| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Public technical college run by Pinellas County Schools (the School Board of Pinellas County); campus-based, with a few online and hybrid programs |
| Campuses | Two in Pinellas County, Florida: Clearwater (6100 154th Ave N) and St. Petersburg (901 34th St S) |
| Credentials | Clock-hour career certificates and paid apprenticeships; no degrees |
| Program length | 45 hours (Child Care Center Operations) to 1,500 hours (Machining Technologies) |
| Cost | 2026-27 tuition $2.92 per clock hour for Florida residents and $11.71 for non-residents; brochure program totals $225 to $13,817 for residents |
| Accreditation | Council on Occupational Education, each campus separately (Clearwater since 1970, St. Petersburg since 1975), plus Cognia |
| Federal aid | Pell Grants (school codes 005605 Clearwater, 013917 St. Petersburg); St. Petersburg does not take part in federal student loans |
| Students | 2,589 in fall 2024: 1,463 at St. Petersburg and 1,126 at Clearwater (IPEDS) |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
Pinellas County’s public technical college
Pinellas Technical College (PTC) is part of Pinellas County Schools, the county’s K-12 district, and works under the Florida Department of Education. It was formerly known as Pinellas Technical Education Centers. Its two campuses, in Clearwater and St. Petersburg, are each accredited by the Council on Occupational Education and report to the federal government as separate institutions. Between them they list 47 certificate programs in the 2026-27 brochure, plus 14 apprenticeships, mostly taught in full-time daytime cohorts that start as early as 7:00 am.
Tuition is charged by the clock hour, so most programs cost a few thousand dollars for residents. The campuses split the specialties: marine, diesel and machining are at Clearwater, while dental, surgical technology, EMT, cosmetology and CDL driving are at St. Petersburg. There is no RN program; nursing stops at the LPN.
Programs and 2026-27 costs at both campuses
Totals are PTC’s estimates in its 2026-27 program brochure: resident tuition plus books, tools and fees. Non-residents pay $11.71 instead of $2.92 per clock hour in tuition, so their totals are higher.
Health
| Program | Campus | Clock hours | Prepares for | 2026-27 est. total (Florida resident) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practical Nursing | Both | 1,350 | NCLEX-PN (CNA along the way) | $8,427 |
| Surgical Technology | St. Petersburg | 1,440 (brochure: 1,330) | NCCT TS-C; CSPDT | $6,690 |
| Dental Assisting (CODA) | St. Petersburg | 1,230 | Florida expanded duties; DANB CDA | $6,177 |
| Emergency Medical Technician | St. Petersburg | 300 | NREMT EMT; Florida EMT | $1,661 |
| Medical Coder/Biller (online) | St. Petersburg | 1,110 | AAPC CPC, NHA CBCS, NHA CEHRS | $6,009 |
| Medical Administrative Specialist | Clearwater | 1,050 | CMAA; Microsoft Office Specialist | $5,964 |
| Phlebotomy | Clearwater | 165 | AMT RPT | $1,082 |
Skilled trades, automotive and transportation
| Program | Campus | Clock hours | Prepares for | 2026-27 est. total (Florida resident) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Welding Technology | Both | 1,050 | AWS Certified Welder (extra fee) | $8,064 |
| Welding Technology-Advanced | Both | 750 | – | $5,521 |
| Machining Technologies (NIMS) | Clearwater | 1,500 | NIMS | $6,663 |
| Electricity | Both | 1,200 | OSHA 10, NCCER Electrical | $5,610 |
| Electricity 1 | Clearwater | 750 | – | $4,081 |
| HVAC/R 1 / HVAC/R 1-IET | St. Petersburg / Clearwater | 750 | EPA 608, ESCO, NCCER | $4,084 / $4,268 |
| Plumbing | St. Petersburg | 1,080 | NCCER Core and Plumbing | $5,247 |
| Building Trades and Construction Design Technology | St. Petersburg | 900 | NCCER | $4,247 |
| Cabinetmaking | Clearwater | 1,200 | NOCTI Cabinetmaking; OSHA 10 | $6,067 |
| Computer-Aided Drawing and Modeling | St. Petersburg | 1,200 | Autodesk Certified User and Professional | $4,752 |
| Electronic Systems Integration and Automation | Clearwater | 750 | Not yet named by PTC | $4,778 |
| Master Automotive Service Technology 1 | Both | 1,050 | ASE; MACS 609 | $12,039 |
| Master Automotive Service Technology 2 | Both | 750 | ASE | $4,646 |
