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Ironworking Major

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Ironworking

99 Associates's Degrees Annually
#125 in Popularity (Associate's)
$36,820 Median Salary

Types of Degrees Ironworking Majors Are Getting

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

Education Level Number of Grads
Undergraduate Certificate 209
Associate Degree 99
Basic Certificate 8

What Ironworking Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, ironworking 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 Ironworking Majors

Ironworking majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

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  • Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
  • Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  • 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 Ironworking Majors

ironworking majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

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  • Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Time Management - Managing one’s own time and the time of others.

Abilities for Ironworking Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a ironworking student include the following:

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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.
  • 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.
  • Trunk Strength - The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without ‘giving out’ or fatiguing.
  • Static Strength - The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
  • Multilimb Coordination - The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Ironworking?

99 Associate's Degrees Annually
10% Percent Women
9% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
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 ironworking majors is as follows:

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 2
Black or African American 4
Hispanic or Latino 0
White 78
International Students 0
Other Races/Ethnicities 15

How Much Do Ironworking Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Ironworking majors often go into careers with median salaries of $36,820. 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.

Median Salary for an Ironworking Major  36,820
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Median Salary for a High School Graduate  ( 30000 to 57900 )
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Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree Holder  ( 45600 to 99000 )
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Median Salary for an Advanced Degree Holder  ( 55600 to 125400 )
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250K

Some degrees associated with ironworking 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 ironworking careers below.

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma 28.0%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) 54.6%
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) 13.7%
Some College Courses 4.2%
Doctoral Degree 1.5%

Online Ironworking Programs

In 2020-2021, 9 schools offered a ironworking program of some type. 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) 4 0
Certificate (2-4 Years) 0 0
Associate’s Degree 3 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 Ironworking Worth It?

The median salary for a ironworking grad is $36,820 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

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

Major Number of Grads
Welding Technology/Welder 42,490
Machine Tool Technology/Machinist 3,285
Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) Machinist Technology/CNC Machinist 2,689
Machine Shop Technology/Assistant 1,921
Tool & Die Technology/Technician 584
Metal Fabricator 430
Other Precision Metal Working 314
Sheet Metal Technology/Sheetworking 279

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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