Heavy Equipment Maintenance Major

Heavy/industrial equipment maintenance is a major that typically falls into the Mechanic & Repair Technologies category.

There are 183 programs available throughout the country that offer an associate’s degree in equipment maintenance, 1 that offer a bachelor’s degree, and 0 that offer a master’s degree.

Who Is Getting an Equipment Maintenance Degree?

This is a less frequently chosen major. Only 0 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in heavy/industrial equipment maintenance in 2017. This major tends to be male dominated. About 100% of recent graduates are men.

Racial Distribution

At the countrywide level, the racial distribution of equipment maintenance majors is as follows:

• Asian: 0%
• Black or African American: 0%
• Hispanic or Latino: 5%
• White: 95%
• Non-Resident Alien: 0%
• Other Races: 0%

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in equipment maintenance. About 0% of those graduating in 2017 were international students. The most popular countries sending equipment maintenance majors to the U.S. are British Virgin Islands, Botswana and Mexico.

What Will You Learn as a Heavy Equipment Maintenance Major?

An O*NET survey asked people with careers related to equipment maintenance to rate how important certain subject areas were to their job. The following are some of the results of that survey. Importance was rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Equipment Maintenance Majors

Equipment maintenance majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

Skills for Equipment Maintenance Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to equipment maintenance:

Abilities for Equipment Maintenance Majors

As you progress with your equipment maintenance degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

What Can You Do With an Equipment Maintenance Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with equipment maintenance:

Careers Related to Heavy Equipment Maintenance

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Elevator Installers and Repairers	12.2%	$79,780
Maintenance Workers, Machinery	5.6%	$47,060
Rail Car Repairers	4.9%	$56,220
Millwrights	9.9%	$55,060
Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines	8.2%	$51,920
Industrial Machinery Mechanics	6.7%	$52,340
Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons	-6.3%	$52,190
Wind Turbine Service Technicians	94.8%	$54,370

Heavy Equipment Maintenance Major Salary

Average salaries range from $53,000 to $56,000 for careers related to equipment maintenance. 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, the typical high school graduate makes between $29,000 and $57,000 a year. The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $44,000 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,000 and $120,000.

Your salary will be largely dependent on the career path you follow and what area of the country (or world) you work. Getting a graduate degree may open up more options with higher salary potential.

Amount of Education Required for Heavy Equipment Maintenance Major Jobs

Some careers associated with equipment maintenance may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for equipment maintenance careers below.

Education Levels for Careers Associated With Heavy Equipment Maintenance

Level of Education	Percentage of Workers
Less Than a High School Diploma	2.7%
High School Diploma or Equivalent	41.5%
Post-Secondary Certificate	37.2%
Some College Courses	7.2%
Associate's Degree or Equivalent	7.3%
Bachelor's Degree	1.9%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate	0%
Master's Degree	0.6%
Post-Master's Certificate	0%
First Professional Degree	0.8%
Doctoral Degree	0%
Post-Doctoral Training	0%

Online Heavy Equipment Maintenance Programs

There are 1 colleges that offer a bachelor’s degree in heavy/industrial equipment maintenance, with 0 of them offering at least some courses online.

Online learners must listen or watch video lectures, participate in group chats or forums, submit papers and assignments electronically, take tests, and meet deadlines.

Getting your degree online is not easy and includes watching and listening to hours of lectures, participating in group charts, submitting papers by the appropriate deadline and taking tests. Some online programs will also feature internships or in-person clinical hours.

Is a Heavy Equipment Maintenance Major Worth It?

The median salary for an 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 39% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $302,000 after 20 years!

Related Majors

• Mechanics & Repairers
• Electronics Maintenance & Repair
• Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling
• Heavy Equipment Maintenance
• Precision Systems Maintenance
• Vehicle Maintenance & Repair
• Other Mechanic Technologies

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics
National Center for Education Statistics
O*NET Online
Image Credit: Margo Wright via License