undergradly.
Concentration · CIP 46

Construction Trades

Construction Trades (CIP family 46) spans programs that teach the technical skills behind building, maintaining, and inspecting the structures we live and work in. From Electrician credentials to Carpentry, Building/Construction Site Management, Pipefitting, and Plumbing Technology, this concentration covers every layer of the built environment. Across 22 distinct majors offered at 212 colleges, graduates enter industries with persistent labor demand, supervisory career paths, and wages that rise sharply with experience. Students who lean toward applied, hands-on learning and want a direct line from classroom to career will find this concentration well-matched to those goals.

Majors
22
Colleges
229
Annual completions
7,765
Top career
Maintenance and repair workers, general
Majors in this concentration

Sorted by popularity

Electrician

Top career: First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

229 colleges · 3,145 completions/yr

Building/Construction Site Management/Manager

Top career: First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

74 colleges · 825 completions/yr

Electrical and Power Transmission Installation/Installer, General

Top career: First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers

50 colleges · 692 completions/yr

Construction Trades, General

Top career: First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

65 colleges · 557 completions/yr

Carpentry/Carpenter

Top career: Carpenters

89 colleges · 532 completions/yr

Building Construction Technology/Technician

Top career: First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

74 colleges · 475 completions/yr

Lineworker

Top career: First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers

35 colleges · 440 completions/yr

Building/Property Maintenance

Top career: Maintenance and repair workers, general

47 colleges · 300 completions/yr

Pipefitting/Pipefitter and Sprinkler Fitter

Top career: First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

16 colleges · 212 completions/yr

Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection, Other

52 colleges · 194 completions/yr

Plumbing Technology/Plumber

Top career: First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

51 colleges · 133 completions/yr

Building/Home/Construction Inspection/Inspector

Top career: First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

26 colleges · 67 completions/yr

Electrical and Power Transmission Installers, Other

Top career: Electrical power-line installers and repairers

7 colleges · 58 completions/yr

Construction Trades, Other

23 colleges · 54 completions/yr

Mason/Masonry

Top career: First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

7 colleges · 37 completions/yr

Carpet, Floor, and Tile Worker

Top career: First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

2 colleges · 11 completions/yr

Glazier

Top career: First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

3 colleges · 9 completions/yr

Insulator

Top career: First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

1 colleges · 9 completions/yr

Well Drilling/Driller

Top career: First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

1 colleges · 7 completions/yr

Concrete Finishing/Concrete Finisher

Top career: First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

2 colleges · 5 completions/yr

Painting/Painter and Wall Coverer

Top career: First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

3 colleges · 2 completions/yr

Plumbing and Related Water Supply Services, Other

Top career: Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

3 colleges · 1 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

How do I choose between the majors in the Construction Trades concentration?
Start by deciding whether you want to work in the trade itself or manage others doing it. Programs like Electrician (212 colleges, 3,003 annual completions) and Carpentry/Carpenter (82 colleges, 530 completions) train you for licensed, hands-on craft roles. Building/Construction Site Management/Manager and Building Construction Technology/Technician, by contrast, aim at supervisory and coordination careers. The top supervisory career — First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers — carries a $78,690 median wage, roughly $20,000 more than the family-wide median of ~$40,173.
What's the difference between Electrician and Electrical and Power Transmission Installation/Installer, General?
Both programs sit in the CIP 46.03 electrical sub-family, but they serve different scopes. Electrician (CIP 46.0302) is the high-volume credential: 212 colleges offer it with 3,003 annual completions, and it aligns with residential and commercial wiring roles. Electrical and Power Transmission Installation/Installer, General (CIP 46.0301, 53 colleges, 570 completions) is broader and covers utility-scale transmission work, pointing toward the First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers career path. If you're interested in utility line work specifically, also look at the Lineworker program (31 colleges, 441 completions).
Which majors in this family are most common at community colleges and offer associate's degrees?
The entire Construction Trades family is heavily community-college oriented — 212 institutions offer at least one program, and most are two-year or less. Electrician leads with the widest reach (212 colleges). Carpentry/Carpenter (82 colleges), Building Construction Technology/Technician (73 colleges), Building/Construction Site Management/Manager (70 colleges), and Construction Trades, General (62 colleges) round out the most commonly available options. Many programs also offer certificates shorter than two years, which is important if you plan to enter the workforce quickly and stack credentials over time.
What do graduates from the Construction Trades concentration typically earn?
The median earnings across the family are approximately $40,173 per year, but that average masks a significant range. General maintenance and repair workers earn around $48,620, Carpenters earn $59,310, and First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers — the career title that appears most frequently across programs in this family — earn $78,690 median. Earnings accelerate with licensure, experience, and movement into supervisory roles, so the associate's credential is often a starting point rather than a ceiling.
Is Construction Trades a good path if I'm considering transferring to a four-year program?
Most programs in this family are credential-first rather than transfer-optimized — they are designed to get you into the workforce with a licensed trade or supervisory competency. However, Building/Construction Site Management/Manager and Building Construction Technology/Technician align more closely with four-year Construction Management bachelor's programs and may offer articulation agreements at select institutions. If transfer is a goal, confirm with each college whether their specific program has an articulation pathway before enrolling. Students in the more hands-on craft programs (Electrician, Plumbing, Carpentry) rarely transfer the bulk of their credits to four-year degrees.