Best Mechanical Engineering Technologist programs in Illinois, ranked by enrollment
Apply theory and principles of mechanical engineering to modify, develop, test, or adjust machinery and equipment under direction of engineering staff or physical.
9 schools in Illinois run programs that feed this job, graduating 163 people a year. The job pays a median of $77,020 in Illinois across about 1,170 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
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.
2 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.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 15.0805In Illinois → | 84 | 51.5% | 8 | $61,021 | $24,436 |
| 2 | Automotive Engineering Technology/Technicianmain feeder CIP 15.0803In Illinois → | 79 | 48.5% | 1 | $61,021 | $24,436 |
Top 9 schools in Illinois
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 1 of the 9 schools in this state.
All 9 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.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Illinois University - Carbondale | Carbondale | Public | 79 | 1 |
| Triton College | River Grove | Public | 31 | 1 |
| Northwestern University | Evanston | Private not-for-profit | 22 | 1 |
| McHenry County College | Crystal Lake | Public | 13 | 1 |
| Moraine Valley Community College | Palos Hills | Public | 7 | 1 |
| Oakton College | Des Plaines | Public | 7 | 1 |
| College of Lake County | Grayslake | Public | 2 | 1 |
| Illinois Central College | East Peoria | Public | 1 | 1 |
| Prairie State College | Chicago Heights | Public | 1 | 1 |
What mechanical engineering technologists and technicians earn in Illinois
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $74,510. Illinois pays above the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Illinois
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
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 Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians page.
How to become a Mechanical Engineering Technologist
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
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 4 majors mapped to Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians4 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 15.0803Automotive Engineering Technology/Technician
- 15.0805Mechanical/Mechanical Engineering Technology/Technician
- 15.0899Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians, Other
- 15.1103Hydraulics and Fluid Power Technology/Technician
Common questions
Answers for people weighing mechanical engineering technologists and technicians programs in Illinois.
What degree do you need to become a Mechanical Engineering Technologist?+
Associate's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Mechanical/Mechanical Engineering Technology/Technician, which awarded 84 degrees in Illinois in 2024-25, 51.5% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Mechanical Engineering Technologist?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 2 programs to this occupation. The largest are Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians. Together they graduate about 163 people a year in Illinois.
How much do mechanical engineering technologists and technicians earn in Illinois?+
The median is $77,020 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 3.4% above the U.S. median of $74,510. 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 mechanical engineering technologists and technicians growing?+
BLS projects a +0.0% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 3,200 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Illinois?+
9 institutions in Illinois 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 mechanical engineering technologists and technicians work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Mechanical Designer, Research Technician, Laboratory Technician (Lab Technician), Mechanical Technician (Mechanical Tech), Engineering Technician (Engineering Tech), Research and Development Technician (R and D Tech) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 17-3027.
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 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected 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 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, 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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