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Electrician

Types of Degrees Electrician Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Electrician can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	15,907
Associate’s Degree	3,003
Master’s Degree	10,118

What Electrician Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Electrician emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Building and Construction — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Mechanical — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills developed in a Electrician program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Coordination — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Electrician careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Electrician graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	3.9 / 7
Performing General Physical Activities	3.9 / 7
Handling and Moving Objects	3.9 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Electrician professionals:

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

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Electrician graduates include:

• Structural Steel Erection Supervisor
• Billposting Supervisor
• Concrete Finishing Supervisor
• Sanitary Landfill Supervisor
• House Mover Supervisor
• Commercial Construction Superintendent
• Building Construction Superintendent
• Asphalt Paving Supervisor
• Acoustical Tile Carpenters’ Supervisor
• Tankage Supervisor
• Mine Captain
• Gang Supervisor
• Concrete Foreman
• Steel Pan Form Placing Supervisor
• Steel Work Supervisor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	33.6%
Postsecondary certificate	27.5%
Less than a high school diploma	17.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	7.9%
Some college courses	7.8%
Bachelor’s degree	5.7%
First professional degree	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Electrician?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 95.1% of Electrician degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	1,490	4.9%
Men	28,859	95.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Electrician graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	13,266	43.7%
Asian	550	1.8%
Hispanic or Latino	9,537	31.4%
Black or African American	3,043	10.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native	290	1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	88	0.3%
Two or More Races	727	2.4%
Race Unknown	2,767	9.1%
International Students	81	0.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Electrician Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Electrician 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	$39,714
4 years	$47,108
5 years	$52,808

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $52,808 — roughly 33% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in Electrician Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Electrician graduates earn a median of $47,108 four years after completion — roughly 24% above 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
Electrical and Power Transmission Installers	35,577
Carpentry/Carpenter	5,356
Construction Trades	2,761
Lineworker	2,731
Electrical and Power Transmission Installation/Installer, General	2,334
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
Electrical and Power Transmission Installers, Other	163
Concrete Finishing/Concrete Finisher	70

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.