| Automotive Collision Technology Technician | St. Petersburg | 1,400 | S/P2, I-CAR; credit toward ASE B2–B6 | $10,061 |
| Diesel Systems Technician 1 / 2 | Clearwater | 1,050 / 750 | ASE-linked badges | $4,359 / $3,340 |
| Diesel Maintenance Technician | Clearwater | 600 | – | $8,798 |
| Marine Service Technologies | Clearwater | 1,350 | Yamaha Introduction to Outboard Systems | $13,817 |
| Commercial Vehicle Driving (Class A) | St. Petersburg | 320 | Class A CDL, tested on site | $3,332 |
| Commercial Class B Driving | St. Petersburg | 150 | Class B CDL | $1,066 |
| Public Works | St. Petersburg | 450 | Class B CDL; FDOT maintenance of traffic; OSHA 10 | $2,002 |
Beauty, culinary, business, IT, design and education
| Program | Campus | Clock hours | Prepares for | 2026-27 est. total (Florida resident) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbering | Both | 900 | Florida barber license | $5,705 |
| Cosmetology | St. Petersburg | 1,200 | Florida cosmetologist license | $7,552 |
| Facials Specialty | St. Petersburg | 220 | Florida facial specialist registration | $1,844 |
| Nails Specialty | St. Petersburg | 180 | Florida nail specialist registration | $1,620 |
| Professional Culinary Arts & Hospitality | Both | 1,200 | ServSafe | $7,289 |
| Baking & Pastry Arts | Clearwater | 600 | ServSafe | $3,990 |
| Fundamental Foodservice Skills | Clearwater | 600 | – | $4,045 |
| Accounting Operations | Clearwater | 1,050 | MOS, NOCTI, QuickBooks Online Certified User | $3,935 |
| Computer Systems & Information Technology | Both | 900 | CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+ (optional) | $5,023 (IET version $4,065) |
| Network Support Services | Clearwater | 1,050 | CompTIA Network+, Cisco CCST, Cloud Essentials+, Security+ | $4,737 |
| Digital Media/Multimedia Design | St. Petersburg | 900 | Adobe Certified Professional | $4,137 |
| Interior Decorating Services | Clearwater | 1,250 | C.I.D. (Certified Interior Decorators International) | $5,502 |
| Stage Production | Clearwater | 300 | – | $1,279 |
| Early Childhood Education (hybrid) | St. Petersburg | 600 | FDOE Early Childhood Professional Certificate; DCF Staff Credential | $2,269 |
| Child Care Center Operations | Both | 45 | Level 1 Florida Child Care Education Director Credential | $225 |
| School Age Professional Certificate (online) | St. Petersburg | 120 | School Age Professional Certification | $303 |
Paid apprenticeships run at both campuses: at Clearwater in automotive electrical and hybrid/EV systems, electrician (Bay Area Electrical and IEC), facilities maintenance, machining, HVAC and sprinkler fitting, and at St. Petersburg in child care, fire fighting, industrial machinery maintenance, industrial pipefitting (with the City of St. Petersburg stormwater department), practical nursing, roadway technician and surgical technology.
Interior Decorating Services trains decorators, not interior designers, whom Florida licenses separately. Non-credit evening and short courses include forklift, drone pilot (FAA Part 107 preparation) and air-conditioning basics at St. Petersburg and evening welding at Clearwater.
What the main programs cover
Practical Nursing
Students need a high-school diploma or GED and must pass the TEAS at a PTC testing center, then clear immunizations, a drug screen and a background check. The 1,350 hours include clinical rotations at sites in Pinellas and surrounding counties, and students earn CNA status within the program. St. Petersburg’s traditional cohort meets Monday to Friday, 7:00 to 12:15, with the next start on 13 October 2026; its hybrid cohort for BayCare employees only meets Monday and Wednesday, 3 to 9 pm, plus clinicals, from 5 January 2027. Clearwater’s next traditional start is 3 November 2026.
Surgical Technology
Applicants must attend a mandatory information session. Day classes run Monday to Friday, 7:00 to 12:15, with starts on 13 October 2026 and 21 June 2027; the June class lasts about 16.5 months. One course, STS0016, covers sterile processing and leads to the CSPDT exam, and graduates sit the NCCT TS-C exam. A Surgical Technologist apprenticeship, in which students train on the job, starts 5 January 2027. Students who need the NBSTSA CST credential for a particular employer should ask before enrolling.
