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power plant technology

Types of Degrees power plant technology Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing power plant technology have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	1
Associate’s Degree	46
Bachelor’s Degree	27
Master’s Degree	10

What power plant technology Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in power plant technology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Mechanical — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Engineering and Technology — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Public Safety and Security — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Physics — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a power plant technology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Operations Monitoring — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Operation and Control — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Quality Control Analysis — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to power plant technology careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, power plant technology graduates report doing:

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

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by power plant technology professionals:

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

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for power plant technology graduates include:

• Power Generation Technician (Power Generation Tech)
• Hydroelectric Plant Operator
• Hydroelectric Operator
• Power Plant Technician (Power Plant Tech)
• Power Plant Operator
• Auxiliary Operator
• Plant Operator
• Rectifier Operator
• Energy Program Manager
• Landfill Gas Systems Monitor
• Cogeneration Technician (Cogeneration Tech)
• Energy and Sustainability Manager
• Operations and Management Technician (Operations and Management Tech)
• Solar Energy Manager
• Power Plant Control Room Operator

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to power plant technology graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	36.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	22.8%
Postsecondary certificate	21.6%
Bachelor’s degree	8.4%
Some college courses	8.1%
Less than a high school diploma	1.3%
Master’s degree	0.6%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.6%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in power plant technology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 94% of power plant technology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	5	6.0%
Men	79	94.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of power plant technology graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	65	77.4%
Hispanic or Latino	4	4.8%
Black or African American	4	4.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	3	3.6%
Two or More Races	6	7.1%
Race Unknown	2	2.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do power plant technology Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of power plant technology 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 power plant technology Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for power plant technology. 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	1
Bachelor’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 power plant technology Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, power plant technology 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
Energy Systems Technologies/Technicians	15.17
Energy Systems Technologies/Technicians, Other	15.1799
Energy Systems Technology/Technician	15.1701
Geothermal Energy Technology/Technician	15.1706
Hydroelectric Energy Technology/Technician	15.1705
Solar Energy Technology/Technician	15.1703
Wind Energy Technology/Technician	15.1704
Applied Engineering Technologies/Technicians	15.0001
Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians	15.0101
Audio Engineering Technology/Technician	15.0307
Biomedical Technology/Technician	15.0401
Chemical Engineering Technology/Technician	15.0615

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.