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Industrial Safety Technology

Types of Degrees Industrial Safety Technology Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Industrial Safety Technology can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	3
Associate’s Degree	26
Bachelor’s Degree	120
Master’s Degree	65

What Industrial Safety Technology Majors Need to Know

Studies in Industrial Safety Technology build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Industrial Safety Technology graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Industrial Safety Technology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Engineering and Technology — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Mechanical — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set built by a Industrial Safety Technology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Complex Problem Solving — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Industrial Safety Technology graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.0 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	3.9 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	3.9 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	3.9 / 7
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	3.8 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Industrial Safety Technology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Computer aided design CAD software	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Industrial Safety Technology graduates include:

• Quality Management Coordinator
• Quality Control Technician
• Industrial Manufacturing Technician
• Manufacturing Engineering Technician
• Quality Control Expert
• Business Process Analyst
• Manufacturing Engineering Technologist
• Field Service Engineer
• Boiler Water Tester
• Time Study Technologist
• Manufacturing Specialist
• Industrial Maintenance Technician (Industrial Maintenance Tech)
• Diagnostics Engineering Specialist
• Cellophane Tester
• Materials Planner

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	28.1%
Some college courses	20.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	16.3%
Doctoral degree	11.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	6.6%
Less than a high school diploma	5.4%
Master’s degree	4.3%
Post-doctoral training	3.0%
Postsecondary certificate	2.8%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.3%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Industrial Safety Technology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 77.9% of Industrial Safety Technology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	57	22.1%
Men	201	77.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	142	55.0%
Asian	4	1.6%
Hispanic or Latino	57	22.1%
Black or African American	25	9.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	7	2.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.4%
Two or More Races	16	6.2%
Race Unknown	1	0.4%
International Students	5	1.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Industrial Safety Technology Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Industrial Safety Technology 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	$67,389
4 years	$70,808
5 years	$79,621

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $79,621 — roughly 18% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Industrial Safety Technology Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Industrial Safety 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	2	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 Industrial Safety Technology Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Industrial Safety Technology graduates earn a median of $70,808 four years after completion — roughly 86% 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/Industrial Management	7,766
Manufacturing Engineering Technology/Technician	4,498
Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians	3,938
Industrial Technology/Technician	3,881
Occupational Safety and Health Technology/Technician	3,147
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians, Other	1,904
Quality Control Technology/Technician	422
Packaging Science	391
Applied Engineering Technologies/Technicians	113
Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians, Other	111
Hazardous Materials Information Systems Technology/Technician	—
Process Safety 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.