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Major · Mechanic & Repair Technologies

The generalist on-ramp into electrical and electronics repair

Electrical/Electronics Equipment Installation and Repair, General is the catchall version of the 47.0xxx repair-tech family — broad coverage of circuits, motors, controls, and diagnostics rather than a single specialty. About 520 associate’s degrees come out of 80 community and technical colleges each year, with median early-career earnings around $64,200.

Schools offering
80
Annual completions
520
Typical degree level
Associate's
Median earnings (5yr)
$64k

About this major

Electrical/Electronics Equipment Installation and Repair Technology, General prepares you to operate, maintain, and repair electrical and electronic equipment across a broad range of settings. The CIP definition reads as a generalist scope — circuitry, simple gearing and linkages, lubrication of machines and appliances, and the use of testing equipment — and coursework follows it directly. Programs run through DC and AC circuits, soldering and PCB rework, motor theory and motor controls, digital electronics, the National Electrical Code, and troubleshooting with multimeters and oscilloscopes, with lab and shop hours outpacing lecture time.

The major fits students who already enjoy taking equipment apart to figure out why it stopped working and want a structured electrical-and-electronics foundation rather than picking it up piecemeal on the job. Comfort with schematics, methodical fault-isolation, and steady hands at a bench matter more than test-taking aptitude. Because this is the catchall sibling in the 47.01 family, the local program’s emphasis matters: some schools lean motor-rewinding and shop electrical work, others consumer and commercial electronics, others field service.

On the destinations side, the 520 annual completers across 80 colleges flow almost entirely into associate’s-level technician roles. Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers ($53,990 median wage) is the closer match for graduates of motor-and-controls programs, while Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers, All Other ($48,640 median, 2.4% projected growth) catches the broader generalists working across machinery and equipment. Median early-career earnings for the major land near $64,200, well above the entry BLS lines — a signal that graduates who specialize early in fire-alarm work, low-voltage cabling, biomedical equipment, or semiconductor support tend to outpace the catchall band.

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
Installation, maintenance, and repair workers, all other $49k +2.4% High school diploma or equivalent
Electric motor, power tool, and related repairers $54k +3.4% 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

$64k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you already enjoy chasing a fault end-to-end on real equipment and want a structured electronics foundation rather than learning it piecemeal on the job, if a hands-on lab schedule reads as a feature rather than a drawback, if your local program has visible employer ties to motor shops, utilities, hospital biomed departments, or commercial-electronics integrators, if the $53,990 BLS median for electric motor and power tool repairers or the $64,200 median early-career figure across all completers fits your earnings expectations, and if you’re comfortable specializing after the AAS — through NICET, BICSI, biomedical, or industrial-controls tracks — to push past the generalist ceiling.

Think twice if you’re hoping the associate’s alone will earn you the engineer title or salary band, since this credential is generalist technician training and the engineer ladder runs through a four-year ABET Electrical Engineering or Engineering Technology program. Reconsider if your interest is specifically in plant-floor automation, where Industrial Electronics (582 completions) is the closer-fitting sibling, or in IT hardware, where Computer Installation and Repair (169 completions) targets that work directly. And reconsider if you don’t actually like working with your hands on energized equipment — bench time and shop placements are where this credential cashes in, and a student who only enjoys the theoretical side rarely finishes.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Electrical/Electronics Equipment Installation and Repair Technology/Technician, General

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

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Mohawk Valley Community College Utica, NY 80 0 80
Long Beach City College Long Beach, CA 37 0 37
Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology Lancaster, PA 34 0 34
Fresno City College Fresno, CA 31 0 31
Odessa College Odessa, TX 24 0 24
Bakersfield College Bakersfield, CA 21 0 21
Mt San Antonio College Walnut, CA 19 0 19
Laney College Oakland, CA 16 0 16
Western Wyoming Community College Rock Springs, WY 14 0 14
Coastline Community College Fountain Valley, CA 13 0 13
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Industrial Electronics Technology/Technician

582 completions/yr

Computer Installation and Repair Technology/Technician

169 completions/yr

Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians, Other

75 completions/yr

Communications Systems Installation and Repair Technology/Technician

39 completions/yr

Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technology/Technician, General

27 completions/yr

Energy Systems Installation and Repair Technology/Technician

24 completions/yr

Wind Energy System Installation and Repair Technology/Technician

12 completions/yr

Solar Energy System Installation and Repair Technology/Technician

3 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do Electrical/Electronics Repair, General majors actually study day-to-day?
Coursework runs through DC and AC circuits, soldering and PCB rework, motor theory and motor controls, digital electronics, troubleshooting with multimeters and oscilloscopes, and the basics of industrial wiring and the National Electrical Code. Lab time dominates the schedule — you take equipment apart, isolate faults, and rebuild it. Because this is the General CIP rather than a focused sibling like Industrial Electronics or Communications Systems, the syllabus varies more by program than the course catalog suggests, with some schools leaning toward motor rewinding and shop electrical work and others toward consumer and commercial electronics.
Do I need a bachelor’s, or is an associate’s enough for this field?
Every one of the 80 colleges in the packet awards at the associate level, and there are zero bachelor’s completions in the program itself. The two anchor BLS roles — Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers and Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers, All Other — are listed with a high school diploma as typical entry education, so the AAS already exceeds what employers ask for. A four-year degree overspecifies the entry job; if the engineer title is the goal, transfer into Electrical Engineering Technology or a four-year ABET program rather than completing this AAS twice.
What kinds of jobs do graduates actually land?
The packet anchors two destinations. Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers ($53,990 median wage, 3.4% projected growth) is the closer match for graduates of programs leaning into the motor-rewinding side of the major. Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers, All Other ($48,640 median, 2.4% growth) is the catchall that captures generalists working across commercial electronics, machinery, and field service. Junior titles you’ll see on listings include electronics technician, field service technician, motor repair technician, bench tech, and equipment maintenance technician.
How does this compare to Industrial Electronics or Computer Repair?
All three sit inside the 47.01 family but split by depth and target equipment. Industrial Electronics (582 completions) goes deepest on PLCs, drives, and instrumentation for plant-floor automation. Computer Installation and Repair (169 completions) focuses on IT hardware and peripherals. Communications Systems Repair (39 completions) covers radio, telecom, and headend equipment. This General CIP (520 completions) is the broad sibling — useful when the local job market is mixed or when the program is a feeder into multiple specialty paths rather than a single one.
Where are the strongest programs?
Completions concentrate in community and technical colleges with employer ties to local industry. Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica leads at 80 graduates per year — about 15% of national output from a single program. Long Beach City College (37) and Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology in Lancaster, Pennsylvania (34) are next, followed by Fresno City College (31) and Odessa College in West Texas (24). California shows up five times in the top ten, reflecting the state’s community-college system and the steady demand from logistics, refining, and motor-shop employers.
Where does this credential cap out, and how do graduates push past the ceiling?
The honest answer is that the generalist version of this major sits in the $48,640 to $53,990 BLS band and stays there if you don’t specialize. Graduates who reliably push past that ceiling stack a focus on top of the AAS — fire-alarm and security work credentialed through NICET, low-voltage and data-center cabling through BICSI, biomedical equipment through hospital-system training, semiconductor equipment through OEM programs, or industrial controls by transferring credits into an Industrial Electronics or Engineering Technology track. The credential is the floor; the specialty is the ladder.