Georgia·Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations·SOC 49-3031

Best Bus programs in Georgia, ranked by enrollment

Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul buses and trucks, or maintain and repair any type of diesel engines.

16 schools in Georgia run programs that feed this job, graduating 804 people a year. The job pays a median of $61,370 in Georgia across about 10,910 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledBus MechanicTruck MechanicDiesel MechanicDiesel Technician (Diesel Tech)Boat MechanicBus OverhaulerFleet MechanicMotor Mechanic
Graduates / yr
804
in Georgia
Median pay · Georgia
$61,370
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
10,910
people employed
Schools
16
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
46%
across those schools
Median net price
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Georgia that lead to this job

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

2 programs in Georgia that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Georgia (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 Georgia page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 47.0605In Georgia
472
58.7%
16$37,089$11,790
2
CIP 47.0613In Georgia
332
41.3%
16$37,089$11,790

Top 16 schools in Georgia

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 5 of the 16 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Chattahoochee Technical College
Marietta, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
110Diesel Mechanics Technology/Technician38%
2Lanier Technical College
Gainesville, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
86Diesel Mechanics Technology/Technician34%
3Central Georgia Technical College
Warner Robins, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
69Diesel Mechanics Technology/Technician$42,49347%
4Athens Technical College
Athens, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
62Diesel Mechanics Technology/Technician51%
5Oconee Fall Line Technical College
Sandersville, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
57Diesel Mechanics Technology/Technician65%
6South Georgia Technical College
Americus, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
55Diesel Mechanics Technology/Technician$28,84161%
7Wiregrass Georgia Technical College
Valdosta, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
53Medium/Heavy Vehicle and Truck Technology/Technician50%
8Atlanta Technical College
Atlanta, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
49Diesel Mechanics Technology/Technician$27,44849%
9West Georgia Technical College
Waco, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
49Diesel Mechanics Technology/Technician$40,09235%
10Coastal Pines Technical College
Waycross, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
44Diesel Mechanics Technology/Technician48%
11Georgia Northwestern Technical College
Rome, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
34Diesel Mechanics Technology/Technician43%
12Gwinnett Technical College
Lawrenceville, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
32Diesel Mechanics Technology/Technician$39,26832%
13Southern Crescent Technical College
Griffin, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
32Diesel Mechanics Technology/Technician58%
14Ogeechee Technical College
Statesboro, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
29Medium/Heavy Vehicle and Truck Technology/Technician43%
15Southeastern Technical College
Vidalia, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
26Medium/Heavy Vehicle and Truck Technology/Technician38%
16Albany Technical College
Albany, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
17Medium/Heavy Vehicle and Truck Technology/Technician42%

All 16 schools in Georgia

Every school in Georgia 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 Georgia that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Chattahoochee Technical CollegeMariettaPublic1102
Lanier Technical CollegeGainesvillePublic862
Central Georgia Technical CollegeWarner RobinsPublic692
Athens Technical CollegeAthensPublic622
Oconee Fall Line Technical CollegeSandersvillePublic572
South Georgia Technical CollegeAmericusPublic552
Wiregrass Georgia Technical CollegeValdostaPublic532
Atlanta Technical CollegeAtlantaPublic492
West Georgia Technical CollegeWacoPublic492
Coastal Pines Technical CollegeWaycrossPublic442
Georgia Northwestern Technical CollegeRomePublic342
Gwinnett Technical CollegeLawrencevillePublic322
Southern Crescent Technical CollegeGriffinPublic322
Ogeechee Technical CollegeStatesboroPublic292
Southeastern Technical CollegeVidaliaPublic262

What bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists earn in Georgia

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

Median annual in Georgia
$61,370
Mean annual
$64,230
Jobs in state
10,910
What the range looks like
10th pct$45,890Median$61,37090th pct$85,260
Versus the national median
-0.6%

U.S. median $61,770. Georgia pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
1.20×

Concentrated here: Georgia employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.

Metro areas in Georgia

Savannah, GA
$72,770median
1,260 jobs
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
$62,270median
5,940 jobs
Albany, GA
$60,420median
130 jobs
Macon-Bibb County, GA
$59,270median
160 jobs
Gainesville, GA
$57,100median
250 jobs
Dalton, GA
$58,820median
280 jobs
Brunswick-St. Simons, GA
$53,530median
90 jobs
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC
$56,920median
310 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+2.4%
About as fast as average
Openings per year
26,500
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
7,800
319,900 → 327,700
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
Plus long-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 Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists page.

How to become a Bus

Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
On-the-job training
Long-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.

Top skills

Critical ThinkingSpeakingMonitoringActive ListeningReading ComprehensionActive Learning

The same job in other states

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

Related careers in Georgia

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 2 majors mapped to Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists2 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 47.0605Diesel Mechanics Technology/Technician
  • 47.0613Medium/Heavy Vehicle and Truck Technology/Technician

Common questions

Answers for people weighing bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists programs in Georgia.

What degree do you need to become a Bus?+

High school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Diesel Mechanics Technology/Technician, which awarded 472 degrees in Georgia in 2024-25, 58.7% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Bus?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 2 programs to this occupation. The largest are Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians. Together they graduate about 804 people a year in Georgia.

How much do bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists earn in Georgia?+

The median is $61,370 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 0.6% below the U.S. median of $61,770. 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 bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists growing?+

BLS projects a +2.4% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 26,500 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

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

16 institutions in Georgia reported graduates from at least one of the 2 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 bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Bus Mechanic, Truck Mechanic, Diesel Mechanic, Diesel Technician (Diesel Tech) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 49-3031.

Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists in other statesTexasKentuckyCaliforniaWyomingFloridaNorth CarolinaArizonaOklahoma

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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