Iowa·Architecture and Engineering Occupations·SOC 17-3024

Best Electro-Mechanical programs in Iowa, ranked by enrollment

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

15 schools in Iowa run programs that feed this job, graduating 302 people a year. The job pays a median of $73,010 in Iowa across about 180 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
302
in Iowa
Median pay · Iowa
$73,010
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
180
people employed
Schools
15
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
51%
across those schools
Median net price
$24,569
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.

6 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
41.4%
7$59,859$15,372
2
CIP 15.0403In Iowa
100
33.1%
6$60,286$15,383
3
CIP 15.0406In Iowa
44
14.6%
6$60,286$15,383
4
CIP 15.0000In Iowa
13
4.3%
2$59,718$25,375
5
CIP 15.0805In Iowa
11
3.6%
2$61,021$24,436
6
CIP 15.0405In Iowa
9
3.0%
2$60,286$15,383

Top 15 schools in Iowa

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 4 of the 15 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Des Moines Area Community College
Ankeny, IA Public · 3 feeder programs
51Electromechanical/Electromechanical Engineering Technology/Technician39%
2Hawkeye Community College
Waterloo, IA Public · 2 feeder programs
49Automation Engineer Technology/Technician43%
3Eastern Iowa Community College District
Davenport, IA Public · 1 feeder programs
36Electromechanical/Electromechanical Engineering Technology/Technician45%
4Western Iowa Tech Community College
Sioux City, IA Public · 3 feeder programs
36Electromechanical/Electromechanical Engineering Technology/Technician50%
5Kirkwood Community College
Cedar Rapids, IA Public · 2 feeder programs
33Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician$60,21043%
6Orion Technical College
Davenport, IA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
22Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician$51,64181%$22,677
7Iowa Western Community College
Council Bluffs, IA Public · 2 feeder programs
20Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician40%
8Indian Hills Community College
Ottumwa, IA Public · 2 feeder programs
15Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician$68,59040%
9Iowa Central Community College
Fort Dodge, IA Public · 2 feeder programs
14Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General42%
10University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, IA Public · 2 feeder programs
10Electromechanical/Electromechanical Engineering Technology/Technician$75,66768%93%
11Dordt University
Sioux Center, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
5Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General70%$24,56968%
12Northwest Iowa Community College
Sheldon, IA Public · 1 feeder programs
4Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician58%
13Iowa Lakes Community College
Estherville, IA Public · 1 feeder programs
3Electromechanical/Electromechanical Engineering Technology/Technician50%
14Northeast Iowa Community College
Calmar, IA Public · 1 feeder programs
3Mechanical/Mechanical Engineering Technology/Technician51%
15Southeastern Community College
West Burlington, IA Public · 1 feeder programs
1Automation Engineer Technology/Technician43%

All 15 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
Des Moines Area Community CollegeAnkenyPublic513
Hawkeye Community CollegeWaterlooPublic492
Eastern Iowa Community College DistrictDavenportPublic361
Western Iowa Tech Community CollegeSioux CityPublic363
Kirkwood Community CollegeCedar RapidsPublic332
Orion Technical CollegeDavenportPrivate for-profit221
Iowa Western Community CollegeCouncil BluffsPublic202
Indian Hills Community CollegeOttumwaPublic152
Iowa Central Community CollegeFort DodgePublic142
University of Northern IowaCedar FallsPublic102
Dordt UniversitySioux CenterPrivate not-for-profit51
Northwest Iowa Community CollegeSheldonPublic41
Iowa Lakes Community CollegeEsthervillePublic31
Northeast Iowa Community CollegeCalmarPublic31
Southeastern Community CollegeWest BurlingtonPublic11

What electro-mechanical and mechatronics 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
$73,010
Mean annual
$71,120
Jobs in state
180
What the range looks like
10th pct$42,640Median$73,01090th pct$94,470
Versus the national median
-1.2%

U.S. median $73,900. Iowa pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
1.19×

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

Metro areas in Iowa

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
$78,150median
60 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 Iowa

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 Iowa.

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 125 degrees in Iowa in 2024-25, 41.4% 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 6 programs to this occupation. The largest are Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians, Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians. Together they graduate about 302 people a year in Iowa.

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

The median is $73,010 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 1.2% below 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 Iowa?+

15 institutions in Iowa reported graduates from at least one of the 6 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 statesTexasIllinoisNorth CarolinaVirginiaOhioLouisianaFloridaNew 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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