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General Construction Trades

Types of Degrees General Construction Trades Majors Are Earning

People majoring in General Construction Trades can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	615
Associate’s Degree	519
Master’s Degree	1,321

What General Construction Trades Majors Need to Know

Studies in General Construction Trades develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that General Construction Trades graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in General Construction Trades emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Building and Construction — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Mechanical — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Design — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a General Construction Trades program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Coordination — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Management of Personnel Resources — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to General Construction Trades careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Information Ordering — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Construction Trades graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	3.9 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	3.9 / 7
Scheduling Work and Activities	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Construction Trades professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Autodesk AutoCAD	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Inventory tracking software	Inventory management software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Procore software	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Oracle Primavera Systems	Project management software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio Management	Project management software	—
Prolog	Development environment software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Construction Trades graduates include:

• Building Superintendent
• Swimming Pool Maintenance Supervisor
• Surface Boss
• Electrical Supervisor
• Stonemason Supervisor
• Labor Crew Supervisor
• Road Gang Supervisor
• Pipelines Supervisor
• Sewer Maintenance Supervisor
• Glazier Supervisor
• Rig Supervisor
• Quarry Boss
• Gang Supervisor
• Concreting Supervisor
• Civil Foreman

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to General Construction Trades graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	34.1%
Less than a high school diploma	20.6%
Postsecondary certificate	16.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	10.8%
Some college courses	8.8%
Bachelor’s degree	8.7%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Construction Trades?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 89.6% of General Construction Trades degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	286	10.4%
Men	2,475	89.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of General Construction Trades graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,104	40.0%
Asian	109	3.9%
Hispanic or Latino	676	24.5%
Black or African American	478	17.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native	70	2.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	18	0.7%
Two or More Races	146	5.3%
Race Unknown	138	5.0%
International Students	22	0.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Construction Trades Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of General Construction Trades graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$39,670
4 years	$37,868
5 years	$45,686

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $45,686 — roughly 15% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online General Construction Trades Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for General Construction Trades. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	7	2

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in General Construction Trades Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, General Construction Trades graduates earn a median of $37,868 four years after completion — essentially in line with the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{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
Carpentry/Carpenter	5,356
CONSTRUCTION TRADES	2,761
Building/Property Maintenance	2,023
Building Construction Technology/Technician	1,924
Building/Construction Site Management/Manager	1,530
Building/Home/Construction Inspection/Inspector	312
Drywall Installation/Drywaller	254
Concrete Finishing/Concrete Finisher	70
Carpet, Floor, and Tile Worker	21
Blasting/Blaster	—

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.