Michigan·Architecture and Engineering Occupations·SOC 17-3021

Best Aerospace Engineering programs in Michigan, ranked by enrollment

Operate, install, adjust, and maintain integrated computer/communications systems, consoles, simulators, and other data acquisition, test, and measurement instruments and equipment, which are used to launch, track, position, and evaluate.

25 schools in Michigan run programs that feed this job, graduating 367 people a year. The job pays a median of $69,840 in Michigan across about 70 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledTest TechnicianEngineering TechnicianSystems Test TechnicianInstrumentation TechnicianAerographerTest SpecialistFlight TechnicianResearch Mechanic
Graduates / yr
367
in Michigan
Median pay · Michigan
$69,840
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
70
people employed
Schools
25
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
36%
across those schools
Median net price
$32,679
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Michigan that lead to this job

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

4 programs in Michigan that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Michigan (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 Michigan 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 Michigan
207
56.4%
17$59,859$15,372
2
CIP 15.0000In Michigan
107
29.2%
14$59,718$25,375
3
CIP 47.0609In Michigan
51
13.9%
1$37,089$11,790
4
CIP 29.0401In Michigan
2
0.5%
1$52,897$19,407

Top 25 schools in Michigan

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 4 of the 25 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Kalamazoo Valley Community College
Kalamazoo, MI Public · 2 feeder programs
73Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General$46,49328%
2Lansing Community College
Lansing, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
51Avionics Maintenance Technology/Technician25%
3Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, MI Public · 2 feeder programs
37Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician46%80%
4Henry Ford College
Dearborn, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
33Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician17%
5St Clair County Community College
Port Huron, MI Public · 2 feeder programs
25Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General34%
6Muskegon Community College
Muskegon, MI Public · 2 feeder programs
17Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician28%
7Kirtland Community College
Grayling, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
14Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician34%
8Grand Rapids Community College
Grand Rapids, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
12Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician21%
9Northwestern Michigan College
Traverse City, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
11Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General$50,14825%
10Schoolcraft Community College District
Livonia, MI Public · 2 feeder programs
11Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician18%
11Wayne County Community College District
Detroit, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
10Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician22%
12Wayne State University
Detroit, MI Public · 2 feeder programs
10Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician$82,52458%81%
13Lawrence Technological University
Southfield, MI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
9Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General61%$32,67956%
14Michigan Technological University
Houghton, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
9Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician68%92%
15Mott Community College
Flint, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
9Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician32%
16Macomb Community College
Warren, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
7Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician18%
17Northern Michigan University
Marquette, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
7Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician52%84%
18Ferris State University
Big Rapids, MI Public · 2 feeder programs
5Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician$68,33447%91%
19Oakland Community College
Auburn Hills, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
4Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General21%
20Glen Oaks Community College
Centreville, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
3Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician43%
21Lake Superior State University
Sault Ste Marie, MI Public · 2 feeder programs
3Aerospace Ground Equipment Technology51%
22Grand Valley State University
Allendale, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
2Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician67%83%
23Lake Michigan College
Benton Harbor, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
2Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General22%
24Mid Michigan College
Harrison, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
2Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General28%
25Southwestern Michigan College
Dowagiac, MI Public · 1 feeder programs
1Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General38%

All 25 schools in Michigan

Every school in Michigan 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 Michigan that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Kalamazoo Valley Community CollegeKalamazooPublic732
Lansing Community CollegeLansingPublic511
Eastern Michigan UniversityYpsilantiPublic372
Henry Ford CollegeDearbornPublic331
St Clair County Community CollegePort HuronPublic252
Muskegon Community CollegeMuskegonPublic172
Kirtland Community CollegeGraylingPublic141
Grand Rapids Community CollegeGrand RapidsPublic121
Northwestern Michigan CollegeTraverse CityPublic111
Schoolcraft Community College DistrictLivoniaPublic112
Wayne County Community College DistrictDetroitPublic101
Wayne State UniversityDetroitPublic102
Lawrence Technological UniversitySouthfieldPrivate not-for-profit91
Michigan Technological UniversityHoughtonPublic91
Mott Community CollegeFlintPublic91

What aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians earn in Michigan

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

Median annual in Michigan
$69,840
Mean annual
$69,220
Jobs in state
70
What the range looks like
10th pct$42,700Median$69,84090th pct$98,610
Versus the national median
-15.7%

U.S. median $82,890. Michigan pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
0.21×

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
+8.1%
Much faster than average
Openings per year
900
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
800
9,300 → 10,100
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 Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians page.

How to become a Aerospace Engineering

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 ComprehensionActive ListeningSpeakingWritingMonitoring

The same job in other states

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

Related careers in Michigan

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 7 majors mapped to Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians7 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 14.0202Astronautical Engineering
  • 15.0000Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General
  • 15.0303Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician
  • 15.0801Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering Technology/Technician
  • 29.0401Aerospace Ground Equipment Technology
  • 29.0402Air and Space Operations Technology
  • 47.0609Avionics Maintenance Technology/Technician

Common questions

Answers for people weighing aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians programs in Michigan.

What degree do you need to become an Aerospace Engineering?+

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 207 degrees in Michigan in 2024-25, 56.4% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming an Aerospace Engineering?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 4 programs to this occupation. The largest are Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians, Military Systems and Maintenance Technology. Together they graduate about 367 people a year in Michigan.

How much do aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians earn in Michigan?+

The median is $69,840 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 15.7% below the U.S. median of $82,890. 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 aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians growing?+

BLS projects a +8.1% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 900 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

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

25 institutions in Michigan reported graduates from at least one of the 4 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 aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Test Technician, Engineering Technician, Systems Test Technician, Instrumentation Technician among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 17-3021.

Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians in other statesVirginiaTexasFloridaOhioCaliforniaGeorgiaIndianaNew 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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