Heavy Equipment Maintenance

Types of Degrees Heavy Equipment Maintenance Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many heavy/industrial equipment maintenance graduations there were in 2018-2019 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Basic Certificate	4,304
Undergraduate Certificate	2,963
Associate’s Degree	1,599
Bachelor’s Degree	23

What Heavy Equipment Maintenance Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to equipment maintenance 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 Equipment Maintenance 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.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• 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.
• 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 Equipment Maintenance Majors

When studying equipment maintenance, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Repairing - Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
• Troubleshooting - Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
• Equipment Maintenance - Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
• Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
• Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Abilities for Equipment Maintenance Majors

As a equipment maintenance major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
• Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
• 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.

What Can You Do With a Heavy Equipment Maintenance Major?

People with a equipment maintenance degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Elevator Installers and Repairers	12.2%	$79,780
Industrial Machinery Mechanics	6.7%	$52,340
Maintenance Workers, Machinery	5.6%	$47,060
Millwrights	9.9%	$55,060
Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines	8.2%	$51,920
Rail Car Repairers	4.9%	$56,220
Wind Turbine Service Technicians	94.8%	$54,370

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Heavy Equipment Maintenance?

Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance runs middle of the road when it comes to popularity, ranking #22 out of all the trade school majors we track. In 2019, about 1,599 graduates completed their associate’s degree in this field. This major tends to be male dominated. About 94% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of equipment maintenance majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	16
Black or African American	113
Hispanic or Latino	101
White	1,279
International Students	2
Other Races/Ethnicities	88

Geographic Diversity

Equipment Maintenance appeals to people across the globe. About 0.1% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• British Virgin Islands
• Botswana
• Mexico
• Canada

How Much Do Heavy Equipment Maintenance Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Equipment Maintenance majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $52,510 to $56,250 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes 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 Heavy Equipment Maintenance

Some degrees associated with equipment maintenance may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. 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 equipment maintenance have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	2.7%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	41.5%
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)	37.2%
Some College Courses	7.2%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	7.3%
Bachelor’s Degree	1.9%
Master’s Degree	0.6%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	0.8%

Online Heavy Equipment Maintenance Programs

In the 2018-2019 academic year, 340 schools offered some type of heavy/industrial equipment maintenance program. 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)	213	1
Certificate (1-2 years)	230	3
Certificate (2-4 Years)	61	0
Associate’s Degree	183	3
Bachelor’s Degree	0	0
Post-Baccalaureate	213	1
Master’s Degree	0	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Heavy Equipment Maintenance Worth It?

The median salary for a equipment maintenance grad is $54,000 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 35% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $282,000 after 20 years!

Trades Related to Heavy Equipment Maintenance

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to equipment maintenance.

Major	Number of Grads
Vehicle Maintenance & Repair	65,998
Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration	19,885
Electronics Maintenance & Repair	9,325
Precision Systems Maintenance	1,816
Mechanic & Repair Tech (Other)	1,017
Mechanics & Repairers	505

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

More about our data sources and methodologies.