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Water Treatment Management

Types of Degrees Water Treatment Management Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Water Treatment Management may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	64
Associate’s Degree	250
Bachelor’s Degree	6
Master’s Degree	508

What Water Treatment Management Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Water Treatment Management emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Public Safety and Security — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Chemistry — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Water Treatment Management program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Operation and Control — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.
• Operations Monitoring — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Water Treatment Management careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Water Treatment Management graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.1 / 7
Getting Information	4.0 / 7
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.0 / 7
Processing Information	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.9 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Water Treatment Management professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Material safety data sheet MSDS software	Compliance software	—
Geographic information system GIS systems	Geographic information system	—
Records management software	Document management software	—
Operational Data Store ODS software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Data logging software	Data base user interface and query software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Water Treatment Management graduates include:

• Water Quality Technician (Water Quality Tech)
• Water Treatment Specialist
• Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator (WWTP Operator)
• Water Operator
• Waterworks Employee
• Filtration Plant Operator
• Liquid Waste Treatment Plant Operator
• Water Engineer
• Utility Operator
• Wastewater Plant Operator
• Drinking Water Technician (Drinking Water Tech)
• Water Pump Operator
• Wastewater Technician (Wastewater Tech)
• Filtration Operator
• Waste Water Technician (Waste Water Tech)

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	36.4%
Postsecondary certificate	27.5%
Bachelor’s degree	21.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	6.9%
Some college courses	6.7%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.7%
Master’s degree	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Water Treatment Management?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 84.3% of Water Treatment Management degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	142	15.7%
Men	763	84.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Water Treatment Management graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	392	43.3%
Asian	47	5.2%
Hispanic or Latino	336	37.1%
Black or African American	71	7.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	10	1.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	8	0.9%
Two or More Races	20	2.2%
Race Unknown	20	2.2%
International Students	1	0.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Water Treatment Management Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Water Treatment Management 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	$36,113
4 years	$40,833
5 years	$45,594

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $45,594 — roughly 26% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Water Treatment Management Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Water Treatment Management. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	5	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Water Treatment Management Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Water Treatment Management graduates earn a median of $40,833 four years after completion — roughly 7% 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
Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians	10,798
Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering Technology/Technician	9,397
Environmental/Environmental Engineering Technology/Technician	241
Hazardous Materials Management and Waste Technology/Technician	130
Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians, Other	125
Energy Management and Systems Technology/Technician	—
Solar Energy Technology/Technician	—
Hazardous Materials Information Systems Technology/Technician	—

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.