Woodworking

Types of Degrees Woodworking Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many woodworking graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Basic Certificate	274
Undergraduate Certificate	144
Associate Degree	115
Bachelor’s Degree	44
Master’s Degree	10

What Woodworking Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to woodworking 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 Woodworking Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in woodworking should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Building and Construction - Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

Skills for Woodworking Majors

A major in woodworking prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
• Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Quality Control Analysis - Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

Abilities for Woodworking Majors

A major in woodworking will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• 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.
• Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
• 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.
• 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.

What Can You Do With a Woodworking Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with woodworking:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters	2.3%	$34,740
Woodworkers	3.3%	$31,170
Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing	0.5%	$29,730

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Woodworking?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 25 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in woodworking in 2021, making it rank #318 in popularity. The major attracts more women than men. About 57% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	7
Black or African American	1
Hispanic or Latino	0
White	23
International Students	11
Other Races/Ethnicities	2

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Woodworking. About 25.0% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Woodworking

Some careers associated with woodworking require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. 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.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to woodworking have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	19.9%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	55.4%
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)	19.5%
Some College Courses	3.8%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	0.9%
Bachelor’s Degree	0.4%

Online Woodworking Programs

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)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	49	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	4	0
Associate’s Degree	26	0
Bachelor’s Degree	0	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	2	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Woodworking

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

Major	Number of Grads
Precision Metal Working	59,352
Other Precision Production	104
Precision Production Trades	55
Boilermaking	41
Leatherworking & Upholstery	31

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• 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

More about our data sources and methodologies.