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Major · Science Technologies

Run x-ray and nondestructive testing of industrial materials — a tiny, high-wage associate's specialty

Industrial Radiologic Technology/Technician prepares students to operate radioisotope-based testing equipment used to inspect materials and monitor industrial processes. About 29 degrees are awarded annually across just 5 colleges, entirely at the associate's level. Completers report five-year median earnings around $96,902.

Schools offering
5
Annual completions
29
Typical degree level
Associate's
Median earnings (5yr)
$97k

About this major

Industrial Radiologic Technology/Technician is a tightly focused associate's program that trains students to apply scientific principles and technical skills to operating radioisotope-based testing equipment. The core skills are x-ray analysis of materials, nondestructive testing and inspection of components, and continuous measurement of paper or metal thickness. Radiation safety and equipment maintenance run through the curriculum because the work involves handling sources of ionizing radiation in industrial settings — from oil pipeline welds to aircraft engine parts. It is a narrow, applied track, not a broad science degree.

The program footprint is tiny: just 5 colleges offer it, with about 29 degrees awarded annually across all of them combined, entirely at the associate's level. Cowley County Community College in Kansas is the outlier leader at 20 annual completions — a program that has built durable pipelines into regional aerospace and oil-and-gas employers. The other active programs are Wichita State University's Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (5 annual completions), Central Piedmont Community College in North Carolina (2), and Salt Lake Community College (2).

The primary career destination in the data is nuclear technicians, a role with a $104,240 median wage — unusually high for an occupation whose typical education is an associate's degree. Completers report five-year median earnings around $96,902, which reflects that strong wage plus the comparative scarcity of credentialed candidates. The headline caution is the -7.7% projected employment change for nuclear technicians, which captures the long-run decline in nuclear power generation but undersells adjacent nondestructive-testing demand in oil and gas, aerospace, and manufacturing — where graduates often end up working with additional industry certifications layered on top of the associate's.

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
Nuclear technicians $104k -7.7% 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

$97k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you are drawn to the specific craft of nondestructive testing — reading x-ray films and ultrasonic traces, understanding what a defect in a weld or a casting actually looks like, working methodically through inspection protocols; you are comfortable working with ionizing radiation and following disciplined safety procedures; you can see yourself in a Kansas aerospace shop, a Gulf Coast pipeline operation, or an NDT services company traveling to industrial sites; you want a two-year credential that leads to $96,902 five-year median earnings without the time or cost of a bachelor's; and you are willing to layer on industry certifications (ASNT NDT levels, for example) that expand the range of materials and methods you can inspect.

Think twice if the -7.7% projected employment change for nuclear technicians unsettles you and you are not planning to cross-train into broader nondestructive-testing work — the narrow nuclear-power category is contracting even as related industrial inspection stays healthy, so career planning should account for that shift. Think twice if geography is fixed: with only 5 programs, most of them in Kansas, accessing this training or the employer networks built around specific programs often requires relocation. And think twice if you want a broader science foundation that keeps options open — a physics, engineering technology, or general science technician program offers more flexibility at the cost of the specialized wage premium this track delivers.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Industrial Radiologic Technology/Technician

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

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Cowley County Community College Arkansas City, KS 20 0 20
Wichita State University-Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology Wichita, KS 5 0 5
Central Piedmont Community College Charlotte, NC 2 0 2
Salt Lake Community College Salt Lake City, UT 2 0 2
Niagara County Community College Sanborn, NY 0 0 0
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Industrial Technology/Technician

1,933 completions/yr

Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician

1,277 completions/yr

Chemical Technology/Technician

1,095 completions/yr

Instrumentation Technology/Technician

1,036 completions/yr

Biomedical Technology/Technician

652 completions/yr

Architectural Technology/Technician

647 completions/yr

Industrial Electronics Technology/Technician

582 completions/yr

Communications Technology/Technician

458 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What does this major actually cover?
The curriculum focuses on applying scientific principles and technical skills to operate testing equipment that uses radioisotopes. Students learn x-ray analysis of materials, nondestructive testing and inspection, and continuous measurement of paper or metal thickness. Radiation safety, equipment maintenance, and procedure documentation run throughout. It is a narrow, applied technical training tuned to specific industrial inspection and process-monitoring needs.
What jobs do graduates typically take?
The primary destination in the data is nuclear technicians, a role with a $104,240 median wage and a typical-education requirement of an associate's degree. In practice, graduates also work in nondestructive testing (NDT) for oil and gas pipelines, aerospace component inspection, and quality control in manufacturing. Many roles require additional industry certifications (ASNT NDT Level I/II, for example), which programs often sequence into the training.
Is the associate's enough?
Yes — the nuclear technicians occupation lists an associate's degree as typical education, and all five programs in the packet are associate's-level. Completers report five-year median earnings around $96,902, among the strongest two-year credential outcomes in the data. The more common career advancement path is through industry certifications and on-the-job experience rather than a bachelor's degree.
How concerned should I be about the -7.7% job growth projection?
It is worth taking seriously. Nuclear technicians show -7.7% projected employment change, reflecting the slow decline in nuclear power generation capacity and automation in industrial inspection. However, nondestructive testing work in oil and gas pipelines, aerospace, and heavy manufacturing creates additional demand not fully captured by the narrow nuclear technician category. Graduates who cross-train on ultrasonic, magnetic particle, and other NDT methods typically have stronger employment picture than the raw projection suggests.
Where are the programs located?
With only 5 colleges offering the credential, geography is essentially everything. Cowley County Community College in Kansas leads with 20 annual completions, followed by Wichita State University-Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (5), Central Piedmont Community College in North Carolina (2), and Salt Lake Community College in Utah (2). The Kansas concentration is notable: Cowley County has built an established NDT program that pipelines into aerospace and oil-and-gas employers across the region.