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Major · Precision Production

Welding is a credential where the certificate often pays

Welding Technology trains you to join and cut metals using arc, MIG, TIG, and specialty processes. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a high school diploma as typical entry for welders, so the question is rarely four years versus two — it’s whether you need a degree at all. Specialty work and inspection roles are where the ceiling lives.

Schools offering
384
Annual completions
3,669
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$57k

About this major

Welding Technology/Welder is a CIP 48.0508 program that prepares you to join and cut metals — applying technical knowledge across arc welding, resistance welding, brazing, soldering, oxy-fuel and plasma cutting, high-energy beam processes, and solid-state welding. Coursework covers ferrous and non-ferrous materials, welding metallurgy, heat treating, structural design fundamentals, and the codes that govern real work (AWS D1.1, ASME Section IX). Most of your hours land in the booth, on plate and pipe, working toward position-specific weld tests that employers actually screen for.

The major fits people who want a hands-on craft with a clear feedback loop: the weld either passes inspection or it doesn’t. It also fits people who would rather earn while learning than sit in lecture halls — most graduates enter the workforce inside two years, often sooner. Across the 384 institutions reporting completions in this CIP, 3,669 students finished in the latest year, and the top-completing schools are dominated by community colleges and trade schools (Texas State Technical, Tulsa Welding, Lone Star, Pennsylvania College of Technology). Bachelor’s completions are essentially zero — every top-ten institution awarded zero bachelor’s degrees in this code — which tells you something important about what the labor market is buying. The credential employers want is a stack of weld-test certifications, not a four-year transcript.

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
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers $51k +2.2% High school diploma or equivalent
Welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders $47k -9.0% 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 fits tend to share a few traits. People who like working with their hands and seeing physical output at the end of the day usually thrive in welding programs — the work is tactile, immediate, and graded by inspection rather than opinion. Patience for repetition and an eye for small variations in arc behavior, puddle shape, and heat input matter more than raw academic horsepower. If you’re willing to chase certifications across multiple processes (SMAW, GMAW, GTAW, FCAW) and positions, and eventually push toward 6G pipe or specialty alloys, the wage curve bends upward in your favor.

The red flags worth taking seriously are mostly economic. Median earnings for completers in this CIP run about $57,000 at five years out, and BLS lists a high school diploma as the typical entry credential — meaning a two-year degree is not what unlocks the wage, weld-test certifications are. If a certificate program in your region runs $8,000 and a two-year associate’s runs $25,000 for the same employer-recognized credentials, the ROI math deserves scrutiny before you sign. People who dislike heat, fumes, awkward body positions, or working outdoors in weather will also find the day-to-day grinding rather than rewarding.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Welding Technology/Welder

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

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Southern Technical College Orlando, FL 148 0 148
Texas State Technical College Waco, TX 131 0 131
SUNY College of Technology at Alfred Alfred, NY 66 0 66
Lone Star College System The Woodlands, TX 66 0 66
Pennsylvania College of Technology Williamsport, PA 53 0 53
Central New Mexico Community College Albuquerque, NM 52 0 52
Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI 51 0 51
Tulsa Welding School-Tulsa Tulsa, OK 49 0 49
Ohio Technical College Cleveland, OH 42 0 42
Collin County Community College District McKinney, TX 42 0 42
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Machine Tool Technology/Machinist

713 completions/yr

Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) Machinist Technology/CNC Machinist

262 completions/yr

Tool and Die Technology/Technician

182 completions/yr

Welding Engineering Technology/Technician

132 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
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

Do I need a bachelor’s, or is an associate’s enough?
For most welding jobs, neither is required — a certificate or short program plus AWS-recognized weld tests is what employers ask for. BLS lists a high school diploma as the typical entry credential for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers (SOC 51-4121). The 384 colleges in this CIP almost exclusively award associate’s degrees and certificates; bachelor’s completions are essentially zero in the top-completing schools. An associate’s makes sense if you want general-education breadth, transfer optionality into welding engineering technology (CIP 15.0614), or a supervisory track. If your goal is a wage-paying weld job in 12–24 months, run the math on a certificate first.
What does the major actually involve day-to-day?
Coursework is heavily lab-based: arc welding (SMAW, GMAW/MIG, GTAW/TIG, FCAW), oxy-fuel cutting, plasma cutting, blueprint reading, weld symbols, metallurgy, structural design basics, and applicable codes (AWS D1.1 for structural steel, ASME for pressure work). Expect time logged on plate and pipe, learning to pass position-specific weld tests (1G, 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, 6G). Programs that prepare you for AWS Certified Welder or NCCER credentials carry more weight with employers than a transcript alone.
What do welders actually earn?
Median wage for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers is about $51,000 nationally per BLS, with welding machine operators around $47,000. Five-year median earnings for completers in this CIP are about $57,000, which is consistent with steady journey-level work. The real spread is in specialty work: pipeline, underwater, aerospace, and nuclear welding routinely clear six figures, and inspector roles (AWS Certified Welding Inspector) push higher. Job growth for welders is slow — about 2.2% — and machine-operator roles are projected to decline 9%, so positioning toward specialty processes matters.
Where does the higher ceiling come from?
Three places. First, specialty processes: 6G pipe, TIG on exotic alloys, underwater (commercial diver-welder), aerospace, and nuclear all carry premiums tied to certification difficulty and travel. Second, inspection and quality: AWS Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) opens salaried roles in fabrication, oil and gas, and infrastructure. Third, supervision and ownership: lead welder, shop foreman, and eventually owning a mobile rig or fab shop. Each of these requires hours under the hood plus continuing certifications, not a longer degree.
Where do people learn welding?
The top-completing schools in this CIP are a mix of community colleges and dedicated trade schools: Texas State Technical College (Waco), Tulsa Welding School, Lone Star College, Pennsylvania College of Technology, Ferris State, SUNY Alfred, and Ohio Technical College all show up. Trade schools tend to compress timelines and focus narrowly on weld-test prep; community colleges run cheaper per credit hour and add transferable general education. Compare cost per certification earned, not just sticker tuition.
What about Welding Engineering Technology — is that different?
Yes, materially. CIP 15.0614 (Welding Engineering Technology/Technician) is the bachelor’s-level cousin and prepares you for engineering-adjacent work: weld procedure development, materials testing, failure analysis, and process engineering in fabrication shops. It’s a different career path with a different earnings curve and is worth considering if you want the engineering side rather than the hood time. Only about 132 students complete that program annually nationwide, so it’s a smaller and more specialized track.