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Building/Property Maintenance

Types of Degrees Building/Property Maintenance Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Building/Property Maintenance may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	675
Associate’s Degree	241
Master’s Degree	1,067

What Building/Property Maintenance Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Building/Property Maintenance build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Building/Property Maintenance graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Building/Property Maintenance emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Building and Construction — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Public Safety and Security — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Building/Property Maintenance program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Coordination — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Building/Property Maintenance careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Information Ordering — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Building/Property Maintenance graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.0 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	3.9 / 7
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others	3.9 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Building/Property Maintenance professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	✓
Autodesk AutoCAD	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio Management	Project management software	—
Inventory tracking software	Inventory management software	—
Facebook	Web page creation and editing software	—
Operating system software	Operating system software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Building/Property Maintenance graduates include:

• Building Supervisor
• Maintenance Supervisor
• Building Superintendent
• Maintenance Engineer
• Maintenance Superintendent
• Building Services Supervisor
• Water Softener Service Supervisor
• Labor Crew Supervisor
• Wood Boat Builder Supervisor
• Service Supervisor
• Track Repair Supervisor
• Steam Distribution Supervisor
• Harvesting Supervisor
• Bailer Tenders’ Supervisor
• Wrecking Supervisor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Building/Property Maintenance graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	27.0%
Postsecondary certificate	22.6%
Bachelor’s degree	15.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	14.4%
Some college courses	9.0%
Less than a high school diploma	9.0%
Master’s degree	2.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Building/Property Maintenance?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 87.5% of Building/Property Maintenance degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	253	12.5%
Men	1,770	87.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Building/Property Maintenance graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	675	33.4%
Asian	31	1.5%
Hispanic or Latino	569	28.1%
Black or African American	589	29.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	30	1.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	2	0.1%
Two or More Races	60	3.0%
Race Unknown	51	2.5%
International Students	16	0.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Building/Property Maintenance Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Building/Property Maintenance graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$33,822
4 years	$32,489
5 years	$37,102

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $37,102 — roughly 10% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Building/Property Maintenance Programs

Distance learning is reported by IPEDS for Building/Property Maintenance. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Building/Property Maintenance Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Building/Property Maintenance graduates earn a median of $32,489 four years after completion — about 15% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection	46.04
Building Construction Technology/Technician	46.0415
Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection, Other	46.0499
Building/Construction Site Management/Manager	46.0412
Building/Home/Construction Inspection/Inspector	46.0403
Carpet, Floor, and Tile Worker	46.0413
Concrete Finishing/Concrete Finisher	46.0402
Drywall Installation/Drywaller	46.0404
Glazier	46.0406
Insulator	46.0414
Metal Building Assembly/Assembler	46.0411
Painting/Painter and Wall Coverer	46.0408

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.