Building Construction Technology

Types of Degrees Building Construction Technology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many building construction technology graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Undergraduate Certificate	523
Basic Certificate	344
Associate Degree	308

What Building Construction Technology Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to building construction technology and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Building Construction Technology Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Building and Construction - Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Skills for Building Construction Technology Majors

When studying building construction technology, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.

Abilities for Building Construction Technology Majors

As you progress with your building construction technology degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Building Construction Technology Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with building construction technology:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Civil Engineering Technicians	8.9%	$52,580
First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers	12.6%	$65,230

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Building Construction Technology?

This major attracts more men than women. About 89% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of building construction technology majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	13
Black or African American	21
Hispanic or Latino	35
White	216
International Students	0
Other Races/Ethnicities	23

How Much Do Building Construction Technology Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Building Construction Technology majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $54,670 to $70,540 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Building Construction Technology

Some degrees associated with building construction technology may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to building construction technology have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	3.3%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	21.9%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	25.3%
Some College Courses	30.6%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	10.5%
Bachelor’s Degree	8.7%

Online Building Construction Technology Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 139 schools offered some type of building construction technology program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	74	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	13	0
Associate’s Degree	66	0
Bachelor’s Degree	2	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	0	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Building Construction Technology Worth It?

The median salary for a building construction technology grad is $54,670 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 37% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $295,400 after 20 years!

Trades Related to Building Construction Technology

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to building construction technology.

Major	Number of Grads
Building/Property Maintenance	1,289
Building/Construction Site Management/Manager	910
Other Building/Construction Finishing, Management, & Inspection	616
Building/Home/Construction Inspection/Inspector	239
Insulator	62
Concrete Finishing/Concrete Finisher	52
Drywall Installation/Drywaller	52
Painting/Painter & Wall Coverer	40
Glazier	34
Carpet, Floor, & Tile Worker	30
Roofer	12

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.