Mechanic & Repair Technologies

Types of Degrees Mechanic & Repair Technologies Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many mechanic and repair technologies graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Undergraduate Certificate	41,776
Basic Certificate	34,046
Associate Degree	20,228
Bachelor’s Degree	257
Master’s Degree	27
Doctor’s Degree	2

What Mechanic & Repair Technologies Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, mechanic and repair technologies majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Mechanic & Repair Technologies Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in mechanic and repair technologies should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• 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.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Skills for Mechanic & Repair Technologies Majors

mechanic and repair technologies majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Repairing - Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Troubleshooting - Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
• Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
• Quality Control Analysis - Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

Abilities for Mechanic & Repair Technologies Majors

Mechanic and Repair Technologies majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• 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.
• Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
• 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.

What Can You Do With a Mechanic & Repair Technologies Major?

People with a mechanic and repair technologies degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians	4.9%	$62,920
Automotive Body and Related Repairers	8.5%	$42,730
Automotive Glass Installers and Repairers	6.6%	$34,170
Automotive Master Mechanics	6.1%	$40,710
Automotive Specialty Technicians	6.1%	$40,710
Avionics Technicians	6.3%	$64,140
Bicycle Repairers	29.8%	$28,960
Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists	9.3%	$47,350
Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers	6.9%	$42,840
Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment	2.9%	$60,340
Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment	2.3%	$58,110
Elevator Installers and Repairers	12.2%	$79,780
First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers	7.1%	$66,140
Geothermal Technicians	8.2%	$39,320
Heating and Air Conditioning Mechanics and Installers	14.7%	$47,610
Industrial Machinery Mechanics	6.7%	$52,340
Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage	5.1%	$62,520
Maintenance Workers, Machinery	5.6%	$47,060
Millwrights	9.9%	$55,060
Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines	8.2%	$51,920
Motorcycle Mechanics	0.5%	$36,790
Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners	1.2%	$36,330
Outdoor Power Equipment and Other Small Engine Mechanics	10.4%	$35,400
Painters, Transportation Equipment	6.5%	$42,280
Precision Instrument and Equipment Repairers	1.6%	$57,610
Radio Mechanics	5.5%	$54,890
Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers	5.5%	$54,890
Rail Car Repairers	4.9%	$56,220
Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers	14.7%	$47,610
Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers	14.2%	$47,190
Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers	1.5%	$58,280
Wind Turbine Service Technicians	94.8%	$54,370

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanic & Repair Technologies?

This major attracts more men than women. About 95% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of mechanic and repair technologies majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	18
Black or African American	15
Hispanic or Latino	58
White	136
International Students	11
Other Races/Ethnicities	19

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Mechanic & Repair Technologies. About 4.3% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Mechanic & Repair Technologies Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

The median early-career salary of mechanic and repair technologies students with a bachelor’s degree is $54,341 a year according to 2019-2020 data from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $49,024 (25th percentile) and $61,397 (75th percentile).

We don’t know for sure if all of these people took jobs related to mechanic and repair technologies so take that into consideration.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $41,020 to $56,340 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to mechanic and repair technologies. 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 Mechanic & Repair Technologies

Some careers associated with mechanic and repair technologies require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. 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 mechanic and repair technologies have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	5.9%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	38.7%
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)	35.4%
Some College Courses	7.4%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	8.8%
Bachelor’s Degree	2.7%
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	0.3%
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.	0.5%
Post-Doctoral Training	0.1%

Online Mechanic & Repair Technologies Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 1,286 schools offered some type of mechanic and repair technologies program. 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)	2,467	13
Certificate (2-4 Years)	478	0
Associate’s Degree	1,891	23
Bachelor’s Degree	1	1
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	2	1
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 Mechanic & Repair Technologies Worth It?

The median salary for a mechanic and repair technologies grad is $46,460 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 16% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $131,200 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Mechanic & Repair Technologies

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to mechanic and repair technologies.

Major	Number of Grads
Personal & Culinary Services	130,328
Precision Production	52,913
Construction Trades	35,794
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
• Image Credit: By Alfred Palmer under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.