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Air & Space Operations Tech

Types of Degrees Air & Space Operations Tech Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Air & Space Operations Tech may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	1
Associate’s Degree	74
Bachelor’s Degree	31
Master’s Degree	8

What Air & Space Operations Tech Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Air & Space Operations Tech build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Air & Space Operations Tech graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Air & Space Operations Tech emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Mechanical — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 6.2 / 7.
• Engineering and Technology — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Production and Processing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Air & Space Operations Tech program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Operations Monitoring — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Quality Control Analysis — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Air & Space Operations Tech careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Information Ordering — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Air & Space Operations Tech graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.5 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.5 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Air & Space Operations Tech professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Debugging software	Program testing software	—
Vibration analysis software	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Job control language JCL	Operating system software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Bugzilla	Program testing software	—
Hewlett Packard LoadRunner	Program testing software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Structured query language SQL	Data base user interface and query software	—
Python	Object or component oriented development software	—
Microsoft Visio	Process mapping and design software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Air & Space Operations Tech graduates include:

• Flight Test Instrument Technician
• Wind Tunnel Mechanic
• Aerospace Physiological Technician
• Aircraft Research Mechanic
• Avionics Installation Technician
• Aerospace Operations Technologist
• Flight Test Data Acquisition Technician
• Engineering Test Technician
• Aerospace Mechanic
• Wind Tunnel Technician
• Flight Data Technician
• Avionics Test Technician
• Flight Readiness Technician
• Flight Technician
• Data Acquisition Technician

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Air & Space Operations Tech graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Postsecondary certificate	39.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	33.2%
High school diploma or equivalent	19.7%
Bachelor’s degree	7.9%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Air & Space Operations Tech?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 74.6% of Air & Space Operations Tech degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	29	25.4%
Men	85	74.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Air & Space Operations Tech graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	72	63.2%
Asian	2	1.8%
Hispanic or Latino	18	15.8%
Black or African American	9	7.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.9%
Two or More Races	7	6.1%
Race Unknown	3	2.6%
International Students	2	1.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Air & Space Operations Tech Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Air & Space Operations Tech graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$54,214

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Air & Space Operations Tech Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for Air & Space Operations Tech. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	0
Master’s	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Military Systems and Maintenance Technology	29.04
Aerospace Ground Equipment Technology	29.0401
Aircraft Armament Systems Technology	29.0403
Explosive Ordinance/Bomb Disposal	29.0404
Joint Command/Task Force (C3, C4I) Systems	29.0405
Military Information Systems Technology	29.0406
Military Systems and Maintenance Technology, Other	29.0499
Missile and Space Systems Technology	29.0407
Munitions Systems/Ordinance Technology	29.0408
Radar Communications and Systems Technology	29.0409

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.