Best degree programs for Medical Appliance Technicians, ranked by enrollment
2 college programs and 24 schools train Medical Appliance Technicians. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $48,030 median wage, 11,280 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
2 college programs at 24 schools train medical appliance technicians, graduating 354 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Orthotist/Prosthetist. The job pays a median of $48,030 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About medical appliance technicians
Construct, maintain, or repair medical supportive devices such as braces, orthotics and prosthetic devices, joints, arch supports, and other surgical and medical appliances.
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.
2 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 51.2307 | 302 | 85.3% | 17 | $35,966 | $26,323 |
| 2 | CIP 51.2312 | 52 | 14.7% | 8 | $35,966 | $26,323 |
Top 24 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What medical appliance 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinoislimited | $46,370 | 790 | 1.80× | 2 | 77 |
| Minnesotalimited | $53,750 | — | — | 2 | 52 |
| Texaslimited | $46,430 | 310 | 0.30× | 2 | 39 |
| Californialimited | $51,530 | 1,300 | 0.99× | 2 | 27 |
| Ohiolimited | $45,710 | 420 | 1.04× | 1 | 27 |
| Georgialimited | $37,440 | 50 | 0.15× | 1 | 23 |
| Michiganmoderate | $49,140 | 480 | 1.51× | 3 | 23 |
| Connecticutlimited | $54,430 | 130 | 1.05× | 2 | 22 |
| Washingtonlimited | $48,030 | 310 | 1.20× | 2 | 18 |
| Pennsylvanialimited | $60,920 | 200 | 0.46× | 1 | 17 |
| New Hampshirelimited | $54,980 | 40 | 0.76× | 1 | 11 |
| Marylandlimited | $46,940 | 160 | 0.79× | 2 | 8 |
| Kansaslimited | $37,090 | — | — | 1 | 1 |
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
- Drill and tap holes for rivets, and glue, weld, bolt, or rivet parts together to form prosthetic or orthotic devices.
- Read prescriptions or specifications to determine the type of product or device to be fabricated and the materials and tools required.
- Make orthotic or prosthetic devices, using materials such as thermoplastic and thermosetting materials, metal alloys and leather, and hand or power tools.
- Bend, form, and shape fabric or material to conform to prescribed contours of structural components.
- Construct or receive casts or impressions of patients' torsos or limbs for use as cutting and fabrication patterns.
- Repair, modify, or maintain medical supportive devices, such as artificial limbs, braces, or surgical supports, according to specifications.
- Cover or pad metal or plastic structures or devices, using coverings such as rubber, leather, felt, plastic, or fiberglass.
- Test medical supportive devices for proper alignment, movement, or biomechanical stability, using meters and alignment fixtures.
Skills
- Active Listening3.9
- Critical Thinking3.8
- Speaking3.6
- Reading Comprehension3.6
- Monitoring3.3
- Writing3.0
- Active Learning3.0
- Learning Strategies2.9
Knowledge areas
- Production and Processing3.9
- Customer and Personal Service3.7
- English Language3.5
- Mechanical3.4
- Design3.3
- Education and Training3.1
Abilities
- Near Vision3.9
- Problem Sensitivity3.9
- Oral Comprehension3.9
- Oral Expression3.8
- Deductive Reasoning3.8
- Arm-Hand Steadiness3.8
Core activities
- Getting Information4.0
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials3.9
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems3.9
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates3.7
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work3.7
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events3.6
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Medical Appliance Technician
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
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 2 majors mapped to Medical Appliance Technicians2 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 51.2307Orthotist/Prosthetist
- 51.2312Assistive/Augmentative Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering
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 a Medical Appliance Technician?+
High school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Orthotist/Prosthetist, which awarded 302 degrees in 2024-25, 85.3% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Medical Appliance Technician?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 2 programs to this occupation. The largest are Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions. Together they graduate about 354 people a year.
How much do medical appliance technicians earn?+
The median is $48,030 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $36,510 at the 10th percentile to $75,740 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 medical appliance technicians growing?+
BLS projects a +3.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 1,500 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
24 institutions 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.
What other job titles do medical appliance technicians work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Lab Technician, Orthotic Technician, Prosthetics Technician, Orthotic and Prosthetic Technician (O and P Technician) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 51-9082.
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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