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Furniture Design & Manufacturing

Types of Degrees Furniture Design & Manufacturing Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Furniture Design & Manufacturing have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	22
Associate’s Degree	1
Bachelor’s Degree	32
Master’s Degree	15

What Furniture Design & Manufacturing Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Furniture Design & Manufacturing emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Production and Processing — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 2.9 / 7.
• Mechanical — Importance 3.0 / 5; level 3.0 / 7.
• Design — Importance 2.9 / 5; level 2.4 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 2.8 / 5; level 2.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 2.8 / 5; level 2.6 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a Furniture Design & Manufacturing program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 2.9 / 7.
• Time Management — Importance 3 / 5; level 2.9 / 7.
• Operations Monitoring — Importance 3 / 5; level 3 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Furniture Design & Manufacturing careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Near Vision — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Visual Color Discrimination — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.
• Manual Dexterity — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Control Precision — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Furniture Design & Manufacturing graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	3.9 / 7
Handling and Moving Objects	3.8 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.7 / 7
Performing General Physical Activities	3.7 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	3.7 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.6 / 7
Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People	3.6 / 7
Thinking Creatively	3.6 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Furniture Design & Manufacturing professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
DuPont Spies Hecker Wizard	Data base user interface and query software	—
DuPont ColorNet	Data base user interface and query software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Intuit QuickBooks	Accounting software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Furniture Design & Manufacturing graduates include:

• Belly Builder
• Wood Ski Maker
• Shaper
• Dyer
• Gun Stock Maker
• Sled Maker
• Loft Worker Apprentice
• Veneer Taper
• Pole Framer
• Pattern Marker
• Wood Veneer Taper
• Hand Woodworking Sander
• Stock Checker
• Gun Stock Checker
• Veneer Drier

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	61.2%
Less than a high school diploma	35.5%
Postsecondary certificate	3.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Furniture Design & Manufacturing?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 47.1% women and 52.9% men among Furniture Design & Manufacturing graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	33	47.1%
Men	37	52.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Furniture Design & Manufacturing graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	43	61.4%
Asian	7	10.0%
Hispanic or Latino	5	7.1%
Black or African American	2	2.9%
Two or More Races	3	4.3%
International Students	10	14.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Furniture Design & Manufacturing Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Furniture Design & Manufacturing 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	$28,034
4 years	$43,408
5 years	$46,526

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $46,526 — roughly 66% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in Furniture Design & Manufacturing Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Furniture Design & Manufacturing graduates earn a median of $43,408 four years after completion — roughly 14% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

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

Program	CIP Code
Woodworking	48.07
Cabinetmaking and Millwork	48.0703
Wooden Boatbuilding Technology/Technician	48.0704
Woodworking, General	48.0701
Woodworking, Other	48.0799

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.