Dental Assisting
The 1,230 hours are split into four courses of 90, 210, 465 and 465 hours, and include training in the expanded duties Florida allows qualified dental assistants to perform. As a health program, it asks for immunizations, a drug screen and a background check, and PTC lists the TEAS V for allied health entry. There are five starts a year: 11 August and 13 October 2026, then 5 January, 22 March and 1 June 2027. High-school dual-enrollment students need a 2.5 GPA. PTC does not state the program’s length in months.
Welding Technology
Students begin with two welder assistant courses and two shielded metal arc (stick) courses of 150 hours each, then spend 450 hours on MIG, flux-cored, TIG and basic pipe welding. At St. Petersburg, day classes run Monday to Friday, 7:00 to 12:15, and an evening section meets Monday to Thursday, 4 to 9 pm. Both campuses can give the AWS Certified Welder test, for an extra fee. Students must keep 80% academic progress, 90% attendance and reach a grade 9 basic-skills level.
Marine Service Technologies
Before enrolling, applicants spend time shadowing the class. The 1,350 hours start with 300 hours of marine rigging, then 300 of outboard engines and 150 of outboard diagnostics, 300 of inboard gasoline engines, 150 of drive trains and 150 of inboard diesel. Students work toward Yamaha Marine’s Introduction to Outboard Systems credential. All of the training is on the Clearwater campus on 154th Avenue North; PTC names no separate waterfront site.
Commercial Vehicle Driving (Class A CDL)
The 320 hours combine up to 86 hours of theory, which can be completed online, with range practice and road driving of up to 1,000 miles, and students take the CDL test on site. Class runs 7:00 am to 1:00 pm, and the listed classes last about 10 to 14 weeks. Applicants must be at least 19, pass a drug screen and background check, and, if aged 19 to 21, bring an employer’s letter of intent to hire. The St. Pete Works EDGE program pays for CDL training for eligible young adults in five South St. Petersburg zip codes.
Cost and paying for it: $2.92 a clock hour for Florida residents
Both 2026-27 catalogs and both campuses’ fees pages set career-certificate tuition at $2.92 per clock hour for Florida residents and $11.71 per clock hour for non-residents and international students. There is no separate in-county rate. Residency must be shown with two documents, one of them at least a year old. At those rates, tuition alone for the 1,350-hour Practical Nursing program is about $3,942 for a resident and $15,809 for a non-resident, before books, uniforms and fees.
PTC’s 2026-27 brochure estimates resident totals from $225 (Child Care Center Operations) to $13,817 (Marine Service Technologies). Examples: Practical Nursing $8,427, Welding $8,064, Cosmetology $7,552, Dental Assisting $6,177 and Class A CDL $3,332. Fees for applications, ID, parking, labs, equipment and facilities, uniforms, graduation and licensing exams are charged on top of tuition, but the fees pages give no amounts. Tuition and lab fees are due by the first day of each term; they are refunded if a student withdraws within the first 10 class sessions or 50 enrolled hours, whichever comes first.
Eligible students can use Pell Grants (school codes 005605 for Clearwater and 013917 for St. Petersburg). College Navigator says the St. Petersburg campus does not take part in federal student loan programs. PTC’s catalog mentions Bright Futures and Florida Prepaid (tuition only), outside scholarships are listed at each financial aid office, and St. Pete Works EDGE funds CDL and drone training for young adults in South St. Petersburg zip codes 33701, 33705, 33711, 33712 and 33713. In 2023-24, 73% of St. Petersburg certificate students and 51% at Clearwater received grant aid (IPEDS). IPEDS puts the average net price for full-time beginning students, including living costs, at $24,612 at St. Petersburg and $25,395 at Clearwater (2023-24).
Veterans can use the Post-9/11 GI Bill and VR&E (Chapter 31). VA students must keep 80% monthly attendance (90% in Practical Nursing, 94% in EMT), and Clearwater has a Military & Veteran Resource Center.
