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Leatherworking & Upholstery

Types of Degrees Leatherworking & Upholstery Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Leatherworking & Upholstery may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	10
Master’s Degree	16

What Leatherworking & Upholstery Majors Need to Know

Studies in Leatherworking & Upholstery develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Leatherworking & Upholstery graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Leatherworking & Upholstery emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Production and Processing — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 2.8 / 5; level 2.7 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 2.6 / 5; level 2.7 / 7.
• Mechanical — Importance 2.5 / 5; level 2.3 / 7.
• Design — Importance 2.5 / 5; level 2.4 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills developed in a Leatherworking & Upholstery program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 2.9 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 2.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3 / 5; level 2.9 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3 / 5; level 2.9 / 7.
• Operations Monitoring — Importance 2.9 / 5; level 2.8 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Leatherworking & Upholstery careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Near Vision — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Control Precision — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Finger Dexterity — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Manual Dexterity — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Leatherworking & Upholstery graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Handling and Moving Objects	4.0 / 7
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	3.8 / 7
Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People	3.6 / 7
Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information	3.5 / 7
Getting Information	3.5 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.5 / 7
Controlling Machines and Processes	3.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.5 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.5 / 7
Performing General Physical Activities	3.4 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Leatherworking & Upholstery professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Intuit QuickBooks	Accounting software	—
Enterprise resource planning ERP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—
LibreOffice Draw	Process mapping and design software	—
Autodesk AutoCAD	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Inventory tracking software	Inventory management software	—
Production control software	Industrial control software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Leatherworking & Upholstery graduates include:

• Furniture Upholsterer
• Upholsterer
• Upholstery Auto Trimmer
• Stapler
• Seat Covers Trimmer
• Sofa Back Upholsterer
• Limousine and Hearse Upholsterer
• Upholstery Technician
• Furniture Upholsterer Apprentice
• Casket Coverer
• Trimmer
• Inside Upholsterer
• Car Seat Upholsterer
• Car Seat Maker
• Upholstery Cutter

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Leatherworking & Upholstery graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	49.8%
Less than a high school diploma	44.7%
Some college courses	5.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Leatherworking & Upholstery?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 53.8% women and 46.2% men among Leatherworking & Upholstery graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	14	53.8%
Men	12	46.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Leatherworking & Upholstery graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	6	23.1%
Asian	1	3.8%
Hispanic or Latino	15	57.7%
Black or African American	3	11.5%
Two or More Races	1	3.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Leatherworking & Upholstery Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Leatherworking & Upholstery graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$18,872

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

Related Programs

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

Program	CIP Code
Production Product Development	48
Boilermaking/Boilermaker	48.08
Precision Metal Working	48.05
Precision Production, Other	48.99
PRECISION PRODUCTION	48.00
Woodworking	48.07

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.