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Upholstery

Types of Degrees Upholstery Majors Are Earning

Those studying Upholstery can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	10
Master’s Degree	16

What Upholstery Majors Need to Know

Programs in Upholstery build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Upholstery graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Upholstery emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Production and Processing — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.
• Design — Importance 3.0 / 5; level 2.9 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 2.9 / 5; level 2.8 / 7.
• Mechanical — Importance 2.8 / 5; level 2.6 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 2.7 / 5; level 2.2 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set developed in a Upholstery program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3 / 5; level 3 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3 / 5; level 3 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 3 / 5; level 2.9 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Upholstery careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Arm-Hand Steadiness — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Manual Dexterity — Importance 4 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Finger Dexterity — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Visual Color Discrimination — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Upholstery graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Handling and Moving Objects	4.0 / 7
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	3.9 / 7
Getting Information	3.8 / 7
Performing General Physical Activities	3.7 / 7
Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information	3.6 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.6 / 7
Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People	3.6 / 7
Thinking Creatively	3.5 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.5 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.5 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Upholstery professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Enterprise resource planning ERP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Autodesk AutoCAD	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
LibreOffice Draw	Process mapping and design software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Intuit QuickBooks	Accounting software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Upholstery graduates include:

• Upholstery Cutter
• Upholstery Repairer
• Upholsterer
• Aircraft Seat Upholsterer
• Upholstery Auto Trimmer
• Limousine and Hearse Upholsterer
• Seat Cover Cutter
• Box Spring Upholsterer
• Top and Trim Worker
• Upholstery Mechanic
• Vinyl Top Installer
• Chair Upholsterer
• Body Trimmer Upholsterer
• Car Seat Maker
• Arm Maker

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Upholstery graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	56.2%
Less than a high school diploma	43.8%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Upholstery?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 53.8% women and 46.2% men among Upholstery graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	14	53.8%
Men	12	46.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Upholstery graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	6	23.1%
Asian	1	3.8%
Hispanic or Latino	15	57.7%
Black or African American	3	11.5%
Two or More Races	1	3.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Upholstery Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Upholstery graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$18,872

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Related Programs

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

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Leatherworking and Upholstery	26
Leatherworking and Upholstery, Other	—
Shoe, Boot and Leather Repair	—

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.