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Major · Construction Trades

Lay out the pipes — a licensed trade with durable demand

Plumbing Technology programs prepare you to install and maintain piping fixtures and systems for water, gas, drainage, heating, and cooling in home and commercial environments. About 116 credentials are awarded annually across 38 colleges at the associate's level. The pathway leads to a state-licensed plumber credential that takes years to earn but doesn't commoditize.

Schools offering
38
Annual completions
116
Typical degree level
Associate's
Median earnings (5yr)
$67k

About this major

Plumbing Technology/Plumber programs prepare you to install and maintain piping fixtures and systems for water, gas, drainage, heating, and cooling in residential, commercial, and industrial environments. The CIP definition covers source determination, water distribution, waste removal, pressure adjustment, technical mathematics, blueprint reading, pipe installation, pumps, welding and soldering, plumbing inspection, and applicable codes and standards. Coursework runs about half in the classroom and half in the shop, with extensive hands-on practice joining pipe, setting fixtures, and testing systems under pressure.

The fit here is for students who want a regulated trade with real licensing structure behind it. Plumbing is one of the few construction trades where state-issued licenses are mandatory for paid work in most jurisdictions, which creates a stable wage floor but also a real barrier to casual entry. Students who enjoy disciplined procedural work — install, test, document, pass inspection — and who are comfortable with the physical realities of crawl spaces, confined work areas, and occasional unpleasant repair conditions tend to thrive. The craftsmanship side is real: a well-laid rough-in is a piece of work you take pride in, even though it ends up hidden behind drywall.

About 116 credentials are awarded annually across 38 colleges, with the top producers concentrated at technical institutions: Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology (PA, 17 completions), Texas State Technical College (15), and Los Angeles Trade Technical College (13). The primary destination is plumber, pipefitter, or steamfitter — BLS median wage $62,970, 4.5% projected growth. First-line supervisor of construction trades ($78,690 median) is a common advancement, and self-employment becomes a realistic path once master plumber licensing is achieved. Median earnings five years out sit around $67,400.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers $79k +5.3% High school diploma or equivalent
Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters $63k +4.5% High school diploma or equivalent
Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners $49k +7.6% High school diploma or equivalent
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$67k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you want a licensed trade with a real wage floor and self-employment option, you're comfortable with physical work in variable and occasionally unpleasant conditions, you're drawn to regulated procedural work (install, test, inspect, document), you value a career where demand is structural and non-offshorable, or you want a two-year credential path that leads to state licensure rather than stacking more degrees. Students with prior exposure to home-repair or mechanical work often find the material fits naturally.

Think twice if you're uncomfortable with the physical realities — crawl spaces, drain work, and emergency call-outs at inconvenient hours come with the territory. Think twice also if state licensing bureaucracy is off-putting: the path is years of apprenticeship hours, documented training, and a licensing exam before you can legally work solo. If you want the related trade but prefer industrial and fire-protection work over residential service, Pipefitting/Pipefitter and Sprinkler Fitter (222 annual completions across 16 colleges) trains the same wage band but different daily environment. If HVAC systems are more your interest than pipe systems, look at heating, air-conditioning, and refrigeration technology programs in the mechanic and repair technologies concentration.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Plumbing Technology/Plumber

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology Lancaster, PA 17 0 17
Texas State Technical College Waco, TX 15 0 15
Los Angeles Trade Technical College Los Angeles, CA 13 0 13
New England Institute of Technology East Greenwich, RI 13 0 13
Montana State University-Northern Havre, MT 12 0 12
Central Maine Community College Auburn, ME 10 0 10
Western Technical College La Crosse, WI 6 0 6
Foothill College Los Altos Hills, CA 5 0 5
Southern Maine Community College South Portland, ME 5 0 5
Northern Maine Community College Presque Isle, ME 4 0 4
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Electrician

3,003 completions/yr

Electrical and Power Transmission Installation/Installer, General

570 completions/yr

Carpentry/Carpenter

530 completions/yr

Construction Trades, General

519 completions/yr

Lineworker

441 completions/yr

Pipefitting/Pipefitter and Sprinkler Fitter

222 completions/yr

Mason/Masonry

43 completions/yr

Well Drilling/Driller

7 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do plumbing programs actually cover?
Coursework moves from source determination and water distribution into drainage, pressure systems, welding and soldering, pipe installation, and the plumbing code. Most programs include heavy lab and shop time practicing joints, fittings, and fixture installation. Blueprint reading and plumbing inspection are explicit course topics, since licensed work must pass inspection before use. Programs are structured to feed the apprenticeship hours required for state plumber licensure.
Is an associate's enough to become a licensed plumber?
The associate's is the tracked degree level here, but licensing is the gating credential — not a bachelor's. Every state has its own plumber licensure system, typically requiring a combination of classroom hours, apprenticeship hours, and a licensing exam. The two-year program plus apprenticeship hours is the standard path. Five-year median earnings for completers in this track are about $67,400, climbing as journeyman and then master plumber licensing is achieved. A bachelor's degree is not expected in plumbing.
What jobs do graduates do?
The primary destination is plumber, pipefitter, or steamfitter, with a BLS median wage of $62,970 and 4.5% projected growth. Graduates work for plumbing contractors, mechanical contractors, and increasingly as self-employed service plumbers. First-line supervisor of construction trades ($78,690 median) is a common five-to-ten-year advancement. A smaller adjacent path runs into septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners at a $49,140 median with 7.6% growth. Completer median at five years sits near $67,400.
How does plumbing compare with the pipefitting/sprinkler track?
The two majors are close relatives. Plumbing (116 completions across 38 colleges) trains general residential and commercial plumbers; Pipefitting/Pipefitter and Sprinkler Fitter (222 completions across 16 colleges) emphasizes industrial piping and fire protection systems. Five-year completer earnings are the same figure ($67,400) in this data because BLS treats the occupation as combined. Pick plumbing if you want the residential and commercial service work and the self-employment option; pick pipefitting/sprinkler if you're drawn to industrial mechanical systems or fire suppression.
Can I become self-employed?
Yes — plumbing has one of the strongest self-employment trajectories of any skilled trade. Once you hold a master plumber license (typically five-plus years after starting), you can legally take on your own jobs and contract directly with homeowners and builders. Service plumbing, in particular, has strong independent-contractor economics: emergency call-outs command premium rates, and demand is regionally inelastic. The BLS median wage of $62,970 is a payroll figure; successful self-employed plumbers often earn substantially more, though they also carry the overhead and risk of a small business.