Colorado School of Trades

What is the history of Colorado School of Trades?

Colorado School of Trades is a private, career-focused school in Lakewood, Colorado, specializing in gunsmithing. Founded in 1947, it developed around training students to repair, modify, and build firearms rather than offering a broad range of academic majors.

That specialization remains central to its identity. Prospective students comparing it with a community college should focus on the gunsmithing curriculum, time spent in the workshop, credential awarded, and total cost - not assume that its academic or campus experience resembles that of a multiprogram college.

What are the faculties and departments at Colorado School of Trades?

Colorado School of Trades is organized around gunsmithing instruction, not separate colleges or a wide selection of departments. Its academic focus is practical firearms work, including the mechanical and machining skills used in repair and fabrication.

The school has described its principal program as leading to an Associate of Occupational Studies in Gunsmithing. Applicants should review the current catalog for the precise credential, program length, course sequence, and required equipment. An occupational associate degree is designed around a trade; it should not be assumed to satisfy the general-education or transfer requirements of a bachelor's-degree program.

Instruction is delivered at a small institution: reported enrollment is 85 students, with six full-time and one part-time faculty members. The reported student-to-faculty ratio is 10 to one, although that institution-wide ratio does not establish the size of every workshop group.

What is the location of Colorado School of Trades?

Colorado School of Trades is in Lakewood, immediately west of Denver. Its location gives students access to a large metropolitan area, while attendance at this specialized school centers on its Lakewood instructional site rather than a traditional residential campus.

Students planning to commute should check the current class and workshop schedule against their travel time; hands-on training can make regular in-person attendance particularly important. Those moving from another state should investigate housing and transportation before enrolling. Denver International Airport serves the region, but it is not a substitute for a workable daily commute.

What is the mission and vision of Colorado School of Trades?

Colorado School of Trades presents its educational purpose as preparing students for work in gunsmithing through practical, occupation-specific training. That purpose is narrower than the mission of a general college: the curriculum concentrates on developing trade skills rather than providing a broad selection of liberal-arts or professional programs.

Students should judge that stated purpose against the current course outline, required shop hours, equipment access, and any published graduate-outcome disclosures. A mission statement describes institutional intent; it does not establish that every graduate obtains a particular job or earnings level.