Plumbing & Water Supply
Featured Plumbing & Water Supply Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
MS in Management - Construction Management
Gain the leadership skills and expertise you need to manage large-scale construction projects with this specialized online master's from Southern New Hampshire University.
Types of Degrees Plumbing & Water Supply Majors Are Getting
The following table lists how many plumbing & water supply graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.
Education Level | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Undergraduate Certificate | 1,746 |
Basic Certificate | 909 |
Associate Degree | 233 |
What Plumbing & Water Supply Majors Need to Know
O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to plumbing 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 Plumbing Majors
According to O*NET survey takers, a major in plumbing should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:
- Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
- Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
- 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.
- Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
- 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.
Skills for Plumbing Majors
The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to plumbing:
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- 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.
- Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Abilities for Plumbing Majors
Plumbing majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:
- 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 Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
- Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
What Can You Do With a Plumbing & Water Supply Major?
Below is a list of occupations associated with plumbing:
Job Title | Job Growth Rate | Median Salary |
---|---|---|
Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas | 25.2% | $46,120 |
Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas | 19.9% | $44,430 |
Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters | 7.9% | $49,860 |
First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | 12.6% | $65,230 |
Pipe Fitters and Steamfitters | 15.6% | $53,910 |
Plumbers | 15.6% | $53,910 |
Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas | 24.6% | $53,800 |
Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners | 17.2% | $38,970 |
Solar Energy Installation Managers | 12.6% | $65,230 |
Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Plumbing & Water Supply?
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of plumbing majors is as follows:
Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 3 |
Black or African American | 11 |
Hispanic or Latino | 17 |
White | 185 |
International Students | 1 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 16 |
Geographic Diversity
Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Plumbing. About 0.4% of those with this major are international students.
How Much Do Plumbing & Water Supply Majors Make?
Salaries According to BLS
Plumbing majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $47,570 to $58,150 (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 Plumbing & Water Supply
Some careers associated with plumbing require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. 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 plumbing have obtained the following education levels.
Education Level | Percentage of Workers |
---|---|
Less than a High School Diploma | 19.7% |
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) | 38.1% |
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) | 27.1% |
Some College Courses | 11.1% |
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 2.7% |
Bachelor’s Degree | 1.4% |
Master’s Degree | 0.4% |
Online Plumbing & Water Supply Programs
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) | 122 | 0 |
Certificate (2-4 Years) | 23 | 0 |
Associate’s Degree | 52 | 0 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 0 | 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 Plumbing & Water Supply Worth It?
The median salary for a plumbing grad is $52,780 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.
This is 32% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $257,600 after 20 years!
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Trades Related to Plumbing & Water Supply
You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to plumbing.
Major | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Electrical & Power Transmission Installers | 26,459 |
Building Management & Inspection | 5,269 |
Carpentry | 3,899 |
Construction | 1,813 |
Masonry | 284 |
Other Construction | 190 |
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
- Image Credit: By Tomwsulcer under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Schools
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