Iowa·Architecture and Engineering Occupations·SOC 17-3028

Best Calibration Technologist programs in Iowa, ranked by enrollment

Execute or adapt procedures and techniques for calibrating measurement devices, by applying knowledge of measurement science, mathematics, physics, chemistry, and electronics, sometimes under the direction of engineering staff.

8 schools in Iowa run programs that feed this job, graduating 131 people a year. The job pays a median of $61,490 in Iowa across about 110 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledTest TechnicianCalibration EngineerEquipment TechnicianHydrometer CalibratorInstrument TechnicianCalibration SpecialistCalibration TechnicianElectronics Technician
Graduates / yr
131
in Iowa
Median pay · Iowa
$61,490
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
110
people employed
Schools
8
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
48%
across those schools
Median net price
$22,677
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Iowa that lead to this job

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

2 programs in Iowa that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Iowa (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 Iowa 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 Iowa
125
95.4%
7$59,859$15,372
2
CIP 15.0401In Iowa
6
4.6%
1$60,286$15,383

Top 8 schools in Iowa

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 3 of the 8 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Kirkwood Community College
Cedar Rapids, IA Public · 1 feeder programs
30Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician$60,21043%
2Hawkeye Community College
Waterloo, IA Public · 1 feeder programs
22Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician43%
3Orion Technical College
Davenport, IA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
22Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician$51,64181%$22,677
4Iowa Western Community College
Council Bluffs, IA Public · 1 feeder programs
19Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician40%
5Des Moines Area Community College
Ankeny, IA Public · 1 feeder programs
16Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician39%
6Indian Hills Community College
Ottumwa, IA Public · 1 feeder programs
12Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician$68,59040%
7Southeastern Community College
West Burlington, IA Public · 1 feeder programs
6Biomedical Technology/Technician43%
8Northwest Iowa Community College
Sheldon, IA Public · 1 feeder programs
4Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician58%

All 8 schools in Iowa

Every school in Iowa 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 Iowa that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Kirkwood Community CollegeCedar RapidsPublic301
Hawkeye Community CollegeWaterlooPublic221
Orion Technical CollegeDavenportPrivate for-profit221
Iowa Western Community CollegeCouncil BluffsPublic191
Des Moines Area Community CollegeAnkenyPublic161
Indian Hills Community CollegeOttumwaPublic121
Southeastern Community CollegeWest BurlingtonPublic61
Northwest Iowa Community CollegeSheldonPublic41

What calibration technologists and technicians earn in Iowa

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

Median annual in Iowa
$61,490
Mean annual
$72,330
Jobs in state
110
What the range looks like
10th pct$58,230Median$61,49090th pct$99,320
Versus the national median
-9.3%

U.S. median $67,820. Iowa pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
0.64×

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
+4.7%
About as fast as average
Openings per year
1,400
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
700
15,800 → 16,500
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 Calibration Technologists and Technicians page.

How to become a Calibration 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.

The same job in other states

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

Related careers in Iowa

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 3 majors mapped to Calibration Technologists and Technicians3 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 15.0303Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician
  • 15.0401Biomedical Technology/Technician
  • 15.0404Instrumentation Technology/Technician

Common questions

Answers for people weighing calibration technologists and technicians programs in Iowa.

What degree do you need to become a Calibration Technologist?+

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 125 degrees in Iowa in 2024-25, 95.4% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Calibration Technologist?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 2 programs to this occupation. The largest are Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians. Together they graduate about 131 people a year in Iowa.

How much do calibration technologists and technicians earn in Iowa?+

The median is $61,490 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 9.3% below the U.S. median of $67,820. 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 calibration technologists and technicians growing?+

BLS projects a +4.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 1,400 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

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

8 institutions in Iowa 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.

Do you need training or experience beyond a degree?+

BLS lists 'None' for related work experience and 'None' for on-the-job training typically needed to reach competency.

Calibration Technologists and Technicians in other statesTexasIllinoisVirginiaLouisianaCaliforniaFloridaOhioNew York

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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