Quality Control Technology

Types of Degrees Quality Control Technology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many quality control technology graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	1,685
Associate Degree	766
Master’s Degree	655
Basic Certificate	483
Undergraduate Certificate	154
Graduate Certificate	78
Doctor’s Degree	3

What Quality Control Technology Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to quality control tech were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Quality Control Tech Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in quality control tech should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• 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.
• Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• 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 Quality Control Tech Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to quality control tech:

• 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.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Abilities for Quality Control Tech Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a quality control tech student include the following:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• 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.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Quality Control Technology Major?

People with a quality control tech degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Environmental Engineering Technicians	12.4%	$50,560
Occupational Health and Safety Specialists	8.1%	$73,020

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Quality Control Technology?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 1,685 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in quality control technology in 2021, making it rank #141 in popularity. This major tends to be male dominated. About 81% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of quality control tech majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	18
Black or African American	108
Hispanic or Latino	103
White	1,062
International Students	44
Other Races/Ethnicities	350

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Quality Control Tech. About 2.6% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• Saudi Arabia
• Nigeria
• India
• China
• Pakistan

How Much Do Quality Control Technology Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

The U.S. Department of Education found that students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a bachelor’s degree in quality control technology made a median starting salary of $61,310 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $56,232 (25th percentile) and $65,712 (75th percentile).

It’s important to note that just because the people reporting these salaries have a degree in quality control tech, it does not mean that they are working in a job related to their degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $42,010 to $74,940 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to quality control tech. This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

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 Quality Control Technology

Some degrees associated with quality control tech may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to quality control tech have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	9.1%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	35.5%
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)	11.3%
Some College Courses	5.8%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	6.4%
Bachelor’s Degree	27.3%
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.	1.7%
Master’s Degree	3.4%

Online Quality Control Technology Programs

In 2020-2021, 170 schools offered a quality control tech 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)	44	4
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	78	12
Bachelor’s Degree	23	8
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	25	9
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Quality Control Technology Worth It?

The median salary for a quality control tech grad is $54,800 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 37% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $298,000 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Quality Control Technology

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to quality control tech.

Major	Number of Grads
Industrial Production Technology	11,906
Electromechanical Engineering Technology	10,593
Drafting & Design Engineering Technology	8,964
Environmental Control Technology	8,690
Electronics Engineering Technology	8,592
Engineering-Related Fields	6,736
Mechanical Engineering Technology	6,013
General Engineering Technology	4,676
Construction Engineering Technology	4,330
Computer Engineering Technology	3,595
Engineering Technology (Other)	1,768
Architectural Engineering Technology	1,290
Energy Systems Technologies	1,256
Civil Engineering Technology	1,187
Engineering-Related Technologies	989
Mining & Petroleum Technology	445
Nuclear Engineering Technology	220
Nanotechnology	114

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
• Image Credit: By Gina Collecchia under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.