Arizona·Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations·SOC 19-4044

Best Hydrologic Technician programs in Arizona, ranked by enrollment

Collect and organize data concerning the distribution and circulation of ground and surface water, and data on its physical, chemical, and biological properties.

4 schools in Arizona run programs that feed this job, graduating 222 people a year. The job pays a median of $65,170 in Arizona across about 50 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledHydrographerHydro OperatorHydrologic AidHydrologic TechnicianHydrography TechnicianField Technician (Field Tech)Groundwater Monitoring TechnicianGIS Technician (Geographic Information System Technician)
Graduates / yr
222
in Arizona
Median pay · Arizona
$65,170
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
50
people employed
Schools
4
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
49%
across those schools
Median net price
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Arizona that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

3 programs in Arizona that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Arizona (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Arizona page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 41.9999In Arizona
204
91.9%
4$49,936$22,636
2
CIP 40.0605In Arizona
14
6.3%
2$39,678$24,864
3
CIP 41.0000In Arizona
4
1.8%
2$71,144$10,229

Top 4 schools in Arizona

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 4 of the 4 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Arizona State University Digital Immersion
Scottsdale, AZ Public · 2 feeder programs
109Science Technologies/Technicians, Other$60,6610%67%
2University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ Public · 2 feeder programs
41Science Technologies/Technicians, Other$48,33468%86%
3Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, AZ Public · 1 feeder programs
40Science Technologies/Technicians, Other$44,33861%90%
4Arizona State University Campus Immersion
Tempe, AZ Public · 3 feeder programs
32Science Technologies/Technicians, Other$60,66168%90%

All 4 schools in Arizona

Every school in Arizona with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Arizona that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Arizona State University Digital ImmersionScottsdalePublic1092
University of ArizonaTucsonPublic412
Northern Arizona UniversityFlagstaffPublic401
Arizona State University Campus ImmersionTempePublic323

What hydrologic technicians earn in Arizona

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Arizona
$65,170
Mean annual
$68,440
Jobs in state
50
What the range looks like
10th pct$40,330Median$65,17090th pct$96,100
Versus the national median
+0.6%

U.S. median $64,790. Arizona pays above the national figure.

Job concentration
0.81×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
-2.1%
Decline
Openings per year
400
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
-100
3,100 → 3,000
Typical entry education
Associate's degree
Plus moderate-term on-the-job training

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Hydrologic Technicians page.

How to become a Hydrologic Technician

Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0
Typical entry education
Associate's degree
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Arizona

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 4 majors mapped to Hydrologic Technicians4 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 40.0605Hydrology and Water Resources Science
  • 41.0000Science Technologies/Technicians, General
  • 41.0399Physical Science Technologies/Technicians, Other
  • 41.9999Science Technologies/Technicians, Other

Common questions

Answers for people weighing hydrologic technicians programs in Arizona.

What degree do you need to become a Hydrologic Technician?+

Associate's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Science Technologies/Technicians, Other, which awarded 204 degrees in Arizona in 2024-25, 91.9% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Hydrologic Technician?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 3 programs to this occupation. The largest are Science Technologies/Technicians, Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences, Science Technologies/Technicians. Together they graduate about 222 people a year in Arizona.

How much do hydrologic technicians earn in Arizona?+

The median is $65,170 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 0.6% above the U.S. median of $64,790. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for hydrologic technicians growing?+

BLS projects a -2.1% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 400 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Arizona?+

4 institutions in Arizona reported graduates from at least one of the 3 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

Do you need training or experience beyond a degree?+

BLS lists 'None' for related work experience and 'Moderate-term on-the-job training' for on-the-job training typically needed to reach competency.

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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