Best Auto Mechanic Schools In Missouri Ranked For 2026

State Tech lists General and High Performance Automotive Technology Associate of Applied Science options.

The curriculum covers engine repair, diagnostics, electrical systems, emissions control, alternative fuels, and computerized diagnostic systems.

The High Performance option adds high-performance engines, suspensions, welding, and structural fabrication.

The program identifies training with conventional gasoline systems as well as hybrid vehicles and alternative fuels.

State Tech identifies ATMAE accreditation and ASE-certified automobile technician instructors for the program.

St. Louis Community College offers a Certificate of Proficiency, Certificate of Specialization, and Associate in Applied Science in Automotive Technology.

Students build skills across all eight Automotive Service Excellence areas through classroom learning and hands-on shop practice.

The program teaches students to inspect vehicles, find the source of problems, and select repair procedures using shop tools and technology.

STLCC lists its automotive programs at Forest Park, with 61 hours for the AAS, 43 for the Certificate of Proficiency, and 15 for the Certificate of Specialization.

Ranken describes Automotive Maintenance Technology as a four-semester program with hands-on classes four days each week.

The program is offered at Ranken’s St. Louis campus and at Ranken West in Wentzville, Missouri.

Ranken identifies both locations as accredited by the Automotive Service Excellence Education Foundation.

Ranken says students can take classes in the evening, allowing daytime employment alongside the four-semester program.

Brand-specific options include Toyota T-TEN, Honda PACT, Ford ASSET, GM ASEP, and Nissan Technician Training Academy.

Ozarks Tech lists a 63-credit, two-year Automotive Technology AAS and a 32-credit, one-year certificate.

Students study automotive system design, operation, diagnosis, and repair, including engine repair, brakes, engine performance, and manual and automatic transmissions.

The program applies classroom concepts in a shop environment where students practice troubleshooting and service procedures on real vehicles.

Coursework includes troubleshooting, estimating, and customer relations alongside technical repair work.

Ozarks Tech identifies the degree program as accredited by the ASE Education Foundation.

SFCC offers a Skills Certificate in Automotive Maintenance and Light Repair, a Professional Certificate, and an Automotive Technology AAS.

The program moves from fundamental automotive principles to more advanced diagnosis and repair.

Students gain extensive lab and shop experience while learning to inspect, maintain, diagnose, and repair modern vehicles.

Training develops skills with automotive tools, equipment, computers, technology, and troubleshooting techniques.

The program includes employability, communication, and shop operation skills alongside technical instruction.

The 2024–2025 postsecondary handbook lists Automotive Technology at 924 clock hours. The automotive department separately describes a two-year program for high school juniors and seniors, offering up to four credits per year.

The admissions policy requires a $25 application fee, prior transcripts or a GED certificate, and a staff interview. Applicants must be 18 or have a signed parental release, and submit required immunization records.

The automotive instructor holds ASE Master certification. The program covers engine repair, electrical systems, engine performance, brakes, suspension and steering, and heating and air conditioning.

Students who complete one year of automotive coursework with a B average may apply for articulated credit at Ranken Technical College. The arrangement requires successful prior study rather than automatically awarding college credit to every enrollee.

Franklin Technology Center lists its Automotive Technology credential as a 720-clock-hour certificate program.

The published schedule runs August 10, 2026 through April 8, 2027, Monday through Thursday from 5 to 10 p.m., plus four hybrid hours weekly.

Areas of study include safety and foundations, steering and suspension, brakes, electrical and electronics, heating and air conditioning, and engine performance.

Students will test in ASE A4 Suspension and Steering, A5 Brakes, A6 Electrical and Electronic Systems, A7 Heating and Air Conditioning, and A8 Engine Performance.

Classes are held at Franklin Technology Center’s Extension Campus at 2220 South Indiana Avenue in Joplin.

The AAS requires 62 credits over two years. A 35-credit Certificate of Achievement consists of automotive courses, and its credits carry forward to the associate degree.

New students enter in fall and attend full time, choosing a morning or afternoon block at Four Rivers Career Center in Washington.

Students begin on bench units, then work on live engines on stands, vehicles owned by the program, and finally customer automobiles.

The degree includes 16 hours of math, English, and communication courses. These are offered at East Central College’s main campus or through online study.

East Central’s current course list includes ASE Brakes, ASE Suspension/Steering, ASE Manual Drive, Auto Transmission/Transaxle, ASE Engine Repair, ASE Electrical Systems, ASE Engine Performance, and Heating and Air Conditioning.

The 2026–2027 catalog lists Basic Engines at 18 credits, Basic Auto Mechanic at 39, and the Automotive Technology AAS at 62. The larger certificate incorporates the basic engine coursework.

The suggested AAS sequence places 18 automotive credits in the first fall and 21 in spring. The second year adds the remaining degree requirements in semesters of 12 and 11 credits.

AAS requirements include three-credit Introduction to Business and two-credit Workplace Professional Development, plus communication, mathematics, civics, and a computer applications choice.

The catalog offers Automotive Technology Internship for one to five credits, with one credit per 40 work hours and weekly discussion of job-related problems. It is separate from the listed required AAS courses.

The five-credit Engine Repair course includes live engine overhaul work. Students study removal, disassembly, inspection, repair, and reassembly of automotive engines.

The post-high-school program consists of 1,080 hours over nine months, with students attending six and three-quarter hours per day.

Adult applicants need a high school diploma or equivalent. The secondary route serves juniors and seniors from participating schools for three hours daily over two years.

Annual tuition is $7,750, payable as $3,875 each semester. The $50 nonrefundable application fee is credited toward the first tuition payment.

The adult application requires official high school or equivalency records and any college transcripts, an admissions test, and a criminal background check. Qualifying ACT or Accuplacer results can waive the admissions test.

Cape Girardeau divides the program into Automotive Technology I, focused on powertrain and driveline, and Automotive Technology II, focused on electrical and chassis systems.

The program is organized as a two-year course with two semesters in each stage. It is open to eligible eleventh- and twelfth-grade students and adults.

The first stage covers engine repair, engine performance, automotive HVAC, automatic transmissions and transaxles, and manual transmissions, transaxles, and driveline technology.

Students learn shop safety, vehicle systems, system operation, maintenance, and light repair while using hands-on shop work to apply the related theory.

Adult applicants need a valid driver’s license and good driving record, and the center requires interviews for adult students entering the program.

The April 2026 requirements sheet lists a 25-credit certificate and 74-credit AAS. The degree map distributes the AAS across four semesters of 17, 20, 19, and 18 credits.

The AAS pairs Advanced Engine Performance and Advanced Electrical Systems with three-credit labs. Driveline Mechanics and Automotive Air Conditioning also have separate three-credit labs.

The degree requires two-credit AUTO 258 Automotive Industry Management in its final semester, alongside advanced electrical work and automotive air conditioning.

The requirements sheet lists Technical Internship I, II, and III as optional courses carrying one to three credits each.

Students must have safety glasses, sturdy work boots, and two Jefferson College automotive work shirts for the program.