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Painting & Wall Covering

Types of Degrees Painting & Wall Covering Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Painting & Wall Covering may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	12
Associate’s Degree	11
Master’s Degree	5

What Painting & Wall Covering Majors Need to Know

Programs in Painting & Wall Covering emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Painting & Wall Covering graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Painting & Wall Covering emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Building and Construction — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Mechanical — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.0 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Painting & Wall Covering program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Coordination — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.
• Time Management — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.0 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.0 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Painting & Wall Covering careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Near Vision — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.0 / 7.
• Information Ordering — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Painting & Wall Covering graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Performing General Physical Activities	4.1 / 7
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	4.0 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Handling and Moving Objects	3.9 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.9 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.8 / 7
Getting Information	3.8 / 7
Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment	3.7 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.7 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	3.7 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Painting & Wall Covering professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
On Center Quick Bid	Project management software	—
Corel Painter	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—
Procore software	Analytical or scientific software	—
Prolog	Development environment software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio Management	Project management software	—
Autodesk AutoCAD	Computer aided design CAD software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Painting & Wall Covering graduates include:

• Building Painter
• Residential Painter
• Highway Painter
• Railroad Car Letterer
• Marbleizer
• Painter
• Journeyman Painter
• Industrial Painter
• Construction Painter
• Kalsominer
• Industrial Coating and Lining Application Specialist
• House Painter
• Building Trades Painter
• Texturer
• Facilities Painter

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Painting & Wall Covering graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	43.5%
Less than a high school diploma	20.3%
Postsecondary certificate	18.1%
Some college courses	8.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.9%
Bachelor’s degree	4.0%
Post-doctoral training	0.5%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Painting & Wall Covering?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 78.6% of Painting & Wall Covering degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	6	21.4%
Men	22	78.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Painting & Wall Covering graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	17	60.7%
Hispanic or Latino	5	17.9%
Black or African American	1	3.6%
Race Unknown	5	17.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Painting & Wall Covering Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Painting & Wall Covering graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$33,822
4 years	$32,489
5 years	$37,102

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $37,102 — roughly 10% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Painting & Wall Covering Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Painting & Wall Covering graduates earn a median of $32,489 four years after completion — about 15% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Electrician	30,349
Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection	6,978
Carpentry/Carpenter	5,356
Plumbing Technology/Plumber	2,780
Construction Trades	2,761
Building/Property Maintenance	2,023
Building Construction Technology/Technician	1,924
Building/Construction Site Management/Manager	1,530
Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection, Other	733
Pipefitting/Pipefitter and Sprinkler Fitter	613
Mason/Masonry	378
Building/Home/Construction Inspection/Inspector	312

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.