Trade Schools
If you live in Montana and want to become a plumber, we encourage you to read our selection of the best plumbing schools in your state.
Here you will find information about the best schools that prepare you with the skills and qualifications needed for this job.
Most plumbers and pipefitters learn the ins and outs of this trade through a four or five years apprenticeship.
Apprentices typically earn a wage that increases periodically, as they learn new skills.
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, plumbers earn between $40,000 and more than $100,000- depending on experience level, region of employment, and a variety of other factors.
Job prospects also look good and plumbers will continue to be needed to install and maintain piping and water supply systems.
This profession is projected to grow six percent across the US by 2033.
Before being ready to apply for your first job in the field, take a look at the schools included in our list and choose the one that best fits your lifestyle and career aspirations.
1Montana State University
Montana State University values comprehensive programming, successful students, and partnerships with the employers and community.
Tuition for resident students is $477.71 per credit.
Courses Offered
Among many other programs, the university provides a Plumbing Technology program that can lead to the following credentials:
- Plumbing AAS
- Plumbing Certificate
Northern’s plumbing program offers plumbing apprentices the opportunity to learn in hands-on courses and covers a major portion of the academic requirements of an apprenticeship.
The curriculum includes classes such as:
- Intro to the Plumbing Trades with Lab
- Intro to Plumbing and Drawing
- Plumbing Codes
- Welding Theory
- Advanced Blueprint Reading with Lab
- Special Piping with Lab
- And more
Contact Information
- Address: Havre, Montana, 300 13th Street West
- Phone: 800.662.6132
- Website: https://www.msun.edu
2Flathead Valley Community College
About the School
Flathead Valley Community College offers an array of career and technical programs that teach the skills students need to get the job and wage they deserve.
Courses Offered
The following Construction Trades courses are available:
- Basic Rigging
- Field experience: Building Trades
Drafting Design courses are also available:
- Technical Drafting
- Introduction to CAD
- Solidworks
- The college also provides welding classes, including Pipe Welding.
Contact Information
- Address: 777 Grandview Drive, Kalispell, MT 59901
- Phone: (406) 756-3822 | (800) 313-3822
- Website: https://catalog.fvcc.edu
3University of Montana- Bitterroot College
About the School
University of Montana- Bitterroot College offers a Foundations of Plumbing course that is available online.
The course trains students for a career in plumbing by teaching the fundamental, job-ready skills relevant to the plumbing and piping industry.
Students in this self-paced program learn specialized plumbing skills and terminology specific to residential, commercial, and industrial plumbing systems.
The course also teaches math, geometry, and physical principles needed to work on plumbing systems.
The 12-month, 145-hour program costs $2,245.
Courses Offered
Students learn:
- Basic concepts of plumbing safety and safety procedures for material and equipment use
- The function of components required for the construction of standard piping and water supply systems
- The use and meaning of specialty drawings used in construction
- The application and installation of standard plumbing fixtures
- How to identify piping systems and fixture types used in plumbing work
- And many other skills and concepts
Contact Information
- Address: 103 South 9th Street, Hamilton, MT 59840 US
- Phone: 855.520.6806
- Website: https://careertraining.bitterroot.umt.edu
4Plumbers Training Institute
About the School
Plumbers Training Institute offers the following Montana Plumber Exam Prep courses:
- Montana 2021 UPC Plumber Exam Prep- a 12-hour course that costs $289
- Montana Master Plumber Isometrics- a three-hour course that costs $59
- Montana Plumbing Math- a one-hour course that costs $29
- Mississippi Plumbing Vents- a one-hour course that costs $29
The Montana 2021 UPC Plumber Exam Prep course guides students who are preparing to take a plumbing exam based on the Uniform Plumbing Code and also includes isometric drawings, specialty plumbing, math problems, and hundreds of practice questions and problems.
Plumbers Training Institute classes may be completed from anywhere, anytime.
Contact Information
- Phone: 855-284-8738
- Website: https://www.plumberstraininginstitute.com
5Rocket Cert
About the School
Rocket Cert offers Plumbing Continuing Education courses.
A Montana Plumber License program is available.
The course includes books, courses, and professionals ready to help students pass the exam.
The training is offered online in a self-paced format.
Plumbing Contractor Exam prep costs $299 while the prep, books, and tabs bundle is $409.
The Montana Journeyman Plumber exam consists of a written and a practical portion.
Students need to answer 70% of each section correctly in order to receive a passing score.
The written portion covers the 2018 Uniform Plumbing Code while the practical portion includes isometric drawings and virtual diagrams.