Under PTC’s 2026-27 money-back guarantee, completers who cannot find a job in their field within six months can make a claim. It covers Welding-Advanced, Diesel Systems 1 and 2, Practical Nursing, Master Automotive 2 and Medical Administrative Specialist at Clearwater, and Master Automotive 1, Dental Assisting, Welding, Collision, Plumbing and Public Works at St. Petersburg. Read the full terms on each campus’s guarantee page before relying on it.
Admissions, five start dates and a 7:00 am day
Students must be at least 16. High-school juniors and seniors can enroll through dual enrollment with a 2.0 weighted GPA (2.5 for medical programs). Most programs do not require a high-school diploma, as long as the student is working toward one; Practical Nursing requires a diploma or GED. Students in programs of 450 hours or more take the CASAS basic-skills test within their first six weeks and must reach the level their program sets, such as grade 11 for Practical Nursing.
Some programs add their own steps: the TEAS for Practical Nursing; immunizations, a drug screen and a background check for health programs; an information session for Surgical Technology; a shadowing day for Marine Service Technologies; and a minimum age of 19 for CDL. Practical Nursing, Surgical Technology and Dental Assisting admit students in cohorts.
Terms start in August, October, January, March and May, and students must register by the third day of a term. Classes start at 7:00 am, and day sessions typically end at 12:15. PTC expects full-time attendance, with half-time study only by approval, and most programs require 90% attendance. Evening options are limited to St. Petersburg welding, the BayCare nursing cohort and short courses. Medical Coder/Biller and the School Age Professional certificate are online, and Early Childhood Education, HVAC/R 1 at St. Petersburg and the CSIT IET course are hybrid.
Accreditation and results
Each campus is accredited on its own by the Council on Occupational Education (COE): Clearwater since November 1970 and St. Petersburg since November 1975. College Navigator lists St. Petersburg’s next review for 31 December 2031, but still shows a next-review date of 31 December 2024 for Clearwater; PTC says Clearwater remains accredited, we found no adverse action, and we could not confirm the date of Clearwater’s latest reaffirmation. Both campuses are also accredited by Cognia through the school district. As a public district college, PTC is overseen by the Florida Department of Education, not the Commission for Independent Education, which licenses private schools.
Programmatic accreditation is limited. Dental Assisting is accredited by CODA (since January 2004; next review 2032). Practical Nursing is approved by the Florida Board of Nursing but is not ACEN-accredited. The Machining Technologies page says the program is accredited by NIMS. Surgical Technology is not accredited by CAAHEP; its page cites only the NCCA, which accredits the NCCT exam its graduates take. Both campuses are AWS accredited test facilities.
| Measure | Clearwater | St. Petersburg | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graduation within 150% of normal time (first-time, full-time students who began in 2021-22) | 52% | 60% | IPEDS |
| NCLEX-PN first-time pass rate, January–March 2025 | 12 of 12 (100%) | 14 of 23 (60.87%) | Florida Board of Nursing |
| NCLEX-PN first-time pass rate, January–March 2026 | 2 of 2 (100%) | 20 of 37 (54.05%) | Florida Board of Nursing |
The national first-time NCLEX-PN pass rate for US-educated candidates was 86.6% in 2025 (NCSBN). St. Petersburg’s two quarterly results are far below it; Clearwater’s are perfect but rest on small numbers. We could not read the Board of Nursing’s full-year reports for 2024 or 2025. We found no published pass rates for PTC’s dental, surgical technology, EMT, welding or beauty exams. PTC’s own impact report gives graduation, placement and licensure figures without definitions, and the campus labels could not be matched reliably, so we leave them out; the catalogs name Florida’s FETPIP data as the source for placement.
What changed at PTC recently
- Web Development (Clearwater) takes no new students in 2026-27 and ends on 18 December 2026.
- Several programs that had graduates in 2023-24 are not in the 2026-27 brochure: Sterile Processing, Watchmaking and Jewelrymaking, Radio and Television Broadcasting and Commercial Photography (St. Petersburg), and cybersecurity, .NET programming, Composite Materials and Communications Systems Installation (Clearwater). We could not confirm when each closed.
- Clearwater’s hybrid Practical Nursing format “will not be offered in the foreseeable future”; St. Petersburg now runs a hybrid cohort for BayCare employees only.
- The Silversmithing short course is paused while PTC recruits an instructor.
- Pinellas County Schools’ February 2026 school closure and consolidation plan named no PTC site.
