undergradly.
Major · Precision Production

Cut metal to spec — the trade behind aerospace, medical, and defense parts

Machine Tool Technology trains students to set up and run manual lathes, mills, grinders, and CNC machines that produce precision metal parts. About 713 associate degrees are awarded annually across 155 US colleges. Five-year median earnings sit at $56,917 — anchored by the Machinists occupation (SOC 51-4041) at a $56,150 median wage.

Schools offering
155
Annual completions
713
Typical degree level
Associate's
Median earnings (5yr)
$57k

About this major

Machine Tool Technology/Machinist is a sub-bachelor’s program that prepares students to plan, manufacture, test, and repair metal parts by cutting, forming, grinding, and turning raw stock to precise specifications. Coursework layers blueprint reading, technical math, and metallurgy with hands-on hours on manual lathes, mills, surface grinders, and increasingly CNC mills and lathes. Many programs stack National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) credentials onto the diploma — the recognized employer signal in CNC Milling, Turning, Manual Mill, Manual Lathe, and Job Planning. Capstone work typically culminates in a precision part that graduates carry into job interviews as a portfolio piece.

The major rewards spatial reasoning, comfort with tolerances measured in thousandths of an inch, and patience for setup work that often takes longer than the cut itself. Students who enjoy the loop of reading a print, planning a sequence, and watching a machine produce the part fit naturally. Career destinations cluster around the Machinists occupation (SOC 51-4041, $56,150 median wage) and a range of metal and plastic machine setter-operator roles, with industry concentration in aerospace (Connecticut, Kansas, Washington), automotive supply (Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee), oil and gas tooling (Texas, Oklahoma), medical devices (Minnesota, Massachusetts), and defense.

The pipeline is small relative to the work: 713 associate degrees are awarded annually across 155 US colleges, with State Technical College of Missouri (37 completers), Colorado Mesa University (24), and Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (21) leading completions. Five-year median earnings of $56,917 anchor close to the Machinist wage, and reshoring of US manufacturing plus CHIPS Act investment create tailwinds for skilled metalworking labor — though much entry-level cutting and grinding work faces automation pressure.

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
Machinists $56k 0.0% High school diploma or equivalent
Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic $46k -12.1% High school diploma or equivalent
Multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic $46k -0.5% High school diploma or equivalent
Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic $45k -12.0% High school diploma or equivalent
Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic $47k +1.2% High school diploma or equivalent
Rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic $49k -8.3% High school diploma or equivalent
Metal workers and plastic workers, all other $43k -9.5% High school diploma or equivalent
Lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic $49k -13.6% 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

$57k

Who this major is for

Strong fit signals start with comfort reading engineering drawings and thinking in tolerances rather than approximations, an interest in producing physical objects you can hold and measure, patience for setup work where careful planning saves hours of recutting, willingness to learn CNC programming and CAD/CAM software in addition to manual machining, and genuine curiosity about how aerospace, medical, and defense parts get made. The major also rewards students who want a credential that combines classroom theory with NIMS skill testing — programs at State Technical College of Missouri or Pennsylvania College of Technology bake credential stacking into the curriculum.

Reconsider this path if you want a job that does not change as automation advances, since the data packet shows -8.3% to -13.6% projected declines in routine machine-tending roles like grinding, lathe, and rolling-machine operators. Reconsider if cost matters more than credential depth — every occupation in the data packet lists ’High school diploma or equivalent’ as typical entry education, which means a 6-12 month certificate or a paid Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship may reach the same Machinist role at $56,150 without two years of forgone wages. Reconsider also if you want quick, bachelor’s-level wage progression: this is a trade-credential program where the ceiling is real but takes years of CNC, multi-axis, or toolmaker specialization to reach.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Machine Tool Technology/Machinist

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

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
State Technical College of Missouri Linn, MO 37 0 37
Colorado Mesa University Grand Junction, CO 24 0 24
Wichita State University-Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology Wichita, KS 21 0 21
Pennsylvania College of Technology Williamsport, PA 20 0 20
Texas State Technical College Waco, TX 20 0 20
Williamson College of the Trades Media, PA 19 0 19
Greenville Technical College Greenville, SC 16 0 16
Amarillo College Amarillo, TX 14 0 14
Ranken Technical College Saint Louis, MO 14 0 14
Central Maine Community College Auburn, ME 12 0 12
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Welding Technology/Welder

