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Heavy Equipment Maintenance Major

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Heavy Equipment Maintenance

239 Associates's Degrees Annually
14 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
#99 in Popularity (Associate's)
$53,370 Median Salary

Types of Degrees Heavy Equipment Maintenance Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many heavy equipment maintenance technology/technician graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Undergraduate Certificate 421
Associate Degree 239
Basic Certificate 208
Bachelor’s Degree 14

What Heavy Equipment Maintenance Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to heavy equipment maintenance technology/technician 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 Heavy Equipment Maintenance Technology/Technician Majors

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

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  • Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
  • Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Building and Construction - Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
  • 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.

Skills for Heavy Equipment Maintenance Technology/Technician Majors

A major in heavy equipment maintenance technology/technician prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

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  • Troubleshooting - Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
  • Repairing - Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
  • 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 Heavy Equipment Maintenance Technology/Technician Majors

Heavy Equipment Maintenance Technology/Technician majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

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  • 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.
  • Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
  • 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.
  • Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.

What Can You Do With a Heavy Equipment Maintenance Major?

People with a heavy equipment maintenance technology/technician degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines 8.2% $51,920
Rail Car Repairers 4.9% $56,220

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

239 Associate's Degrees Annually
3% Percent Women
14% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
This major attracts more men than women. About 97% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 0
Black or African American 3
Hispanic or Latino 21
White 199
International Students 0
Other Races/Ethnicities 16

How Much Do Heavy Equipment Maintenance Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Heavy Equipment Maintenance Technology/Technician majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $53,370 to $56,020 (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.

Median Salary for a Heavy Equipment Maintenance Major  ( 53370 to 56020 )
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250K
Median Salary for a High School Graduate  ( 30000 to 57900 )
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250K
Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree Holder  ( 45600 to 99000 )
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250K
Median Salary for an Advanced Degree Holder  ( 55600 to 125400 )
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250K

Some careers associated with heavy equipment maintenance technology/technician 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 heavy equipment maintenance technology/technician have obtained the following education levels.

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma 1.8%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) 38.9%
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) 49.1%
Some College Courses 5.5%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 4.0%

Online Heavy Equipment Maintenance Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 65 schools offered some type of heavy equipment maintenance technology/technician 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) 0 0
Certificate (1-2 years) 23 0
Certificate (2-4 Years) 28 0
Associate’s Degree 28 0
Bachelor’s Degree 0 0
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
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 heavy equipment maintenance technology/technician grad is $53,370 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 34% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $269,400 after 20 years!

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

Major Number of Grads
Industrial Mechanics & Maintenance Technology 7,800
Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies, Other 35

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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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