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Major · Engineering Technologies

Hands-on electronics work without the full engineering degree

Electrical, electronic, and communications engineering technology trains you to build, test, and maintain the circuits and systems that engineers design. It is shorter, more applied, and more lab-heavy than a four-year electrical engineering degree. Earnings sit around $76,600 five years out.

Schools offering
399
Annual completions
3,682
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$77k

About this major

Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology (CIP 15.0303) prepares you to apply engineering principles to real hardware. Coursework covers electrical circuitry, prototype development and testing, systems analysis, instrument calibration, systems maintenance, and technical report writing. You spend more time in labs with oscilloscopes, signal generators, and PCBs than you do deriving equations on a whiteboard. The major sits clearly on the technician and technologist side, distinct from full electrical engineering, which targets design and research and requires heavier mathematics.

This fits students who like to take things apart, who learn faster by building than by reading, and who want a working credential without committing to a full four-year theory-driven engineering track. It also fits adults returning to school who want a stackable path: 399 colleges offer the major, many of them at both associate’s and bachelor’s levels, so you can finish an associate’s, work for several years, and come back for the bachelor’s when an employer pays for it.

The earnings picture is grounded and consistent. Median graduate earnings five years out sit at $76,600 across 3,682 annual completions. Bachelor’s grads earn about $84,300 and associate’s grads about $70,500 — a roughly $13,800 gap that closes faster than the gap in many other fields, because associate’s holders enter the workforce two years sooner with much less debt.

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
Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians $77k +0.6% Associate's degree
Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay $101k +5.5% Postsecondary nondegree award
Electrical and electronics drafters $74k -5.6% Associate's degree
Calibration technologists and technicians $65k +4.7% Associate's degree
Electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians $71k +1.1% Associate's degree
Aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians $80k +8.1% Associate's degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

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

Median 5-year earnings

$77k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$70k

Bachelor's

$84k

Who this major is for

Good signs this major fits you: you already enjoy soldering, wiring, or pulling apart consumer electronics, and you want a credential that turns that into paid work in two to four years. You are comfortable with algebra and trigonometry but you do not want a curriculum where calculus and differential equations are the main event. You want a clear line from coursework to a specific paycheck, and the careers list — engineering technicians at $77,180, calibration technicians at $65,040, mechatronics technicians at $70,760, aerospace operations technicians at $79,830 — speaks to you in concrete terms.

Reasons to pause: if you want to design new chips, run RF research, or work as a licensed engineer, this major will limit you, and you should look at full electrical engineering (CIP 14.10) instead. The drafter role is projected to shrink 5.6 percent as automation eats routine drawing work, so a curriculum heavy on CAD without lab depth is risky. And if your target employer specifically requires an ABET-accredited engineering degree for advancement, the engineering technology BS may not satisfy that requirement on its own.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician

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

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
DeVry University-Illinois Lisle, IL 358 178 536
Texas A&M University-College Station College Station, TX 0 119 119
Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN 0 93 93
Bismarck State College Bismarck, ND 82 0 82
University of Arkansas Grantham LIttle Rock, AR 13 47 60
CUNY New York City College of Technology Brooklyn, NY 26 33 59
NUC University Bayamon, PR 58 0 58
Dallas College Dallas, TX 53 0 53
Excelsior University Albany, NY 0 41 41
New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ 0 39 39
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General

2,524 completions/yr

Electromechanical/Electromechanical Engineering Technology/Technician

1,104 completions/yr

Instrumentation Technology/Technician

1,036 completions/yr

Automation Engineer Technology/Technician

700 completions/yr

Communications Technology/Technician

458 completions/yr

Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Other

447 completions/yr

Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering Technology/Technician

285 completions/yr

Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering, Other

120 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

How is this different from electrical engineering?
Engineering technology is the applied side. You learn to assemble prototypes, run tests, troubleshoot circuits, calibrate instruments, and maintain systems. Full electrical engineering (CIP 14.10) is design- and theory-heavy, requires more advanced math, and is the path to ABET-accredited engineering practice. Tech grads often work next to engineers, supporting their designs.
Should I get the associate’s or the bachelor’s?
Both are common: 399 colleges offer this major across associate’s and bachelor’s levels. Associate’s grads earn about $70,500 five years out and enter the workforce in two years with less debt. Bachelor’s grads earn about $84,300 and have more room for technologist or supervisory roles. Stacking the associate’s into a bachelor’s later is a normal path.
What jobs do graduates actually take?
Top destinations include electrical and electronic engineering technicians (median $77,180), electrical and electronics drafters ($73,720), calibration technicians ($65,040), electro-mechanical and mechatronics technicians ($70,760), and aerospace operations technicians ($79,830). Powerhouse and substation repairers earn the most ($100,940) but usually train through apprenticeship rather than this degree.
Is the job market growing?
It is mixed. Aerospace operations technicians are projected to grow 8.1 percent and electrical/electronics repairers 5.5 percent. The core electrical and electronic engineering technician role is nearly flat at 0.6 percent, and electrical drafters are projected to decline 5.6 percent as design tools automate. Calibration and mechatronics are slowly growing.
Do I need to be good at math?
You need solid algebra, trigonometry, and at least one semester of calculus for most bachelor’s programs. Associate’s programs often stop at technical math and applied calculus. The math is real but lighter than what an electrical engineering major faces, where calculus, differential equations, and linear algebra are the core of the curriculum.
Where are the strongest programs?
DeVry-Illinois has by far the largest output (536 completions, both levels). Texas A&M-College Station and Purdue-Main Campus lead bachelor’s output among traditional research universities. Bismarck State College, Dallas College, and CUNY New York City College of Technology are strong public, lower-cost associate’s options.