Illinois·Architecture and Engineering Occupations·SOC 17-3024

Best Electro-Mechanical programs in Illinois, ranked by enrollment

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

33 schools in Illinois run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,744 people a year. The job pays a median of $79,400 in Illinois across about 250 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
1,744
in Illinois
Median pay · Illinois
$79,400
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
250
people employed
Schools
33
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
46%
across those schools
Median net price
$24,900
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Illinois that lead to this job

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

8 programs in Illinois that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Illinois (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 Illinois page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 15.0303In Illinois
1,273
73.0%
17$59,859$15,372
2
CIP 15.0000In Illinois
146
8.4%
6$59,718$25,375
3
CIP 15.0805In Illinois
84
4.8%
8$61,021$24,436
4
CIP 15.0405In Illinois
81
4.6%
7$60,286$15,383
5
CIP 15.0404In Illinois
77
4.4%
7$60,286$15,383
6
CIP 15.0406In Illinois
31
1.8%
4$60,286$15,383
7
CIP 15.0499In Illinois
30
1.7%
1$60,286$15,383
8
CIP 15.0403In Illinois
22
1.3%
3$60,286$15,383

Top 25 schools in Illinois

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 6 of the 33 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1DeVry University - Illinois
Lisle, IL Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
1,144Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician$67,39537%$32,38198%
2Triton College
River Grove, IL Public · 3 feeder programs
51Mechanical/Mechanical Engineering Technology/Technician29%
3College of DuPage
Glen Ellyn, IL Public · 4 feeder programs
49Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician25%
4Northern Illinois University
Dekalb, IL Public · 1 feeder programs
45Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General$62,11749%70%
5College of Lake County
Grayslake, IL Public · 4 feeder programs
44Robotics Technology/Technician37%
6Northwestern University
Evanston, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
44Robotics Technology/Technician95%$14,7998%
7Lewis and Clark Community College
Godfrey, IL Public · 1 feeder programs
43Instrumentation Technology/Technician44%
8Western Illinois University
Macomb, IL Public · 1 feeder programs
36Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General$64,76245%71%
9Heartland Community College
Normal, IL Public · 2 feeder programs
30Robotics Technology/Technician54%
10Universal Technical Institute of Illinois Inc
Lisle, IL Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
30Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians, Other63%$25,788
11Joliet Junior College
Joliet, IL Public · 2 feeder programs
29Instrumentation Technology/Technician21%
12Illinois State University
Normal, IL Public · 1 feeder programs
28Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General$55,53265%88%
13McHenry County College
Crystal Lake, IL Public · 2 feeder programs
23Mechanical/Mechanical Engineering Technology/Technician37%
14Moraine Valley Community College
Palos Hills, IL Public · 4 feeder programs
22Automation Engineer Technology/Technician40%
15Morrison Institute of Technology
Morrison, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
17Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General$39,33290%$24,249
16Illinois Central College
East Peoria, IL Public · 2 feeder programs
16Robotics Technology/Technician49%
17Oakton College
Des Plaines, IL Public · 3 feeder programs
15Mechanical/Mechanical Engineering Technology/Technician37%
18Lake Land College
Mattoon, IL Public · 3 feeder programs
13Electromechanical/Electromechanical Engineering Technology/Technician58%
19Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, IL Public · 1 feeder programs
10Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General47%65%
20John A Logan College
Carterville, IL Public · 1 feeder programs
10Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician46%
21Illinois Valley Community College
Oglesby, IL Public · 1 feeder programs
9Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician42%
22Southern Illinois University - Carbondale
Carbondale, IL Public · 1 feeder programs
9Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician$72,49562%87%
23East - West University
Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
6Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician16%$24,900
24Waubonsee Community College
Sugar Grove, IL Public · 1 feeder programs
5Automation Engineer Technology/Technician39%
25William Rainey Harper College
Palatine, IL Public · 1 feeder programs
4Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician48%

All 33 schools in Illinois

Every school in Illinois 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 Illinois that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
DeVry University - IllinoisLislePrivate for-profit1,1441
Triton CollegeRiver GrovePublic513
College of DuPageGlen EllynPublic494
Northern Illinois UniversityDekalbPublic451
College of Lake CountyGrayslakePublic444
Northwestern UniversityEvanstonPrivate not-for-profit442
Lewis and Clark Community CollegeGodfreyPublic431
Western Illinois UniversityMacombPublic361
Heartland Community CollegeNormalPublic302
Universal Technical Institute of Illinois IncLislePrivate for-profit301
Joliet Junior CollegeJolietPublic292
Illinois State UniversityNormalPublic281
McHenry County CollegeCrystal LakePublic232
Moraine Valley Community CollegePalos HillsPublic224
Morrison Institute of TechnologyMorrisonPrivate not-for-profit171

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

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

Median annual in Illinois
$79,400
Mean annual
$82,920
Jobs in state
250
What the range looks like
10th pct$63,780Median$79,40090th pct$98,160
Versus the national median
+7.4%

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

Job concentration
0.42×

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

Metro areas in Illinois

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$79,400median
190 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 Illinois

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 Illinois.

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 Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician, which awarded 1,273 degrees in Illinois in 2024-25, 73.0% 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 8 programs to this occupation. The largest are Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians, Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians. Together they graduate about 1,744 people a year in Illinois.

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

The median is $79,400 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 7.4% 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 Illinois?+

33 institutions in Illinois reported graduates from at least one of the 8 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 statesTexasNorth CarolinaVirginiaOhioLouisianaFloridaNew YorkArizona

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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