North Carolina·Architecture and Engineering Occupations·SOC 17-3024

Best Electro-Mechanical programs in North Carolina, ranked by enrollment

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

52 schools in North Carolina run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,664 people a year. The job pays a median of $63,330 in North Carolina across about 800 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
1,664
in North Carolina
Median pay · North Carolina
$63,330
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
800
people employed
Schools
52
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
43%
across those schools
Median net price
$37,072
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in North Carolina that lead to this job

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

8 programs in North Carolina that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in North Carolina (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 North Carolina page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1418
25.1%
27$60,286$15,383
2392
23.6%
22$61,021$24,436
3308
18.5%
26$59,859$15,372
4211
12.7%
20$60,286$15,383
5110
6.6%
2$60,286$15,383
6100
6.0%
6$59,718$25,375
776
4.6%
6$60,286$15,383
849
2.9%
1$59,718$25,375

Top 25 schools in North Carolina

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 3 of the 52 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Wayne Community College
Goldsboro, NC Public · 3 feeder programs
137Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians, Other49%
2Pitt Community College
Winterville, NC Public · 3 feeder programs
102Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians, Other35%
3Wake Technical Community College
Raleigh, NC Public · 2 feeder programs
100Mechanical/Mechanical Engineering Technology/Technician33%
4Cleveland Community College
Shelby, NC Public · 2 feeder programs
96Automation Engineer Technology/Technician32%
5University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Charlotte, NC Public · 2 feeder programs
82Mechanical/Mechanical Engineering Technology/Technician$60,04869%80%
6Davidson - Davie Community College
Thomasville, NC Public · 2 feeder programs
69Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians, Other46%
7Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, NC Public · 2 feeder programs
63Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General$59,81360%82%
8Central Piedmont Community College
Charlotte, NC Public · 4 feeder programs
57Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician31%
9Asheville - Buncombe Technical Community College
Asheville, NC Public · 3 feeder programs
47Mechanical/Mechanical Engineering Technology/Technician40%
10Central Carolina Community College
Sanford, NC Public · 4 feeder programs
47Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians, Other43%
11Cape Fear Community College
Wilmington, NC Public · 2 feeder programs
46Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering Technology/Technician34%
12Mitchell Community College
Statesville, NC Public · 3 feeder programs
45Mechanical/Mechanical Engineering Technology/Technician28%
13Wilkes Community College
Wilkesboro, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
45Applied Engineering Technologies/Technicians55%
14Guilford Technical Community College
Jamestown, NC Public · 2 feeder programs
43Electromechanical/Electromechanical Engineering Technology/Technician31%
15Johnston Community College
Smithfield, NC Public · 2 feeder programs
43Applied Engineering Technologies/Technicians37%
16Forsyth Technical Community College
Winston-Salem, NC Public · 3 feeder programs
38Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician34%
17Western Piedmont Community College
Morganton, NC Public · 4 feeder programs
38Electromechanical/Electromechanical Engineering Technology/Technician49%
18Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute
Hudson, NC Public · 3 feeder programs
37Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians, Other45%
19Catawba Valley Community College
Hickory, NC Public · 4 feeder programs
37Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering Technology/Technician35%
20Randolph Community College
Asheboro, NC Public · 2 feeder programs
37Automation Engineer Technology/Technician58%
21Alamance Community College
Graham, NC Public · 3 feeder programs
36Mechanical/Mechanical Engineering Technology/Technician39%
22Craven Community College
New Bern, NC Public · 3 feeder programs
30Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians, Other48%
23Rowan - Cabarrus Community College
Salisbury, NC Public · 3 feeder programs
30Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering Technology/Technician35%
24Surry Community College
Dobson, NC Public · 2 feeder programs
29Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering Technology/Technician6%
25Vance - Granville Community College
Henderson, NC Public · 2 feeder programs
23Electromechanical/Electromechanical Engineering Technology/Technician53%

All 52 schools in North Carolina

Every school in North Carolina 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 North Carolina that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Wayne Community CollegeGoldsboroPublic1373
Pitt Community CollegeWintervillePublic1023
Wake Technical Community CollegeRaleighPublic1002
Cleveland Community CollegeShelbyPublic962
University of North Carolina at CharlotteCharlottePublic822
Davidson - Davie Community CollegeThomasvillePublic692
Western Carolina UniversityCullowheePublic632
Central Piedmont Community CollegeCharlottePublic574
Asheville - Buncombe Technical Community CollegeAshevillePublic473
Central Carolina Community CollegeSanfordPublic474
Cape Fear Community CollegeWilmingtonPublic462
Mitchell Community CollegeStatesvillePublic453
Wilkes Community CollegeWilkesboroPublic451
Guilford Technical Community CollegeJamestownPublic432
Johnston Community CollegeSmithfieldPublic432

What electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians earn in North Carolina

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

Median annual in North Carolina
$63,330
Mean annual
$66,920
Jobs in state
800
What the range looks like
10th pct$50,100Median$63,33090th pct$85,420
Versus the national median
-14.3%

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

Job concentration
1.62×

Concentrated here: North Carolina employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.

Metro areas in North Carolina

Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
$81,190median
60 jobs
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
$63,330median
200 jobs
Winston-Salem, NC
$67,240median
40 jobs
Greensboro-High Point, NC
$67,940median
120 jobs
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC
$57,810median
60 jobs
Burlington, NC
$58,310median
40 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 North Carolina

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 North Carolina.

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 Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians, Other, which awarded 418 degrees in North Carolina in 2024-25, 25.1% 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 Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians, Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians, Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Engineering Technologies/Technicians. Together they graduate about 1,664 people a year in North Carolina.

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

The median is $63,330 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 14.3% 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 North Carolina?+

52 institutions in North Carolina 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 statesTexasIllinoisVirginiaOhioLouisianaFloridaNew 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

All Clema data sources and release dates →

Explore every U.S. college in one conversation

Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.

Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card