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Major · Engineering Technologies

An associate’s-first technician path to support roles in engineering

Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General (CIP 15.0000) is a broad two-year program that trains technicians to support engineers in research, production, and operations. It pulls together electrical, civil, mechatronics, and aerospace technician work, with five-year median earnings around $76,692 and a clean associate’s-to-bachelor’s split.

Schools offering
232
Annual completions
2,335
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$77k

About this major

Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General (CIP 15.0000) is the broadest entry in the engineering-technology family — a program that prepares students to apply engineering principles in support roles across research, production, and operations. The CIP definition is deliberately wide; programs vary considerably by institution, with some emphasizing electrical and electronic technician work, others civil or mechatronics. Coursework typically blends applied math and physics with labs in circuits, CAD, instrumentation, and materials, capped by an internship or capstone project.

The major fits students who want hands-on work over theoretical design, and a faster, lower-cost path into engineering teams. It rewards mechanical aptitude, comfort with troubleshooting, and patience for procedural lab work. Many programs articulate cleanly between two-year and four-year credentials, so students can start at a community college and ladder up if they choose.

One grounded observation about scale: 2,524 students complete this CIP across 222 institutions, with five-year median earnings of $76,692 — strong for a primarily associate’s-level credential. All four BLS-tracked occupations (electrical/electronic technologists at $77,180, civil at $64,200, electro-mechanical at $70,760, and aerospace at $79,830) list Associate’s degree as the typical entry credential. Aerospace stands out with 8.1% projected growth, the highest in the group. The associate’s-to-bachelor’s premium is roughly $7,000, which makes the two-year path defensible on its own terms.

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
Civil engineering technologists and technicians $64k +2.1% 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

$72k

Bachelor's

$78k

Who this major is for

Good signs this major fits: you prefer working with instruments, prototypes, and field equipment over abstract design, you want a credential that maps directly to a named technician role, and you’re comfortable with structured procedures, calibration, and documentation. The associate’s-to-bachelor’s wage gap is narrow ($71,576 vs $78,497), so starting with the two-year credential and laddering up later is a defensible plan. Pasadena City College’s 318 completions show how cleanly the community-college model works for this CIP.

Reasons to pause: if you’re drawn to design responsibility, professional engineer licensure, or the leadership track in engineering, the named four-year engineering CIPs (Civil, Electrical, Mechanical) are a stronger fit — they ladder into PE eligibility in ways the technologies/technicians track typically does not. The 15.0000 "general" code is also broad enough that program quality and placement vary considerably; ask any prospective school for its placement record and which named technician roles its graduates actually fill. If you can’t get a specific answer, a named-track CIP (15.03, 15.02, 15.04) gives you a clearer story.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General

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

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
San Jose State University San Jose, CA 0 98 98
Pasadena City College Pasadena, CA 97 0 97
University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO 0 72 72
Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA 0 63 63
Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, TN 0 52 52
Chattanooga State Community College Chattanooga, TN 51 0 51
Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL 0 45 45
Kalamazoo Valley Community College Kalamazoo, MI 43 0 43
Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC 0 43 43
Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN 0 42 42
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Civil Engineering, General

13,367 completions/yr

Computer Engineering, General

9,877 completions/yr

Engineering, General

5,844 completions/yr

Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician

3,885 completions/yr

Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, Other

1,336 completions/yr

Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians

1,037 completions/yr

Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians

918 completions/yr

Automation Engineer Technology/Technician

841 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do engineering technology majors actually study?
Coursework blends applied math and physics with hands-on labs in circuits, instrumentation, CAD, materials, and the specialty track the program emphasizes. The CIP definition is intentionally broad — programs vary from electrical-electronic technician tracks (CIP 15.03) to civil (15.02), mechatronics (15.04), or aerospace (15.07) — and the named-sibling CIPs are typically more specific. Read each program’s catalog before assuming the curriculum.
Is the associate’s degree enough, or should I get the bachelor’s?
All four BLS-tracked occupations list "Associate’s degree" as the typical entry credential, and the data shows associate’s grads earning $71,576 five years out versus $78,497 for bachelor’s — a roughly $7,000 gap. The associate’s opens the door; the bachelor’s lifts the wage modestly and adds flexibility for management or a transition into a full engineering role. Pasadena City College alone produces 318 completions in this CIP, almost all associate’s.
What jobs do graduates actually land?
The packet names four BLS occupations: Electrical and electronic engineering technologists ($77,180 median), Civil engineering technologists ($64,200), Electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists ($70,760), and Aerospace engineering and operations technologists ($79,830, 8.1% growth — the strongest signal in this group). Job titles include test technician, design technician, and field technician roles inside engineering teams.
How does this compare to engineering, general (CIP 14.0101)?
Engineering, General (14.0101, 5,416 completions) is a four-year ABET-track program designed to lead to professional engineer licensure and design responsibility. Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General (15.0000) is the technician path: shorter, more applied, and oriented toward supporting engineers rather than leading designs. Wages reflect the role split — bachelor’s engineers typically earn meaningfully more, but the associate’s-level technician path costs less and starts faster.
Why is this CIP so much smaller than the named technician tracks?
The named CIPs (15.03 Electrical/Electronic Tech, 15.02 Civil Tech, 15.04 Electromechanical Tech) carry far more completions because most programs choose a specific specialty. The 15.0000 "general" code captures programs that intentionally stay generalist or that haven’t mapped to a single discipline. If a program lists 15.0000 as its CIP, ask which engineering track its graduates actually move into — placements vary by school.
Which programs produce the most graduates?
Pasadena City College leads with 318 completions, almost entirely associate’s — a community-college model with hands-on labs and articulation into Cal State engineering tech bachelor’s programs. San Jose State (97), Kennesaw State (70), CU Boulder (63), Tennessee Tech (59), and Middle Tennessee State (49) anchor the bachelor’s side. The geographic mix is heavy in California, the Southeast, and the Mountain West.