3,669 completions/yr

Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) Machinist Technology/CNC Machinist

262 completions/yr

Tool and Die Technology/Technician

182 completions/yr

Machine Shop Technology/Assistant

126 completions/yr

Sheet Metal Technology/Sheetworking

96 completions/yr

Metal Fabricator

72 completions/yr

Ironworking/Ironworker

37 completions/yr

Precision Metal Working, Other

33 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What does a machinist actually do day-to-day?
Machinists read engineering drawings, plan a sequence of cuts, set up manual or CNC machines with the right tooling and work-holding, and produce metal parts to tolerances often measured in thousandths of an inch. Days mix shop-floor machining, precision measurement with micrometers and CMMs, deburring and finishing, and quality inspection against the print. In job shops the variety is high — small batches of custom parts; in production shops the same setup may run for shifts at a time. Most graduates enter as operator-setters and grow into programming, toolmaking, or supervisory work over years.
Is the associate’s degree worth it, or is a certificate or apprenticeship enough?
The honest answer: every occupation in this major’s career data lists ’High school diploma or equivalent’ as typical entry education, and many shops hire and train. A 6-12 month certificate stacked with NIMS credentials, or a 4-year Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship that pays from day one, are credible alternatives to the two-year associate’s. The associate’s helps if you want a stronger theory base, expect to move into programming or toolmaking, or attend a program with strong employer pipelines like State Technical College of Missouri (37 annual completers) or Pennsylvania College of Technology (20). Compare the cost and forgone wages of two years of school against an apprenticeship’s earn-while-you-learn path before you commit.
What credentials matter most to employers?
National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) credentials are the recognized industry signal — Level I credentials in CNC Milling, CNC Turning, Manual Mill, Manual Lathe, Job Planning and Benchwork, and Measurement, Materials, and Safety. Many CIP 48.0501 programs explicitly stack NIMS credentials onto the diploma, and employers in aerospace, medical-device, and defense work look for them. The diploma alone signals time in seat; the NIMS stack signals demonstrated competence on specific machines. If a program does not offer NIMS testing on-site, that is worth asking about before enrolling.
What are the real wage ranges for machinists?
The Machinists occupation (SOC 51-4041) shows a $56,150 median wage at 0% projected growth — a stable but flat trajectory. The related machine setter and operator roles in the data packet sit lower, between $42,750 and $48,630 medians, several with negative projected growth as automation consolidates simpler machine-tending work. The ceiling sits well above the median: skilled CNC programmer-setters with five or more years in aerospace or medical-device work can clear $70,000-$90,000, and senior toolmakers building production tooling can clear $80,000. The wage progression depends on which sub-specialty you grow into, not on the diploma alone.
Will CNC and automation eliminate these jobs?
The data packet suggests a split. Setter-operator roles for cutting, grinding, lathe, and rolling machines (SOC 51-4031, 51-4033, 51-4034, 51-4023) all show negative projected job growth between -8.3% and -13.6% as automation consolidates routine machine-tending. The core Machinists category (SOC 51-4041) sits at 0% growth — flat but not declining. Reshoring of US manufacturing and CHIPS Act investment in domestic semiconductor and defense capacity are real tailwinds for skilled metalworking labor. The path that ages well runs toward CNC programming, multi-axis setup, and toolmaking — work that requires judgment that automation has not yet matched.
How does this compare to CNC Machinist Technology or Manufacturing Engineering Tech?
Machine Tool Technology (CIP 48.0501, 713 annual completions, 155 colleges) is the broad traditional machining credential — manual lathes and mills plus CNC basics, leading into the Machinist occupation at $56,150 and 0% growth. CNC Machinist Technology (CIP 48.0510, 262 completions, 70 colleges) specializes earlier into CNC and routes graduates toward CNC Tool Programmers at a higher wage and stronger growth. Manufacturing Engineering Technology is a different lane entirely — design, process, and quality engineering, not hands-on production. If you want shop-floor production work with manual and CNC fluency, this major fits; if you want CNC-first, the 48.0510 path is more directly aligned.