Contact Information
- Address: 408 N Cedar Bluff Rd, Ste 236, Knoxville, TN 37923
- Phone: (800) 495-6612
- Website: https://rocketcert.com
6Montana Boiler School
About the School
Montana Boiler School offers a locally taught 32-hour course that covers the safe operation and maintenance of law pressure and third-class commercial boilers.
The course is taught on a weekday or Saturday.
This is not a hands-on class.
The course includes a lecture series consisting of informational slide presentations and additional textbook definitions.
There is also a 40-hour job shadow required after the course is completed.
Students or their employers are responsible for finding a boiler and operator to shadow.
Contact Information
- Address: 3064 Rose Street, Bozeman, MT 59718
- Phone: 406-581-0279
- Website: https://montanaboilerschool.com
7DMAC Tech Trade School Online
About the School
Plumbing classes may also be completed at schools located in other states, by enrolling in an online program.
Located in Florida, DMAC Tech Trade School Online offers students fast-track career learning choices.
The school’s fast-track training and certification programs are designed to help students meet the requirements needed so that they can achieve their goals.
Courses Offered
Among many other courses, the school’s catalog includes a Plumber Apprentice Certification & Training program.
This course is available fully online.
Students learn about subjects such as:
- Plumbing fundamentals
- Plumbing fixtures installation
- Plumbing codes
- Water heater installation
- Water heater repair
- Toilet installation
- Toilet repair
- Kitchen sink repair
- Plumbing troubleshooting
- And more
This course costs $2,990.
Contact Information
- Address: 720 NW 27 Ave 2nd Floor, Miami, FL 33125
- Phone: (305) 649-2050
- Website: https://dmaceducation.online
8U.S. Career Institute
About the School
U.S. Career Institute offers a self-paced online plumbing program that teaches students everything they need to know in order to obtain a Plumbing Apprentice position.
Plumbing students learn skills such as:
- Applying basic customer service principles to on-the-job situations.
- Describing tools of the plumbing trade and their proper use
- Describing common plumbing fixtures, faucets, and valves
- Interpreting plumbing drawings and sketches
Students can study anytime, from anywhere, at their own pace.
If paid in full, this course costs $1,239.
Tuition includes access to instructors, all the learning materials, and career support.
Contact Information
- Address: 2001 Lowe Street, Fort Collins, CO
- Phone: 866-262-7883
- Website: https://learn.uscareerinstitute.edu
9Penn Foster
About the School
Penn Foster offers a Plumber School that leads to a career diploma in just six months.
The school offers flexible online classes that equip students with skills such as pipefitting, reading blueprints, installing water heaters, and more.
The program is designed to prepare students for entry-level jobs like plumbing technician, pipefitter technician, steamfitter technician, and fire sprinkler installer.
The online program includes interactive study guides, how-to-videos, and animations that allow students to apply what they have learned to real-world plumbing situations.
Courses Offered
Courses include:
- Modern Plumbing
- Introduction to Plumbing and Pipefitting
- Reading Piping Prints
If paid in full, this program costs $839.
Contact Information
- Address: 200 Hickory Street, Scranton, PA 18505
- Phone: 800-275-4410
- Website: https://www.pennfoster.edu
10Zack Academy
About the School
Zack Academy offers a Plumbing Maintenance Technology Certification program that is available online anytime.
Those who complete the program are awarded a Technical Certificate in Plumbing Maintenance Technology.
The program includes five modules:
- General Plumbing Maintenance
- Advanced Plumbing Maintenance
- Uniform Plumbing Codes I
- Uniform Plumbing Codes II
- Plumbing Code Calculations
Students learn the anatomy of a plumbing system, how to repair leaks, replace and install fixtures, plumbing codes, and many other skills and topics.
Contact Information
- Address: 1400 E. Oakland Park Blvd, Suite 108, Oakland Park, FL 33334
- Phone: 954-400-0595
- Website: https://www.zackacademy.com
Schools Summary Table
Regional Salary in Montana
| Region | Employed | Avg. Annual Salary | Avg. Hourly Pay | Top 10% Annual Salary | Bottom 10% Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billings, MT | 370 | $77,690 | $37.35 | $95,360 | $48,220 |
| Bozeman, MT | 360 | $74,040 | $35.60 | $93,950 | $50,230 |
| Great Falls, MT | 220 | $74,680 | $35.90 | $92,610 | $46,970 |
| Missoula, MT | 240 | $73,800 | $35.48 | $95,930 | $46,940 |
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.
Final Thoughts
Becoming a plumber can lead to a financially and personally rewarding career.
If this is the path you want to pursue, now that you have read our list of the best plumbing schools in your state, is time to pick the school that best fits your needs after completing thorough research.
