Pipe & Sprinkler Fitting

Types of Degrees Pipe & Sprinkler Fitting Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many pipefitting/pipefitter and sprinkler fitter graduations there were in 2019-2020 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Undergraduate Certificate	273
Basic Certificate	180
Associate Degree	141

What Pipe & Sprinkler Fitting Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to pipefitting/pipefitter and sprinkler fitter 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 Pipefitting/Pipefitter and Sprinkler Fitter Majors

Pipefitting/Pipefitter and Sprinkler Fitter majors often go into careers in which the following 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.
• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• 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.
• 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 Pipefitting/Pipefitter and Sprinkler Fitter Majors

When studying pipefitting/pipefitter and sprinkler fitter, 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:

• Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• 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.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Time Management - Managing one’s own time and the time of others.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Abilities for Pipefitting/Pipefitter and Sprinkler Fitter Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a pipefitting/pipefitter and sprinkler fitter student include the following:

• 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.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

What Can You Do With a Pipe & Sprinkler Fitting Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with pipefitting/pipefitter and sprinkler fitter:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers	12.6%	$65,230
Pipe Fitters and Steamfitters	15.6%	$53,910
Solar Energy Installation Managers	12.6%	$65,230

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Pipe & Sprinkler Fitting?

This major attracts more men than women. About 96% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of pipefitting/pipefitter and sprinkler fitter majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	0
Black or African American	3
Hispanic or Latino	3
White	122
International Students	3
Other Races/Ethnicities	10

Geographic Diversity

Pipefitting/Pipefitter and Sprinkler Fitter appeals to people across the globe. About 2.1% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Pipe & Sprinkler Fitting Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $58,150 to $70,540 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to pipefitting/pipefitter and sprinkler fitter. This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

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 Pipe & Sprinkler Fitting

Some careers associated with pipefitting/pipefitter and sprinkler fitter 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 pipefitting/pipefitter and sprinkler fitter have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	10.3%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	32.4%
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)	33.6%
Some College Courses	18.4%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	3.6%
Bachelor’s Degree	1.2%
Master’s Degree	0.9%

Online Pipe & Sprinkler Fitting Programs

In the 2019-2020 academic year, 43 schools offered some type of pipefitting/pipefitter and sprinkler fitter 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)	23	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	5	0
Associate’s Degree	16	1
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 Pipe & Sprinkler Fitting Worth It?

The median salary for a pipefitting/pipefitter and sprinkler fitter grad is $58,150 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 46% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $365,000 after 20 years!

Trades Related to Pipe & Sprinkler Fitting

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to pipefitting/pipefitter and sprinkler fitter.

Major	Number of Grads
Plumbing Technology/Plumber	1,708
Other Plumbing & Related Water Supply Services	117
Well Drilling/Driller	10
Blasting/Blaster	0

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.