Georgia·Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations·SOC 19-4043

Best Geological Technician programs in Georgia, ranked by enrollment

Assist scientists or engineers in the use of electronic, sonic, or nuclear measuring instruments in laboratory, exploration, and production activities to obtain data indicating resources such as metallic ore, minerals, gas, coal, or.

22 schools in Georgia run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,343 people a year. The job pays a median of $34,710 in Georgia across about 30 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledGeotechnicianMaterials TechnicianGeological TechnicianPhysical Science TechnicianTesterLocaterLocatorObserver
Graduates / yr
1,343
in Georgia
Median pay · Georgia
$34,710
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
30
people employed
Schools
22
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.

3 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 41.9999In Georgia
1,256
93.5%
16$49,936$22,636
2
CIP 40.0601In Georgia
82
6.1%
6$39,678$24,864
3
CIP 41.0000In Georgia
5
0.4%
1$71,144$10,229

Top 22 schools in Georgia

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 2 of the 22 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 · 1 feeder programs
290Science Technologies/Technicians, Other38%
2Central Georgia Technical College
Warner Robins, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
238Science Technologies/Technicians, Other47%
3Augusta Technical College
Augusta, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
174Science Technologies/Technicians, Other31%
4Athens Technical College
Athens, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
160Science Technologies/Technicians, Other51%
5Wiregrass Georgia Technical College
Valdosta, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
97Science Technologies/Technicians, Other50%
6Savannah Technical College
Savannah, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
44Science Technologies/Technicians, Other42%
7Georgia Piedmont Technical College
Clarkston, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
42Science Technologies/Technicians, Other44%
8Southern Crescent Technical College
Griffin, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
38Science Technologies/Technicians, Other58%
9Lanier Technical College
Gainesville, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
37Science Technologies/Technicians, Other34%
10Ogeechee Technical College
Statesboro, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
35Science Technologies/Technicians, Other43%
11Georgia State University
Atlanta, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
33Geology/Earth Science, General$39,37553%55%
12Gwinnett Technical College
Lawrenceville, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
33Science Technologies/Technicians, Other32%
13Atlanta Technical College
Atlanta, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
32Science Technologies/Technicians, Other49%
14Southern Regional Technical College
Thomasville, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
29Science Technologies/Technicians, Other31%
15University of Georgia
Athens, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
23Geology/Earth Science, General90%38%
16University of West Georgia
Carrollton, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
13Geology/Earth Science, General$33,34443%52%
17Georgia Southern University
Statesboro, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
10Geology/Earth Science, General55%88%
18Valdosta State University
Valdosta, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
6Geology/Earth Science, General42%72%
19Oconee Fall Line Technical College
Sandersville, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
4Science Technologies/Technicians, Other65%
20Coastal Pines Technical College
Waycross, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
2Science Technologies/Technicians, Other48%
21Savannah State University
Savannah, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
2Geology/Earth Science, General28%
22Albany Technical College
Albany, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
1Science Technologies/Technicians, Other42%

All 22 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 CollegeMariettaPublic2901
Central Georgia Technical CollegeWarner RobinsPublic2381
Augusta Technical CollegeAugustaPublic1741
Athens Technical CollegeAthensPublic1601
Wiregrass Georgia Technical CollegeValdostaPublic971
Savannah Technical CollegeSavannahPublic441
Georgia Piedmont Technical CollegeClarkstonPublic421
Southern Crescent Technical CollegeGriffinPublic381
Lanier Technical CollegeGainesvillePublic371
Ogeechee Technical CollegeStatesboroPublic351
Georgia State UniversityAtlantaPublic332
Gwinnett Technical CollegeLawrencevillePublic331
Atlanta Technical CollegeAtlantaPublic321
Southern Regional Technical CollegeThomasvillePublic291
University of GeorgiaAthensPublic231

What geological technicians earn in Georgia

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

Median annual in Georgia
$34,710
Mean annual
$56,340
Jobs in state
30
What the range looks like
10th pct$34,710Median$34,71090th pct$104,150
Versus the national median
-34.9%

U.S. median $53,350. Georgia pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
0.14×

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
+1.5%
Little or no change
Openings per year
1,300
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
100
9,800 → 10,000
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 Geological Technicians page.

How to become a Geological Technician

Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0
Typical entry education
Associate's degree
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Top skills

Reading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingWritingMonitoringActive ListeningSpeaking

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 8 majors mapped to Geological Technicians7 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 15.0901Mining Technology/Technician
  • 15.0903Petroleum Technology/Technician
  • 15.0999Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians, Other(no graduates reported)
  • 40.0601Geology/Earth Science, General
  • 41.0000Science Technologies/Technicians, General
  • 41.0303Chemical Process Technology
  • 41.0399Physical Science Technologies/Technicians, Other
  • 41.9999Science Technologies/Technicians, Other

Common questions

Answers for people weighing geological technicians programs in Georgia.

What degree do you need to become a Geological 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 1,256 degrees in Georgia in 2024-25, 93.5% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Geological 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 1,343 people a year in Georgia.

How much do geological technicians earn in Georgia?+

The median is $34,710 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 34.9% below the U.S. median of $53,350. 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 geological technicians growing?+

BLS projects a +1.5% 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 Georgia?+

22 institutions in Georgia 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.

What other job titles do geological technicians work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Geotechnician, Materials Technician, Geological Technician, Physical Science Technician among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-4043.

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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