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 2017-2018 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Undergraduate Certificate	30,370
Basic Certificate	23,125
Associate’s Degree	14,247
Bachelor’s Degree	325
Master’s Degree	1

What Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to vehicle repair 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 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

vehicle repair 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.
• 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

As a vehicle repair major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• 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?

Below is a list of occupations associated with vehicle repair:

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 325 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in vehicle maintenance and repair in 2018, making it rank #230 in popularity. This major tends to be male dominated. About 95% 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	9
Black or African American	17
Hispanic or Latino	20
White	220
International Students	13
Other Races/Ethnicities	46

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Vehicle Repair. About 4.0% 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).

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

Salaries According to BLS

Vehicle Repair majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $39,260 to $61,460 (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 Vehicle Maintenance & Repair

Some careers associated with vehicle repair 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 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 the 2017-2018 academic year, 974 schools offered some type of vehicle maintenance and repair 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)	982	6
Certificate (1-2 years)	1,465	2
Certificate (2-4 Years)	336	1
Associate’s Degree	1,100	7
Bachelor’s Degree	0	0
Post-Baccalaureate	982	6
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	19,789
Electronics Maintenance & Repair	9,699
Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance	8,738
Precision Systems Maintenance	1,825
Mechanic & Repair Tech (Other)	981
Mechanics & Repairers	262

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.