California·Architecture and Engineering Occupations·SOC 17-3024

Best Electro-Mechanical programs in California, ranked by enrollment

Operate, test, maintain, or adjust unmanned, automated, servomechanical, or electromechanical equipment.

35 schools in California run programs that feed this job, graduating 900 people a year. The job pays a median of $81,550 in California across about 1,850 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledElectro-MechanicAutomation TechnicianInstrument SpecialistProcess Control TechnicianMechanical Technician (Mechanical Tech)Electronics Technician (Electronics Tech)Electromechanical Technician (EM Technician)Electrical and Instrumentation Technician (E and I Technician)
Graduates / yr
900
in California
Median pay · California
$81,550
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
1,850
people employed
Schools
35
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
43%
across those schools
Median net price
$29,667
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in California that lead to this job

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

7 programs in California that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in California (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 California page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1457
50.8%
20$59,718$25,375
2164
18.2%
11$60,286$15,383
3137
15.2%
3$59,859$15,372
463
7.0%
2$60,286$15,383
538
4.2%
2$60,286$15,383
629
3.2%
1$61,021$24,436
712
1.3%
3$60,286$15,383

Top 25 schools in California

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 5 of the 35 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1San Jose State University
San Jose, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
103Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General69%85%
2Bakersfield College
Bakersfield, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
101Electromechanical/Electromechanical Engineering Technology/Technician21%
3Pasadena City College
Pasadena, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
98Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General48%
4DeVry University - California
Ontario, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
94Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician$67,39522%$35,32099%
5Chabot College
Hayward, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
86Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General47%
6California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
Pomona, CA Public · 2 feeder programs
61Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician$68,81568%75%
7Southern California Institute of Technology
Anaheim, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
53Automation Engineer Technology/Technician$50,79374%$29,66774%
8Mt San Antonio College
Walnut, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
48Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General45%
9Universal Technical Institute of California Inc
Rancho Cucamonga, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
35Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians, Other72%$24,830
10Chaffey College
Rancho Cucamonga, CA Public · 2 feeder programs
28Electromechanical/Electromechanical Engineering Technology/Technician36%
11Moorpark College
Moorpark, CA Public · 2 feeder programs
26Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General44%
12Cerritos College
Norwalk, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
25Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General31%
13Cabrillo College
Aptos, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
21Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General38%
14California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
16Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General53%91%
15Santa Ana College
Santa Ana, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
12Electromechanical/Electromechanical Engineering Technology/Technician31%
16California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
11Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician$57,06969%46%
17Institute of Technology
Clovis, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
10Automation Engineer Technology/Technician$39,54673%$24,518
18Mission College
Santa Clara, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
10Electromechanical/Electromechanical Engineering Technology/Technician39%
19Modesto Junior College
Modesto, CA Public · 2 feeder programs
8Instrumentation Technology/Technician30%
20American River College
Sacramento, CA Public · 2 feeder programs
7Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General37%
21Las Positas College
Livermore, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
6Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General53%
22Butte College
Oroville, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
5Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General45%
23San Joaquin Delta College
Stockton, CA Public · 2 feeder programs
5Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians, Other35%
24Ventura College
Ventura, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
5Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General38%
25Lemoore College
Lemoore, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
4Instrumentation Technology/Technician49%

All 35 schools in California

Every school in California 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 California that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
San Jose State UniversitySan JosePublic1031
Bakersfield CollegeBakersfieldPublic1011
Pasadena City CollegePasadenaPublic981
DeVry University - CaliforniaOntarioPrivate for-profit941
Chabot CollegeHaywardPublic861
California State Polytechnic University - PomonaPomonaPublic612
Southern California Institute of TechnologyAnaheimPrivate for-profit531
Mt San Antonio CollegeWalnutPublic481
Universal Technical Institute of California IncRancho CucamongaPrivate for-profit351
Chaffey CollegeRancho CucamongaPublic282
Moorpark CollegeMoorparkPublic262
Cerritos CollegeNorwalkPublic251
Cabrillo CollegeAptosPublic211
California State University - Los AngelesLos AngelesPublic161
Santa Ana CollegeSanta AnaPublic121

What electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians earn in California

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

Median annual in California
$81,550
Mean annual
$92,350
Jobs in state
1,850
What the range looks like
10th pct$56,020Median$81,55090th pct$129,380
Versus the national median
+10.4%

U.S. median $73,900. California pays above the national figure.

Job concentration
1.02×

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

Metro areas in California

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
$109,990median
290 jobs
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$92,360median
500 jobs
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
$77,030median
540 jobs
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
$80,250median
160 jobs
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA
$78,590median
40 jobs
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
$67,500median
100 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+1.1%
Little or no change
Openings per year
1,300
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
200
15,000 → 15,100
Typical entry education
Associate's degree

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 Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians page.

How to become a Electro-Mechanical

Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0
Typical entry education
Associate's degree

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.

Top skills

Critical ThinkingReading ComprehensionMonitoringActive ListeningWritingSpeaking

The same job in other states

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

Related careers in California

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 10 majors mapped to Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians10 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 15.0000Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General
  • 15.0001Applied Engineering Technologies/Technicians
  • 15.0303Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician
  • 15.0403Electromechanical/Electromechanical Engineering Technology/Technician
  • 15.0404Instrumentation Technology/Technician
  • 15.0405Robotics Technology/Technician
  • 15.0406Automation Engineer Technology/Technician
  • 15.0407Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering Technology/Technician
  • 15.0499Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians, Other
  • 15.0805Mechanical/Mechanical Engineering Technology/Technician

Common questions

Answers for people weighing electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians programs in California.

What degree do you need to become an Electro-Mechanical?+

Associate's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General, which awarded 457 degrees in California in 2024-25, 50.8% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming an Electro-Mechanical?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 7 programs to this occupation. The largest are Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians, Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians. Together they graduate about 900 people a year in California.

How much do electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians earn in California?+

The median is $81,550 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 10.4% above the U.S. median of $73,900. 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 electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians growing?+

BLS projects a +1.1% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 1,300 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

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

35 institutions in California reported graduates from at least one of the 7 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.

What other job titles do electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Electro-Mechanic, Automation Technician, Instrument Specialist, Process Control Technician, Mechanical Technician (Mechanical Tech), Electronics Technician (Electronics Tech) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 17-3024.

Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians in other statesTexasIllinoisNorth CarolinaVirginiaOhioLouisianaFloridaNew York

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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