Best degree programs for Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians, ranked by enrollment
7 college programs and 530 schools train Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $82,890 median wage, 11,280 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
7 college programs at 530 schools train aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians, graduating 12,808 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician. The job pays a median of $82,890 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians
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 air and space vehicles. May record and interpret test data.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
7 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 15.0303 | 7,489 | 58.5% | 358 | $59,859 | $15,372 |
| 2 | CIP 15.0000 | 3,595 | 28.1% | 197 | $59,718 | $25,375 |
| 3 | CIP 15.0801 | 810 | 6.3% | 29 | $61,021 | $24,436 |
| 4 | CIP 47.0609 | 710 | 5.5% | 35 | $37,089 | $11,790 |
| 5 | Air and Space Operations Technologymain feeder CIP 29.0402 | 116 | 0.9% | 4 | $52,897 | $19,407 |
| 6 | Aerospace Ground Equipment Technologymain feeder CIP 29.0401 | 80 | 0.6% | 2 | $52,897 | $19,407 |
| 7 | CIP 14.0202 | 8 | 0.1% | 1 | $72,210 | $25,000 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | $81,040 | 270 | 0.91× | 25 | 1,361 |
| Texas | $78,350 | 950 | 0.93× | 27 | 1,011 |
| Florida | $78,560 | 770 | 1.06× | 36 | 871 |
| Ohio | $79,310 | 900 | 2.24× | 31 | 620 |
| California | $99,000 | 1,560 | 1.18× | 23 | 594 |
| Georgia | — | 400 | 1.13× | 21 | 458 |
| Indiana | $62,520 | 480 | 2.06× | 7 | 414 |
| New York | $64,480 | 330 | 0.47× | 26 | 410 |
| North Carolina | — | 190 | 0.53× | 26 | 402 |
| Alabama | $62,130 | 140 | 0.93× | 10 | 378 |
| Michigan | $69,840 | 70 | 0.21× | 25 | 367 |
| Washington | $125,160 | 1,590 | 6.18× | 14 | 218 |
| Kansas | $78,350 | 580 | 5.59× | 9 | 206 |
| Colorado | $98,990 | 660 | 3.17× | 6 | 191 |
| Pennsylvania | $60,770 | 80 | 0.18× | 17 | 186 |
| Arizona | $75,230 | 380 | 1.60× | 7 | 179 |
| Minnesota | $71,240 | — | — | 7 | 120 |
| South Carolina | — | 120 | 0.70× | 12 | 115 |
| Oklahoma | $45,590 | 30 | 0.26× | 8 | 104 |
| Nevadamoderate | $102,980 | 50 | 0.46× | 3 | 78 |
| Oregon | $81,100 | 120 | 0.81× | 8 | 64 |
| New Mexico | $66,460 | — | — | 6 | 62 |
| Utah | $76,680 | 400 | 3.18× | 5 | 51 |
| Massachusetts | $79,420 | 30 | 0.13× | 6 | 50 |
| Connecticutmoderate | $79,410 | 70 | 0.53× | 3 | 39 |
| Marylandmoderate | $91,820 | 200 | 1.00× | 4 | 24 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Test aircraft systems under simulated operational conditions, performing systems readiness tests and pre- and post-operational checkouts, to establish design or fabrication parameters.
- Identify required data, data acquisition plans, and test parameters, setting up equipment to conform to these specifications.
- Inspect, diagnose, maintain, and operate test setups and equipment to detect malfunctions.
- Confer with engineering personnel regarding details and implications of test procedures and results.
- Operate and calibrate computer systems and devices to comply with test requirements and to perform data acquisition and analysis.
- Record and interpret test data on parts, assemblies, and mechanisms.
- Adjust, repair, or replace faulty components of test setups and equipment.
- Fabricate and install parts and systems to be tested in test equipment, using hand tools, power tools, and test instruments.
Skills
- Critical Thinking3.9
- Reading Comprehension3.8
- Active Listening3.6
- Speaking3.6
- Writing3.1
- Monitoring3.1
- Science3.1
- Active Learning3.0
Knowledge areas
- Mechanical4.5
- Engineering and Technology4.3
- Mathematics3.9
- Production and Processing3.8
- Customer and Personal Service3.7
- English Language3.4
Abilities
- Written Comprehension4.0
- Oral Expression4.0
- Oral Comprehension4.0
- Near Vision3.9
- Inductive Reasoning3.9
- Deductive Reasoning3.9
Core activities
- Getting Information4.6
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings4.5
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events4.5
- Working with Computers4.4
- Documenting/Recording Information4.4
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.3
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
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.
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
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
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 7,489 degrees in 2024-25, 58.5% 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 7 programs to this occupation. The largest are Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians, Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians, plus 2 more. Together they graduate about 12,808 people a year.
How much do aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians earn?+
The median is $82,890 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $59,050 at the 10th percentile to $125,160 at the 90th. 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?+
530 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 7 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.
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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