Heavy Equipment Maintenance
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Types of Degrees Heavy Equipment Maintenance Majors Are Getting
The following table lists how many heavy/industrial equipment maintenance graduations there were in 2018-2019 for each degree level.
Education Level | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Basic Certificate | 4,304 |
Undergraduate Certificate | 2,963 |
Associate’s Degree | 1,599 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 23 |
What Heavy Equipment Maintenance Majors Need to Know
People with careers related to equipment maintenance 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 Equipment Maintenance Majors
This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

- Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
- Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
- Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
- Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Skills for Equipment Maintenance Majors
When studying equipment maintenance, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

- Repairing - Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
- Troubleshooting - Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Equipment Maintenance - Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Abilities for Equipment Maintenance Majors
Equipment Maintenance majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

- 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.
- 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.
- Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
- 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.
What Can You Do With a Heavy Equipment Maintenance Major?
Below is a list of occupations associated with equipment maintenance:
Job Title | Job Growth Rate | Median Salary |
---|---|---|
Elevator Installers and Repairers | 12.2% | $79,780 |
Industrial Machinery Mechanics | 6.7% | $52,340 |
Maintenance Workers, Machinery | 5.6% | $47,060 |
Millwrights | 9.9% | $55,060 |
Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines | 8.2% | $51,920 |
Rail Car Repairers | 4.9% | $56,220 |
Wind Turbine Service Technicians | 94.8% | $54,370 |
Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Heavy Equipment Maintenance?
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of equipment maintenance majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 0 |
Black or African American | 0 |
Hispanic or Latino | 0 |
White | 22 |
International Students | 0 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 1 |
How Much Do Heavy Equipment Maintenance Majors Make?
Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary
The median early-career salary of heavy/industrial equipment maintenance students with a bachelor’s degree is $58,300 a year according to 2017-2018 data from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $58,300 (25th percentile) and $58,300 (75th percentile).

One thing to note here is that not all of these people may be working in careers related to equipment maintenance.
Salaries According to BLS
Equipment Maintenance majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $52,510 to $56,250 (25th to 75th percentile). 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 Heavy Equipment Maintenance
Some careers associated with equipment maintenance 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.
Find out what the typical degree level is for equipment maintenance careers below.

Education Level | Percentage of Workers |
---|---|
Less than a High School Diploma | 2.7% |
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) | 41.5% |
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) | 37.2% |
Some College Courses | 7.2% |
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 7.3% |
Bachelor’s Degree | 1.9% |
Master’s Degree | 0.6% |
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. | 0.8% |
Online Heavy Equipment Maintenance Programs
In 2018-2019, 340 schools offered a equipment maintenance 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) | 213 | 1 |
Certificate (1-2 years) | 230 | 3 |
Certificate (2-4 Years) | 61 | 0 |
Associate’s Degree | 183 | 3 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 0 | 0 |
Post-Baccalaureate | 213 | 1 |
Master’s Degree | 0 | 0 |
Post-Master’s | 0 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Research) | 0 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) | 0 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Other) | 0 | 0 |
Is a Degree in Heavy Equipment Maintenance Worth It?
The median salary for a equipment maintenance grad is $54,000 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.
This is 35% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $282,000 after 20 years!

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Majors Related to Heavy Equipment Maintenance
You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to equipment maintenance.
Major | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Vehicle Maintenance & Repair | 66,005 |
Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration | 19,885 |
Electronics Maintenance & Repair | 9,325 |
Precision Systems Maintenance | 1,816 |
Mechanic & Repair Tech (Other) | 1,017 |
Mechanics & Repairers | 505 |
References
- 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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