Best degree programs for Patternmakers, Wood, ranked by enrollment
1 college programs and 37 schools train Patternmakers, Wood. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $49,630 median wage, 220 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
1 college programs at 37 schools train patternmakers, wood, graduating 483 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Cabinetmaking and Millwork. The job pays a median of $49,630 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About patternmakers, wood
Plan, lay out, and construct wooden unit or sectional patterns used in forming sand molds for castings.
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.
1 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 48.0703 | 483 | 100.0% | 37 | $26,594 | $18,142 |
Top 37 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What patternmakers, wood earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvaniamoderate | $55,020 | — | — | 3 | 17 |
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
- Read blueprints, drawings, or written specifications to determine sizes and shapes of patterns and required machine setups.
- Fit, fasten, and assemble wood parts together to form patterns, models, or sections, using glue, nails, dowels, bolts, and screws.
- Lay out patterns on wood stock and draw outlines of units, sectional patterns, or full-scale mock-ups of products, based on blueprint specifications and sketches, and using marking and measuring devices.
- Trim, smooth, and shape surfaces, and plane, shave, file, scrape, and sand models to attain specified shapes, using hand tools.
- Divide patterns into sections according to shapes of castings to facilitate removal of patterns from molds.
- Verify dimensions of completed patterns, using templates, straightedges, calipers, or protractors.
- Correct patterns to compensate for defects in castings.
- Set up, operate, and adjust a variety of woodworking machines such as bandsaws and lathes to cut and shape sections, parts, and patterns, according to specifications.
Skills
- Reading Comprehension3.1
- Monitoring3.1
- Active Listening3.0
- Critical Thinking3.0
- Mathematics3.0
- Speaking2.9
- Active Learning2.8
- Writing2.6
Knowledge areas
- Mathematics4.0
- Design3.6
- Engineering and Technology3.6
- Mechanical3.6
- Building and Construction3.3
- Administration and Management3.3
Abilities
- Manual Dexterity4.0
- Arm-Hand Steadiness3.9
- Control Precision3.9
- Near Vision3.8
- Reaction Time3.5
- Finger Dexterity3.4
Core activities
- Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment4.5
- Thinking Creatively4.3
- Controlling Machines and Processes4.2
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.2
- Getting Information4.1
- Performing General Physical Activities4.0
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Patternmaker, Wood
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 1 majors mapped to Patternmakers, Wood1 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 48.0703Cabinetmaking and Millwork
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 Patternmaker, Wood?+
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 Cabinetmaking and Millwork, which awarded 483 degrees in 2024-25, 100.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Patternmaker, Wood?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 1 programs to this occupation. The largest are Woodworking. Together they graduate about 483 people a year.
How much do patternmakers, wood earn?+
The median is $49,630 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $37,600 at the 10th percentile to $83,780 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 patternmakers, wood growing?+
BLS projects a -5.0% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 0 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
37 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 1 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 patternmakers, wood work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Mold Maker, Patternmaker, Pattern Maker, Wood Pattern Maker among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 51-7032.
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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