Industrial Technology

Types of Degrees Industrial Technology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many industrial technology graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

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

What Industrial Technology Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to industrial tech were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Industrial Tech Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in industrial tech should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• 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

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to industrial tech:

• 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

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a industrial tech student include the following:

• 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 Technology 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 Technology?

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

Industrial Tech appeals to people across the globe. About 0.9% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Industrial Technology 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 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.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Industrial Technology

Some degrees associated with industrial tech may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for industrial tech careers below.

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 Technology 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 Technology 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 Technology

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.