Best Auto Mechanic Schools In New Mexico Ranked For 2026

Students have the opportunity to participate in automotive internships, applying program skills at a workplace alongside their college study.

The published curriculum covers brake and electrical systems, engine repair and performance, manual and automatic transmission, alternative fuels, and other automotive service areas.

CNM says students can receive Ford and Subaru model training, earn ASE certifications, and complete an OSHA Occupational Safety Certificate in 10 hours.

The Transportation Technology Center at CNM’s RioTECH campus houses automotive labs and equipment used in the program.

SFCC lists Automotive Technology certificates, including an Automotive Internal Combustion Technology Certificate, alongside an Automotive Technology Associate of Applied Science.

The program lists engine repair, maintenance and light-truck repair, automatic transmissions, HVAC, brakes, manual transmission and drivetrain, steering and suspension, and electrical and engine performance.

SFCC says instruction is currently offered in hybrid mode, combining online classes with on-campus training in the Automotive Technology Center.

The page identifies SFCC as ASE accredited through February 2028 and says classes are taught by ASE Certified Technicians in a real-life instructional setting.

The program schedules courses so students can earn a Certificate of Occupational Training for each of the eight specialty areas defined by ASE guidelines, with all areas supporting Master Technician preparation.

ENMU-Roswell requires students to demonstrate proficiency in course competencies before completing requirements and advancing to subsequent automotive courses in the sequence.

Students must buy their own tools and uniform shirts for the automotive program.

The Automotive Technology Associate of Applied Science transfers into ENMU’s Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences pathway, giving the program a stated continuation beyond the technical associate degree.

Students can begin the Automotive Technology certificate at the start of any semester. The program can also lead into San Juan College’s automotive associate degree.

The certificate curriculum covers automatic and manual transmissions, brakes, HVAC, engine repair and performance, electrical systems, portfolios, safety, and steering and suspension.

San Juan places practical training in a modern 70,000-square-foot automotive shop with computers, tools, and equipment supplied in part through industry partnerships.

Certificate students may join the Apprenticeship Program for hands-on training while working at a designated local service facility in a paid position.

Clovis’s recommended Automotive Technology sequence totals 69 credits and leads to an Associate of Applied Science after the full technical and general-education plan is completed.

The plan pairs theory and lab work in engine repair, automatic and manual transmissions, suspension and steering, brakes, electronics, HVAC, and engine performance.

Applicants must complete the college and occupational-technology applications, meet Accuplacer or another placement score requirement, and pass AT 100 with a C or better before entering the program.

Clovis says full-time automotive classes meet Monday through Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.; students can start in either the fall or spring term.

NMJC describes Ford ASSET as a two-year Associate of Applied Science degree delivered through Ford Motor Company’s Automotive Student Service Education Training work-study program.

Students spend eight weeks at New Mexico Junior College and eight weeks in Colorado each semester, creating a repeating campus and dealership training rotation.

The degree includes paid training at a Colorado dealership, and NMJC says students can be placed in a cooperating service facility for supervised work with an experienced technician.

NMJC’s Colorado ASSET recruitment page estimates two-year tuition, books, and tools at $8,042. The estimate rises to $14,442 with campus housing and meal plans.

The one-year certificate requires 33 automotive credits. The AAS requires 72 credits, comprising a 57-credit automotive core and 15 credits of general education.

Both credential plans require three credits of Practicum in Auto Technology, AUTT 295, alongside the classroom and repair subjects.

The AAS adds six-credit courses in Heating and Air Conditioning, Automotive Engine Overhaul, Drive Train Overhaul, and Automatic Transmission Overhaul to the subjects required for the certificate.

The AAS requires three credits each in communication, social and behavioral sciences, humanities, arts and design, and student-choice general education.

The 2026–2027 AAS plan totals 66 to 67 credits, with four regular semesters and a summer communication course in the suggested sequence.

Dona Ana says Automotive Technology classes are offered during the day or at night to accommodate students who work while enrolled.

The degree requires one-credit Job Shadowing in the first fall and two-credit Cooperative Experience I in the final spring of the suggested plan.

A one-credit ASE Certification Preparation course is required near the end of the degree, following the main automotive systems sequence.

The catalog requires at least a C- or satisfactory grade in required automotive and technical courses and a cumulative 2.0 GPA. English Composition I and designated mathematics courses require C- or better.

The certificate requires eight four-credit courses: fundamentals, electrical systems, brakes, steering and suspension, engine repair, engine performance, and manual and automatic transmissions.

Automotive Fundamentals and Automotive Electrical must be completed before or alongside the later automotive courses. The program also requires students to demonstrate automotive proficiency to a faculty advisor.

Engine Repair covers removal, disassembly, inspection, measurement, assembly, and installation. Manual and automatic drivetrain courses include transmission disassembly and assembly, alongside in-vehicle service procedures.

Professional Snap-on certifications are available to students, with a passing result on the applicable certification exam required to earn each credential.

The certificate integrates the college’s communication and mathematics proficiency requirements into the required automotive courses.

The certificate requires 32 credits. Its suggested sequence places 16 credits in fall and 16 in spring.

The certificate is fully embedded in the Automotive Technology AAS at NMSU Grants, so its coursework also satisfies part of the associate degree.

The certificate requires separate four-credit courses in Electrical Theory I and Automotive Electrical Systems, plus four credits each in Engine Performance I and II.

Students select four-credit Basic Automatic Transmission or Automotive Air-Conditioning and Heating Systems. The remaining required coursework includes engine repair, brakes, steering, and suspension.