Aircraft Maintenance Technology

Types of Degrees Aircraft Maintenance Technology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many airframe mechanics and aircraft maintenance technology/technician graduations there were in 2019-2020 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Undergraduate Certificate	4,033
Basic Certificate	1,097
Associate Degree	947
Bachelor’s Degree	30

What Aircraft Maintenance Technology Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, airframe mechanics and aircraft maintenance technology/technician majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Airframe Mechanics and Aircraft Maintenance Technology/Technician Majors

Airframe Mechanics and Aircraft Maintenance Technology/Technician 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.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• 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.

Skills for Airframe Mechanics and Aircraft Maintenance Technology/Technician Majors

When studying airframe mechanics and aircraft maintenance technology/technician, 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:

• Quality Control Analysis - Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
• Equipment Maintenance - Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
• Repairing - Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Abilities for Airframe Mechanics and Aircraft Maintenance Technology/Technician Majors

As a airframe mechanics and aircraft maintenance technology/technician major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• 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.
• 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.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• 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.

What Can You Do With a Aircraft Maintenance Technology Major?

People with a airframe mechanics and aircraft maintenance technology/technician degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians	4.9%	$62,920

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Aircraft Maintenance Technology?

This major attracts more men than women. About 90% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of airframe mechanics and aircraft maintenance technology/technician majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	52
Black or African American	76
Hispanic or Latino	246
White	473
International Students	20
Other Races/Ethnicities	80

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Airframe Mechanics and Aircraft Maintenance Technology/Technician. About 2.1% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Aircraft Maintenance Technology Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $55,530 to $65,230 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to airframe mechanics and aircraft maintenance technology/technician. 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 Aircraft Maintenance Technology

Some careers associated with airframe mechanics and aircraft 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 airframe mechanics and aircraft maintenance technology/technician have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	1.7%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	34.5%
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)	37.6%
Some College Courses	0.3%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	17.3%
Bachelor’s Degree	9.3%

Online Aircraft Maintenance Technology Programs

In the 2019-2020 academic year, 140 schools offered some type of airframe mechanics and aircraft 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)	81	1
Certificate (2-4 Years)	42	0
Associate’s Degree	82	3
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 Aircraft Maintenance Technology Worth It?

The median salary for a airframe mechanics and aircraft maintenance technology/technician grad is $55,530 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 39% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $312,600 after 20 years!

Trades Related to Aircraft Maintenance Technology

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to airframe mechanics and aircraft maintenance technology/technician.

Major	Number of Grads
Automobile/Automotive Mechanics Technology/Technician	32,871
Diesel Mechanics Technology/Technician	8,645
Autobody/Collision & Repair Technology/Technician	4,504
Aircraft Powerplant Technology/Technician	2,598
Medium/Heavy Vehicle & Truck Technology/Technician	2,407
Motorcycle Maintenance & Repair Technology/Technician	1,244
Avionics Maintenance Technology/Technician	687
Marine Maintenance/Fitter & Ship Repair Technology/Technician	590
General Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Technologies	526
High Performance & Custom Engine Technician/Mechanic	391
Small Engine Mechanics & Repair Technology/Technician	234
Alternative Fuel Vehicle Technology/Technician	213
Engine Machinist	96
Other Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Technologies	73
Vehicle Emissions Inspection & Maintenance Technology/Technician	7

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 Airman 1st Class Nigel Sandridge under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.