Precision Metal Working at Moberly Area Community College

A debt load around $11,500 paired with first-year earnings near $44,000—figures drawn from comparable precision metalworking programs in Missouri—suggests a practical path into skilled manufacturing. Similar programs across the state produce earnings between roughly $41,000 and $47,000, with Moberly's estimates landing comfortably in the middle of that range. The estimated 0.26 debt-to-earnings ratio indicates you'd be borrowing about a quarter of that first year's salary, which is manageable territory for a two-year credential.

The challenge here is that we're working entirely with estimated figures since this program's graduate cohort is too small for the Department of Education to report actual outcomes. The estimates suggest competitive performance—Missouri's median for precision metalworking sits at the same $43,922 figure, and the national median is slightly lower at $41,504. But without knowing how Moberly's specific graduates fare versus peers like State Technical College of Missouri (where reported earnings hit $47,325), there's meaningful uncertainty.

For a family evaluating this investment, the estimated numbers point toward reasonable value if your student is committed to metalworking and wants to stay relatively local. The modest debt paired with solid middle-class earnings potential creates a foundation, though you won't know if this program specifically delivers until more outcome data emerges. If your student has options at nearby schools with reported data, those programs offer more certainty about what you're actually buying.