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composite materials technology

Types of Degrees composite materials technology Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing composite materials technology can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	8
Associate’s Degree	1
Master’s Degree	99

What composite materials technology Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in composite materials technology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Engineering and Technology — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Physics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a composite materials technology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Quality Control Analysis — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Operations Monitoring — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to composite materials technology careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Near Vision — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, composite materials technology graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Processing Information	4.0 / 7
Controlling Machines and Processes	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by composite materials technology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Autodesk AutoCAD	Computer aided design CAD software	—
National Instruments LabVIEW	Development environment software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Enterprise resource planning ERP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
ZEMAX Optical Design Program	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Computer aided design CAD software	Computer aided design CAD software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for composite materials technology graduates include:

• Test Technician (Test Tech)
• Laser Specialist
• Laser Operator
• Optics Technician (Optics Tech)
• Ruling Technician (Ruling Tech)
• Optoelectronic Technician (Optoelectronic Tech)
• Optics Test Technician (Optics Test Tech)
• Laser Assembly Technician (Laser Assembly Tech)
• Photonics Technician (Photonics Tech)
• Photonics Engineer
• Splicing Technician (Splicing Tech)
• Healthcare Laser Technician (Healthcare Laser Tech)
• Strain Technician (Strain Tech)
• Optomechanical Technician (Optomechanical Tech)
• Fiber Technician (Fiber Tech)

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to composite materials technology graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	47.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	25.4%
Bachelor’s degree	9.2%
Postsecondary certificate	6.9%
Some college courses	6.8%
Master’s degree	2.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in composite materials technology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 89.8% of composite materials technology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	11	10.2%
Men	97	89.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of composite materials technology graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	64	59.3%
Asian	5	4.6%
Hispanic or Latino	24	22.2%
Black or African American	2	1.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	1.9%
Two or More Races	7	6.5%
Race Unknown	4	3.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do composite materials technology Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of composite materials technology graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$59,570
4 years	$66,536
5 years	$74,003

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $74,003 — roughly 24% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in composite materials technology Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, composite materials technology graduates earn a median of $66,536 four years after completion — roughly 75% 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
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians	11,391
Manufacturing Engineering Technology/Technician	4,498
Industrial Technology/Technician	3,881
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians, Other	1,904
Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians	1,557
Biomedical Technology/Technician	1,460
Computer/Computer Systems Technology/Technician	1,272
Computer Engineering Technology/Technician	1,215
Welding Engineering Technology/Technician	609
Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Other	492
Computer Software Technology/Technician	278
Plastics and Polymer Engineering Technology/Technician	271

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.