Gunsmithing

Types of Degrees Gunsmithing Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many gunsmithing/gunsmith graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Associate Degree	861
Undergraduate Certificate	534
Basic Certificate	157

What Gunsmithing Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to gunsmithing/gunsmith 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 Gunsmithing/Gunsmith Majors

Gunsmithing/Gunsmith majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• 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 Gunsmithing/Gunsmith Majors

When studying gunsmithing/gunsmith, 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:

• Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
• Troubleshooting - Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Abilities for Gunsmithing/Gunsmith Majors

As you progress with your gunsmithing/gunsmith degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• 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.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Perceptual Speed - The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
• Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.

What Can You Do With a Gunsmithing Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with gunsmithing/gunsmith:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Geothermal Technicians	8.2%	$39,320

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Gunsmithing?

This major tends to be male dominated. About 99% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of gunsmithing/gunsmith majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	1
Black or African American	13
Hispanic or Latino	66
White	698
International Students	1
Other Races/Ethnicities	82

Geographic Diversity

Gunsmithing/Gunsmith appeals to people across the globe. About 0.1% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Gunsmithing Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

The median salary for someone in a career related to gunsmithing/gunsmith is $43,050. 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 Gunsmithing

Some degrees associated with gunsmithing/gunsmith 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.

Find out what the typical degree level is for gunsmithing/gunsmith careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	56.5%
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)	32.5%
Some College Courses	7.3%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	0.9%
Bachelor’s Degree	2.9%

Online Gunsmithing Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 17 schools offered some type of gunsmithing/gunsmith 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)	10	1
Certificate (2-4 Years)	2	0
Associate’s Degree	13	1
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 Gunsmithing Worth It?

The median salary for a gunsmithing/gunsmith grad is $43,050 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 8% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $63,000 after 20 years!

Trades Related to Gunsmithing

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to gunsmithing/gunsmith.

Major	Number of Grads
Musical Instrument Fabrication & Repair	200
Watchmaking & Jewelrymaking	100
Locksmithing & Safe Repair	48
Precision Systems Maintenance & Repair Technologies, Other	32

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 Phasmatisnox under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.