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energy systems technologies

Types of Degrees energy systems technologies Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing energy systems technologies have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	190
Associate’s Degree	311
Bachelor’s Degree	189
Master’s Degree	480

What energy systems technologies Majors Need to Know

Programs in energy systems technologies develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that energy systems technologies graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in energy systems technologies emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Engineering and Technology — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Mechanical — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a energy systems technologies program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Operations Monitoring — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.
• Quality Control Analysis — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to energy systems technologies careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, energy systems technologies graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.1 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.0 / 7
Controlling Machines and Processes	4.0 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.9 / 7
Processing Information	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by energy systems technologies professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Autodesk AutoCAD	Computer aided design CAD software	—
National Instruments LabVIEW	Development environment software	—
Operating system software	Operating system software	—
Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software	Industrial control software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for energy systems technologies graduates include:

• Test Technician (Test Tech)
• Laser Specialist
• Installation Technician (Installation Tech)
• Medical Laser Technician (Medical Laser Tech)
• Laser Operator
• Fiber Optics Specialist
• Splicing Technician (Splicing Tech)
• Fiber Technician (Fiber Tech)
• Optoelectronic Technician (Optoelectronic Tech)
• Optics Technician (Optics Tech)
• Optical Engineering Technician (Optical Engineering Tech)
• Optics Test Technician (Optics Test Tech)
• Surgical Laser Technician (Surgical Laser Tech)
• Electro-Optics Technician (Electro-Optics Tech)
• Removal Technician (Removal Tech)

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to energy systems technologies graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	40.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	21.7%
Postsecondary certificate	14.6%
Bachelor’s degree	11.5%
Some college courses	8.1%
Master’s degree	1.3%
Less than a high school diploma	1.2%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in energy systems technologies?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 90.8% of energy systems technologies degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	118	9.2%
Men	1,167	90.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of energy systems technologies graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	717	55.8%
Asian	22	1.7%
Hispanic or Latino	254	19.8%
Black or African American	93	7.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	23	1.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.1%
Two or More Races	41	3.2%
Race Unknown	102	7.9%
International Students	32	2.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do energy systems technologies Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of energy systems technologies graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$64,973
4 years	$59,663
5 years	$66,892

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $66,892 — roughly 3% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online energy systems technologies Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for energy systems technologies. 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	7	6
Bachelor’s	4	2
Master’s	2	1

^{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 energy systems technologies Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, energy systems technologies graduates earn a median of $59,663 four years after completion — roughly 57% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{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
Engineering Technologies	15
Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians	15.01
Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians	15.02
Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians	15.12
Construction Engineering Technology/Technician	15.10
Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians	15.13
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians	15.03
Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians	15.04
Engineering-Related Fields	15.15
Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians	15.11
Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, Other	15.99
ENGINEERING/ENGINEERING-RELATED TECHNOLOGIES/TECHNICIANS	15.00

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.