Vehicle Maintenance & Repair

Types of Degrees Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many vehicle maintenance and repair graduations there were in 2018-2019 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Undergraduate Certificate	28,245
Basic Certificate	22,948
Associate’s Degree	14,505
Bachelor’s Degree	300
Master’s Degree	7

What Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, vehicle repair 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 Vehicle Repair Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in vehicle repair 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.
• 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.

Skills for Vehicle Repair Majors

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

• 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.
• 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.

Abilities for Vehicle Repair Majors

Vehicle Repair 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).
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Major?

People with a vehicle repair 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
Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment	2.9%	$60,340
First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers	7.1%	$66,140
Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage	5.1%	$62,520
Motorcycle Mechanics	0.5%	$36,790
Outdoor Power Equipment and Other Small Engine Mechanics	10.4%	$35,400
Painters, Transportation Equipment	6.5%	$42,280

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Vehicle Maintenance & Repair?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 300 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in vehicle maintenance and repair in 2019, making it rank #233 in popularity. This major tends to be male dominated. About 90% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	11
Black or African American	21
Hispanic or Latino	44
White	192
International Students	9
Other Races/Ethnicities	23

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Vehicle Repair, too. About 3.0% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• South Korea
• Saudi Arabia
• Bahamas
• Bermuda

How Much Do Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

The U.S. Department of Education found that students who graduated in 2015-2017 with a bachelor’s degree in vehicle maintenance and repair made a median starting salary of $48,750 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $44,325 (25th percentile) and $58,950 (75th percentile).

One thing to note here is that not all of these people may be working in careers related to vehicle repair.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $39,260 to $61,460 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to vehicle repair. 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 Vehicle Maintenance & Repair

Some degrees associated with vehicle repair 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 vehicle repair have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	8.2%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	37.6%
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)	36.6%
Some College Courses	7.4%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	7.1%
Bachelor’s Degree	2.6%
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.	0.5%
Master’s Degree	0.5%
Post-Doctoral Training	0.1%

Online Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Programs

In 2018-2019, 970 schools offered a vehicle repair 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)	1,030	4
Certificate (1-2 years)	1,450	1
Certificate (2-4 Years)	342	2
Associate’s Degree	1,102	6
Bachelor’s Degree	0	0
Post-Baccalaureate	1,030	4
Master’s Degree	1	1
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 Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Worth It?

The median salary for a vehicle repair grad is $45,330 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 14% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $108,600 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Vehicle Maintenance & Repair

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to vehicle repair.

Major	Number of Grads
Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration	19,885
Electronics Maintenance & Repair	9,325
Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance	8,889
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
• Image Credit: By Airman 1st Class Nigel Sandridge under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.