Construction Trades

Types of Degrees Construction Trades Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many construction trades graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Undergraduate Certificate	15,723
Basic Certificate	13,809
Associate Degree	6,041
Bachelor’s Degree	221

What Construction Trades Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to construction trades and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Construction Trades Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Building and Construction - Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Skills for Construction Trades Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to construction trades:

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Abilities for Construction Trades Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a construction trades student include the following:

• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

What Can You Do With a Construction Trades Major?

People with a construction trades degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Brickmasons and Blockmasons	10.3%	$50,950
Carpet Installers	9.4%	$39,340
Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers	12.6%	$43,000
Civil Engineering Technicians	8.9%	$52,580
Construction and Building Inspectors	10.1%	$59,700
Construction Carpenters	8.2%	$46,590
Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas	25.2%	$46,120
Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers	1.0%	$43,730
Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas	19.9%	$44,430
Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers	13.9%	$70,910
Electricians	8.9%	$55,190
Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters	7.9%	$49,860
First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers	12.6%	$65,230
First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers	9.9%	$39,940
First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers	7.1%	$66,140
Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles	9.8%	$42,760
Floor Sanders and Finishers	8.2%	$37,510
Glaziers	10.4%	$43,550
Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall	1.3%	$38,480
Insulation Workers, Mechanical	9.8%	$47,740
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General	7.9%	$38,300
Painters, Construction and Maintenance	5.7%	$38,940
Paperhangers	5.3%	$38,090
Pipe Fitters and Steamfitters	15.6%	$53,910
Plumbers	15.6%	$53,910
Roofers	11.1%	$39,970
Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas	24.6%	$53,800
Rough Carpenters	8.2%	$46,590
Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers	14.2%	$47,190
Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners	17.2%	$38,970
Signal and Track Switch Repairers	2.0%	$70,490
Solar Energy Installation Managers	12.6%	$65,230
Solar Photovoltaic Installers	104.4%	$42,680
Stonemasons	9.5%	$41,220
Structural Iron and Steel Workers	12.8%	$53,970
Terrazzo Workers and Finishers	11.1%	$42,500
Tile and Marble Setters	9.8%	$41,840

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Construction Trades?

This major tends to be male dominated. About 86% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of construction trades majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	4
Black or African American	24
Hispanic or Latino	56
White	126
International Students	2
Other Races/Ethnicities	9

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Construction Trades. About 0.9% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Construction Trades Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

The median starting salary of students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a bachelor’s degree in construction trades was $64,818 per year. These stats come from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $62,625 (25th percentile) and $65,756 (75th percentile).

Note that some of these people may have jobs that are not directly related to a construction trades degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $43,870 to $56,740 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to construction trades. This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Construction Trades

Some careers associated with construction trades require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for construction trades careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	18.6%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	41.7%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	23.2%
Some College Courses	8.1%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	4.9%
Bachelor’s Degree	2.9%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	0.3%
Master’s Degree	0.2%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	0.1%
Doctoral Degree	0.3%
Post-Doctoral Training	0.1%

Online Construction Trades Programs

In 2020-2021, 883 schools offered a construction trades program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	1,105	4
Certificate (2-4 Years)	123	0
Associate’s Degree	766	10
Bachelor’s Degree	3	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	0	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Construction Trades Worth It?

The median salary for a construction trades grad is $47,630 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 19% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $154,600 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Construction Trades

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to construction trades.

Major	Number of Grads
Personal & Culinary Services	130,328
Mechanic & Repair Technologies	96,336
Precision Production	52,913
Transportation & Materials Moving	29,084

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.