Before you enroll
- PTC trains LPNs, not RNs. St. Petersburg’s first-time NCLEX-PN pass rates in the two quarterly reports we could read (60.87% and 54.05%) were far below the 86.6% national rate, so ask the campus for its latest full-year results.
- Surgical Technology is not CAAHEP-accredited and prepares for the NCCT TS-C, not the NBSTSA CST. Check which credential the hospitals you want to work for ask for.
- Tuition for non-Florida residents is four times the resident rate per clock hour.
- Most programs are full-time weekday cohorts starting at 7:00 am, and evening options are few. Neither campus has housing.
- Interior Decorating Services does not lead to an interior designer license, and the 300-hour security course inside CSIT is not a stand-alone cybersecurity program.
Career help and student support
Each campus has a Career Center with the Career Rocket tool, an employer job-posting portal and a “We Hire PTC” page for employers. Many programs articulate to associate degrees at St. Petersburg College or to Florida’s statewide A.S. degrees. Students ride PSTA buses free with a student ID, Clearwater runs a food pantry on Tuesdays, and both campuses offer ESOL, adult basic education and GED classes. Neither campus has student housing.
Sources
Checked October 2026: PTC campuses · 2026-27 program brochure (PDF) · St. Petersburg catalog · Clearwater catalog · Fees and expenses · Accreditation · College Navigator (IPEDS) · Florida Board of Nursing program reports
Programs & Courses
Health sciences
- Practical Nursing (LPN; both campuses; 1,350 hours)
- Surgical Technology (St. Petersburg; 1,440 hours)
- Dental Assisting (St. Petersburg; 1,230 hours; CODA)
- Emergency Medical Technician (St. Petersburg; 300 hours)
- Medical Coder/Biller (online; 1,110 hours)
- Medical Administrative Specialist (Clearwater; 1,050 hours)
- Phlebotomy (Clearwater; 165 hours)
Automotive, diesel and marine
- Master Automotive Service Technology 1 and 2 (both campuses)
- Automotive Collision Technology Technician (St. Petersburg)
- Diesel Systems Technician 1 and 2 (Clearwater)
- Diesel Maintenance Technician (Clearwater)
- Marine Service Technologies (Clearwater)
Transportation and public works
- Commercial Vehicle Driving, Class A CDL (St. Petersburg)
- Commercial Class B Driving (St. Petersburg)
- Public Works (St. Petersburg)
Construction and building trades
- Electricity (both campuses) and Electricity 1 (Clearwater)
- HVAC/R 1 (St. Petersburg) and HVAC/R 1-IET (Clearwater)
- Plumbing (St. Petersburg)
- Building Trades and Construction Design Technology (St. Petersburg)
- Cabinetmaking (Clearwater)
- Computer-Aided Drawing and Modeling (St. Petersburg)
- Electronic Systems Integration and Automation (Clearwater)
Welding and manufacturing
- Welding Technology (both campuses)
- Welding Technology-Advanced (both campuses)
- Machining Technologies (Clearwater; NIMS)
Cosmetology and barbering
- Barbering (both campuses)
- Cosmetology (St. Petersburg)
- Facials Specialty (St. Petersburg)
- Nails Specialty (St. Petersburg)
Culinary arts
- Professional Culinary Arts & Hospitality (both campuses)
- Baking & Pastry Arts (Clearwater)
- Fundamental Foodservice Skills (Clearwater)
Business and information technology
- Accounting Operations (Clearwater)
- Computer Systems & Information Technology (both campuses; hybrid IET version)
- Network Support Services (Clearwater)
Design and media
- Digital Media/Multimedia Design (St. Petersburg)
- Interior Decorating Services (Clearwater)
- Stage Production (Clearwater)
Education and child care
- Early Childhood Education (St. Petersburg; hybrid)
- Child Care Center Operations (both campuses)
- School Age Professional Certificate (St. Petersburg; online)
Apprenticeships
- Clearwater: Automotive Electrical/Electronics/Hybrid-EV Systems, Electrician (Bay Area Electrical and IEC), Facilities Maintenance, Machining, HVAC, Sprinkler Fitter
- St. Petersburg: Child Care, Fire Fighting, Industrial Machinery Maintenance, Industrial Pipefitter, Practical Nursing, Roadway Technician, Surgical Technologist
Campus Locations
Clearwater, FL 6100 154th Ave N, Clearwater, FL 33760
St. Petersburg, FL 901 34th St S, St. Petersburg, FL 33711