Industrial Tech

Types of Degrees Industrial Tech Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many industrial technology graduations there were in 2021-2022 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	1,369
Basic Certificate	1,006
Associate Degree	969
Undergraduate Certificate	491

What Industrial Tech Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to industrial 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 Industrial Tech Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• 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.
• Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Skills for Industrial Tech Majors

industrial tech majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

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

Abilities for Industrial Tech Majors

Industrial Tech majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• 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.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

What Can You Do With a Industrial Tech Major?

People with a industrial tech degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Industrial Engineering Technicians	0.6%	$55,460

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Industrial Tech?

This major tends to be male dominated. About 86% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of industrial tech majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	32
Black or African American	73
Hispanic or Latino	82
White	698
International Students	9
Other Races/Ethnicities	75

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Industrial Tech. About 0.9% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Industrial Tech Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Industrial Tech majors often go into careers with median salaries of $58,860. This median refers to all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

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 Industrial Tech

Some careers associated with industrial 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.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to industrial tech have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	9.7%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	12.0%
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)	1.3%
Some College Courses	36.9%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	25.5%
Bachelor’s Degree	14.7%

Online Industrial 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)	48	2
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	119	4
Bachelor’s Degree	1	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	17	4
Post-Master’s	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	2	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	1	0

Is a Degree in Industrial Tech Worth It?

The median salary for a industrial tech grad is $58,860 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 48% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $379,200 after 20 years!

Trades Related to Industrial Tech

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to industrial tech.

Major	Number of Grads
Manufacturing Engineering Technology	4,587
Other Industrial Production Technologies	1,752
Welding Engineering Technology	328
Plastics & Polymer Engineering Technology	290
Composite Materials Technology	106
Metallurgical Technology	45
Chemical Engineering Technology	43
Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology	3

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 ICAPlants under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.