and cabinetmaking classes cover topics ranging from cabinet design to the installation of laminates. These courses are offered as part of the Associate of Applied Science in Maintenance Technology program as well as the Certificate of Completion programs in building trades, carpentry trades and residential construction. Classes for the residential construction program are offered at the campus in Brady.
North Lake College
As part of the Dallas County Community College District, this school offers woodworking courses at the West Campus adjacent to the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. The school features an average class size of 14 students, which can allow for more individualized instruction. Woodworking courses are available as electives in the construction technology associate degree program. Curriculum includes an introductory and intermediate-level cabinetmaking course and a cabinetmaking special project. Students can gain advanced skills in hand craftsmanship and machine woodworking. They learn techniques for building and installing various types of cabinets as well as methods for sanding and staining finished products.
St. Philip's College
Aspiring woodworkers can take classes at this school's Southwest Campus in San Antonio. Available programs include a construction technology Certificate of Completion and an Associate of Applied Science degree. Curriculum focuses on home construction and includes classes in cabinetmaking. Students learn how to build cabinets for kitchens and bathrooms, design doors, install laminate and use woodworking tools. The associate degree program also includes a practicum where students can apply their skills in a professional environment. Students who would like to receive this training without enrolling in a degree or certificate program can take the school's noncredit cabinetmaking classes.
Texas State Technical College
TSTC's Waco campus offers an associate degree program in building construction technology. Curriculum includes an introductory woodworking course as well as courses covering interior and exterior finishing and wall framing. Students in these classes get hands-on experience working with professional-grade equipment and tools. They learn how to install wooden structures, such as doors, walls and floors, and construct wood frames. Students also practice joining pieces using tongue and groove joints, rabbets and dados. TSTC also offers a continuing education woodworking course designed especially for women.
School Comparison: At a Glance
| School Name | School Type and Setting | Woodworking Programs Offered | Undergraduate Tuition and Fees (2018-2019)* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amarillo College | 2-year, public; midsize city | Woodworking Continuing Education Course | $2,136 in-district $3,168 in-state $4,704 out-of-state |
| Austin Community College District | 4-year, public; large city | Certificate in Woodworking, Certificate in Carpentry | $2,550 in-district $10,830 in-state $13,020 out-of-state |
| Blinn College | 2-year, public; distant town | Associate Degree in Agriculture | $2,832 in-district $4,200 in-state $8,040 out-of-state |
| Central Texas College | 2-year, public; fringe rural | Certificate of Completion in Building Trades, Certificate of Completion in Carpentry Trades, Certificate of Completion in Residential Construction, Associate of Applied Science in Maintenance Technology | $2,700 in-district $3,390 in-state $7,050 out-of-state |
| North Lake College | 2-year, public; midsize city | Associate of Applied Science in Construction Technology | $1,770 in-district $3,330 in-state $5,220 out-of-state |
| St. Philip's College | 2-year, public; large city | Certificate of Completion in Construction Technology, Associate of Applied Science in Construction Technology | $2,820 in-district $6,300 in-state $13,830 out-of-state |
| Texas State Technical College | 2-year, public; fringe rural | Woodworking Continuing Education Course, Associate of Applied Science in Building Construction Technology | $5,570 in-state $10,080 out-of-state |
Source: *NCES College Navigator
