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General Engineering Technology

Types of Degrees General Engineering Technology Majors Are Earning

People majoring in General Engineering Technology can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	194
Associate’s Degree	1,256
Bachelor’s Degree	1,337
Master’s Degree	1,076
Doctor’s Degree	5

What General Engineering Technology Majors Need to Know

Coursework for General Engineering Technology develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that General Engineering Technology graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in General Engineering Technology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Engineering and Technology — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Mechanical — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a General Engineering Technology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Operations Monitoring — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to General Engineering Technology careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Near Vision — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Engineering Technology graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.0 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.0 / 7
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	3.9 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7
Processing Information	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Engineering Technology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Autodesk AutoCAD	Computer aided design CAD software	✓
National Instruments LabVIEW	Development environment software	—
Computer aided design CAD software	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Dassault Systemes SolidWorks	Computer aided design CAD software	—
The MathWorks MATLAB	Analytical or scientific software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Engineering Technology graduates include:

• Test Technician (Test Tech)
• Field Service Technician
• Instrumentation Technician
• Remotely Piloted Vehicle Controller (RPV Controller)
• Tester
• Certified Control Systems Technician
• Calibration Technician
• Engineering Technician
• Remotely Piloted Aircraft Operator (RPA Operator)
• Drone Technician
• Rework Technician
• Commercial Drone Operator
• Unmanned Aircraft Pilot (UA Pilot)
• Mechanical Technician (Mechanical Tech)
• Electromechanical Assembly Technician (EM Assembly Technician)

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to General Engineering Technology graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	26.6%
Postsecondary certificate	20.3%
High school diploma or equivalent	19.2%
Bachelor’s degree	12.9%
Some college courses	11.4%
Doctoral degree	3.7%
Master’s degree	3.1%
Less than a high school diploma	1.4%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.7%
Post-doctoral training	0.6%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Engineering Technology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 81.5% of General Engineering Technology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	719	18.5%
Men	3,164	81.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of General Engineering Technology graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2,134	55.0%
Asian	366	9.4%
Hispanic or Latino	616	15.9%
Black or African American	324	8.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native	20	0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	9	0.2%
Two or More Races	107	2.8%
Race Unknown	64	1.6%
International Students	243	6.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Engineering Technology Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of General Engineering Technology graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$60,327
4 years	$67,578
5 years	$74,923

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $74,923 — roughly 24% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online General Engineering Technology Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for General Engineering Technology. 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	6	5
Bachelor’s	6	3
Master’s	4	3

^{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 General Engineering Technology Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, General Engineering Technology graduates earn a median of $67,578 four years after completion — roughly 78% 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
Engineering Technologies	91,975
Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians	11,920
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians	11,391
Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians	10,798
Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians	9,702
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians	9,196
Engineering-Related Fields	8,633
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians	5,996
Construction Engineering Technology/Technician	5,089
Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians	3,938
Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians	3,275
Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, Other	2,247

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.