Florida·Architecture and Engineering Occupations·SOC 17-3021

Best Aerospace Engineering programs in Florida, ranked by enrollment

Operate, install, adjust, and maintain integrated computer/communications systems, consoles, simulators, and other data acquisition, test, and measurement instruments and equipment, which are used to launch, track, position, and evaluate.

36 schools in Florida run programs that feed this job, graduating 871 people a year. The job pays a median of $78,560 in Florida across about 770 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledTest TechnicianEngineering TechnicianSystems Test TechnicianInstrumentation TechnicianAerographerTest SpecialistFlight TechnicianResearch Mechanic
Graduates / yr
871
in Florida
Median pay · Florida
$78,560
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
770
people employed
Schools
36
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
46%
across those schools
Median net price
$29,957
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Florida that lead to this job

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

5 programs in Florida that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Florida (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 Florida page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 15.0000In Florida
388
44.5%
23$59,718$25,375
2
CIP 15.0303In Florida
328
37.7%
15$59,859$15,372
3
CIP 15.0801In Florida
103
11.8%
4$61,021$24,436
4
CIP 29.0402In Florida
27
3.1%
1$52,897$19,407
5
CIP 47.0609In Florida
25
2.9%
5$37,089$11,790

Top 25 schools in Florida

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 9 of the 36 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Valencia College
Orlando, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
156Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician$40,38848%
2Eastern Florida State College
Melbourne, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
106Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering Technology/Technician52%
3Florida State College at Jacksonville
Jacksonville, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
52Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General37%
4Broward College
Fort Lauderdale, FL Public · 3 feeder programs
42Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General39%
5Miami Dade College
Miami, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
41Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician46%
6Pensacola State College
Pensacola, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
40Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General36%
7Florida Academy
Fort Myers, FL Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
37Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician71%$13,489
8Indian River State College
Fort Pierce, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
32Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician$60,03945%
9Lake - Sumter State College
Leesburg, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
32Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General48%
10Seminole State College of Florida
Sanford, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
30Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General41%
11Hillsborough College
Tampa, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
29Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General34%
12Palm Beach State College
Lake Worth, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
29Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General41%
13Embry - Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
27Air and Space Operations Technology$52,89767%$38,89965%
14College of Central Florida
Ocala, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
26Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General44%
15Daytona State College
Daytona Beach, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
18Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General43%
16St Petersburg College
St. Petersburg, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
18Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General38%
17Embry - Riddle Aeronautical University - Worldwide
Daytona Beach, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
17Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering Technology/Technician$93,43321%$21,26658%
18Northwest Florida State College
Niceville, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
17Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General39%
19University of West Florida
Pensacola, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
17Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General$63,80759%58%
20Cape Coral Technical College
Cape Coral, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
12Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician83%
21Gulf Coast State College
Panama City, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
12Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General43%
22Atlantic Technical College
Coconut Creek, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
11Avionics Maintenance Technology/Technician$34,26965%
23Saint Johns River State College
Palatka, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
11Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General49%
24George T Baker Aviation Technical College
Miami, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
9Avionics Maintenance Technology/Technician31%
25Polk State College
Winter Haven, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
8Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General35%

All 36 schools in Florida

Every school in Florida 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 Florida that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Valencia CollegeOrlandoPublic1562
Eastern Florida State CollegeMelbournePublic1062
Florida State College at JacksonvilleJacksonvillePublic521
Broward CollegeFort LauderdalePublic423
Miami Dade CollegeMiamiPublic412
Pensacola State CollegePensacolaPublic402
Florida AcademyFort MyersPrivate for-profit371
Indian River State CollegeFort PiercePublic321
Lake - Sumter State CollegeLeesburgPublic321
Seminole State College of FloridaSanfordPublic301
Hillsborough CollegeTampaPublic292
Palm Beach State CollegeLake WorthPublic292
Embry - Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona BeachDaytona BeachPrivate not-for-profit271
College of Central FloridaOcalaPublic261
Daytona State CollegeDaytona BeachPublic182

What aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians earn in Florida

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

Median annual in Florida
$78,560
Mean annual
$83,180
Jobs in state
770
What the range looks like
10th pct$57,200Median$78,56090th pct$122,870
Versus the national median
-5.2%

U.S. median $82,890. Florida pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
1.06×

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

Metro areas in Florida

Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL
$82,490median
480 jobs
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
$66,220median
80 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+8.1%
Much faster than average
Openings per year
900
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
800
9,300 → 10,100
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 Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians page.

How to become a Aerospace Engineering

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 ComprehensionActive ListeningSpeakingWritingMonitoring

The same job in other states

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

Related careers in Florida

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 7 majors mapped to Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians7 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 14.0202Astronautical Engineering
  • 15.0000Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General
  • 15.0303Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician
  • 15.0801Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering Technology/Technician
  • 29.0401Aerospace Ground Equipment Technology
  • 29.0402Air and Space Operations Technology
  • 47.0609Avionics Maintenance Technology/Technician

Common questions

Answers for people weighing aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians programs in Florida.

What degree do you need to become an Aerospace Engineering?+

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 388 degrees in Florida in 2024-25, 44.5% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming an Aerospace Engineering?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 5 programs to this occupation. The largest are Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians, Military Systems and Maintenance Technology, plus 1 more. Together they graduate about 871 people a year in Florida.

How much do aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians earn in Florida?+

The median is $78,560 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 5.2% below the U.S. median of $82,890. 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 aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians growing?+

BLS projects a +8.1% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 900 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

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

36 institutions in Florida reported graduates from at least one of the 5 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 aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Test Technician, Engineering Technician, Systems Test Technician, Instrumentation Technician among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 17-3021.

Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians in other statesVirginiaTexasOhioCaliforniaGeorgiaIndianaNew YorkNorth Carolina

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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