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Water Quality and Wastewater Treatment Management and Recycling Tech Major

Water Quality and Wastewater Treatment Management and Recycling Tech

292 Associates's Degrees Annually
2 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
#91 in Popularity (Associate's)
$49,490 Median Salary

Types of Degrees Water Quality and Wastewater Treatment Management and Recycling Tech Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many water quality & wastewater treatment management & recycling technology graduations there were in 2021-2022 for each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Basic Certificate 412
Associate Degree 307
Undergraduate Certificate 78
Bachelor’s Degree 3

What Water Quality and Wastewater Treatment Management and Recycling Tech Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to water quality and wastewater treatment management and recycling tech 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 Water Quality and Wastewater Treatment Management and Recycling Tech Majors

Water Quality and Wastewater Treatment Management and Recycling Tech majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

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  • Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
  • Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
  • Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
  • Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • 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.

Skills for Water Quality and Wastewater Treatment Management and Recycling Tech Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to water quality and wastewater treatment management and recycling tech:

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  • Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Quality Control Analysis - Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

Abilities for Water Quality and Wastewater Treatment Management and Recycling Tech Majors

Water Quality and Wastewater Treatment Management and Recycling Tech majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

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  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • 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.
  • Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Water Quality and Wastewater Treatment Management and Recycling Tech?

307 Associate's Degrees Annually
21% Percent Women
43% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
This major attracts more men than women. About 79% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of water quality and wastewater treatment management and recycling tech majors is as follows:

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 8
Black or African American 11
Hispanic or Latino 97
White 159
International Students 1
Other Races/Ethnicities 31

Geographic Diversity

Water Quality and Wastewater Treatment Management and Recycling Tech appeals to people across the globe. About 0.3% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Water Quality and Wastewater Treatment Management and Recycling Tech Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Water Quality and Wastewater Treatment Management and Recycling Tech majors often go into careers with median salaries of $49,490. 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.

Median Salary for a Water Quality and Wastewater Treatment Management and Recycling Tech Major  49,490
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Median Salary for a High School Graduate  ( 30000 to 57900 )
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Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree Holder  ( 45600 to 99000 )
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250K
Median Salary for an Advanced Degree Holder  ( 55600 to 125400 )
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250K

Some degrees associated with water quality and wastewater treatment management and recycling tech may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. 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 water quality and wastewater treatment management and recycling tech careers below.

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) 42.1%
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) 24.7%
Some College Courses 20.9%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 12.6%
Bachelor’s Degree 0.5%

Online Water Quality and Wastewater Treatment Management and Recycling Tech 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) 35 1
Certificate (2-4 Years) 0 0
Associate’s Degree 48 3
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 Water Quality and Wastewater Treatment Management and Recycling Tech Worth It?

The median salary for a water quality and wastewater treatment management and recycling tech grad is $49,490 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 24% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $191,800 after 20 years!

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You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to water quality and wastewater treatment management and recycling tech.

Major Number of Grads
Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Engineering Technology 7,993
Environmental Engineering Technology/Environmental Technology 329
Other Environmental Control Technologies 128
Hazardous Materials Management & Waste Technology 126

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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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