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solar energy system installation and repair technology

Types of Degrees solar energy system installation and repair technology Majors Are Earning

People majoring in solar energy system installation and repair technology may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	3
Master’s Degree	22

What solar energy system installation and repair technology Majors Need to Know

Studies in solar energy system installation and repair technology build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that solar energy system installation and repair technology graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing solar energy system installation and repair technology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Mechanical — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Building and Construction — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Engineering and Technology — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a solar energy system installation and repair technology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Monitoring — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.
• Quality Control Analysis — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.
• Operations Monitoring — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to solar energy system installation and repair technology careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Near Vision — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.
• Visualization — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Information Ordering — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, solar energy system installation and repair technology graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	4.2 / 7
Performing General Physical Activities	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.1 / 7
Handling and Moving Objects	4.1 / 7
Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment	4.1 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.0 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by solar energy system installation and repair technology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Project management software	Project management software	—
Computer aided design CAD software	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Salesforce software	Customer relationship management CRM software	—
Work scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Cost estimating software	Project management software	—
Extensible markup language XML	Enterprise application integration software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Autodesk AutoCAD	Computer aided design CAD software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for solar energy system installation and repair technology graduates include:

• Installer
• Solar Electric Installer
• Solar Electrician
• PV Fabrication Technician (Photovoltaic Fabrication Technician)
• PV Panel Installer (Photovoltaic Panel Installer)
• Solar Service Technician (Solar Service Tech)
• PV Fabrication and Testing Technician (Photovoltaic Fabrication and Testing Technician)
• Electro-Mechanical Solar Technician (Electro-Mechanical Solar Tech)
• Journeyman Electrician PV Installer (Journeyman Electrician Photovoltaic Installer)
• Solar PV Integrator (Solar Photovoltaic Integrator)
• PV Technician (Photovoltaic Technician)
• Utility Photovoltaic and Energy Storage Technician
• Solar Electric Practitioner
• Solar System Installer
• Solar Energy System Installer

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to solar energy system installation and repair 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	40.8%
Postsecondary certificate	30.3%
Bachelor’s degree	11.4%
Less than a high school diploma	8.3%
Some college courses	4.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.2%
Master’s degree	0.8%
Doctoral degree	0.5%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in solar energy system installation and repair technology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 92% of solar energy system installation and repair technology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	2	8.0%
Men	23	92.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of solar energy system installation and repair technology graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	17	68.0%
Hispanic or Latino	4	16.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	4.0%
Race Unknown	3	12.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

Online solar energy system installation and repair technology Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for solar energy system installation and repair 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	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Gunsmithing/Gunsmith	2,555
Electrical/Electronics Equipment Installation and Repair Technology/Technician, General	2,549
High Performance and Custom Engine Technician/Mechanic	470
Mechanics and Repairers, General	433
Energy Systems Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians	178
Energy Systems Installation and Repair Technology/Technician	76
Wind Energy System Installation and Repair Technology/Technician	68
Recreation Vehicle (RV) Service Technician	34
Parts and Warehousing Operations and Maintenance Technology/Technician	18
Energy Systems Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians, Other	9
Geothermal Energy System Installation and Repair Technology/Technician	—
Hydroelectric Energy System Installation and Repair 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.