Hydraulics & Fluid Power Technology

Types of Degrees Hydraulics & Fluid Power Technology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many hydraulics & fluid power technology graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Undergraduate Certificate	66
Basic Certificate	61
Associate Degree	51

What Hydraulics & Fluid Power Technology Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, hydraulics and fluid power tech majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Hydraulics and Fluid Power Tech Majors

Hydraulics and Fluid Power Tech majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Skills for Hydraulics and Fluid Power Tech Majors

When studying hydraulics and fluid power tech, 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:

• 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.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Abilities for Hydraulics and Fluid Power Tech Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a hydraulics and fluid power tech 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.
• Visualization - The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Hydraulics & Fluid Power Technology Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with hydraulics and fluid power tech:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Manufacturing Production Technicians	5.2%	$63,200
Mechanical Engineering Technologists	5.2%	$63,200

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Hydraulics & Fluid Power Technology?

This major attracts more men than women. About 88% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of hydraulics and fluid power tech majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	13
Black or African American	0
Hispanic or Latino	3
White	35
International Students	0
Other Races/Ethnicities	0

How Much Do Hydraulics & Fluid Power Technology Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

The median salary for someone in a career related to hydraulics and fluid power tech is $65,720. This median refers to 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 Hydraulics & Fluid Power Technology

Some careers associated with hydraulics and fluid power tech 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.

Find out what the typical degree level is for hydraulics and fluid power tech careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	13.3%
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)	20.5%
Some College Courses	4.5%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	29.1%
Bachelor’s Degree	31.2%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	1.1%
Master’s Degree	0.3%
Post-Doctoral Training	0.0%

Online Hydraulics & Fluid Power Technology 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)	7	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	2	0
Associate’s Degree	7	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 Hydraulics & Fluid Power Technology Worth It?

The median salary for a hydraulics and fluid power tech grad is $65,720 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 65% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $516,400 after 20 years!

Trades Related to Hydraulics & Fluid Power Technology

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to hydraulics and fluid power tech.

Major	Number of Grads
Surveying Technology/Surveying	744
Other Engineering-Related Technologies	47

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 Mike1979 Russia under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.