Best degree programs for Solar Photovoltaic Installers, ranked by enrollment
3 college programs and 41 schools train Solar Photovoltaic Installers. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $53,140 median wage, 31,350 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
3 college programs at 41 schools train solar photovoltaic installers, graduating 395 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Solar Energy Technology/Technician. The job pays a median of $53,140 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About solar photovoltaic installers
Assemble, install, or maintain solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on roofs or other structures in compliance with site assessment and schematics. May include measuring, cutting, assembling, and bolting structural framing and solar modules. May perform minor electrical work such as current checks.
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.
3 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 15.1703 | 312 | 79.0% | 33 | $63,554 | $17,750 |
| 2 | CIP 46.0410 | 42 | 10.6% | 3 | $31,641 | $9,500 |
| 3 | CIP 47.0703 | 41 | 10.4% | 5 | — | — |
Top 41 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What solar photovoltaic installers 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | $47,790 | — | — | 8 | 107 |
| Texaslimited | $48,240 | 5,270 | 1.86× | 2 | 44 |
| Washingtonlimited | $61,630 | — | — | 2 | 38 |
| Virginialimited | $49,190 | — | — | 2 | 32 |
| New Mexicolimited | $48,490 | 340 | 1.93× | 1 | 20 |
| Floridamoderate | $50,550 | 2,980 | 1.49× | 4 | 18 |
| Illinoismoderate | $59,630 | — | — | 3 | 12 |
| Kansaslimited | $49,990 | — | — | 1 | 12 |
| Pennsylvanialimited | $47,760 | 1,210 | 0.99× | 2 | 7 |
| North Carolinalimited | $43,860 | 710 | 0.71× | 1 | 5 |
| New Yorklimited | $56,160 | 1,230 | 0.63× | 2 | 5 |
| Ohiolimited | $62,400 | 70 | 0.06× | 1 | 3 |
| South Carolinalimited | $50,490 | — | — | 1 | 3 |
| Wisconsinlimited | $49,770 | 90 | 0.15× | 2 | 2 |
| Californialimited | $60,600 | 6,830 | 1.86× | 1 | 1 |
| Coloradolimited | $49,730 | 620 | 1.07× | 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
- Install photovoltaic (PV) systems in accordance with codes and standards, using drawings, schematics, and instructions.
- Check electrical installation for proper wiring, polarity, grounding, or integrity of terminations.
- Identify electrical, environmental, and safety hazards associated with photovoltaic (PV) installations.
- Identify installation locations with proper orientation, area, solar access, or structural integrity for photovoltaic (PV) arrays.
- Assemble solar modules, panels, or support structures, as specified.
- Apply weather sealing to array, building, or support mechanisms.
- Install module array interconnect wiring, implementing measures to disable arrays during installation.
- Install required labels on solar system components and hardware.
Skills
- Critical Thinking3.3
- Monitoring3.1
- Active Listening3.1
- Active Learning3.0
- Reading Comprehension3.0
- Speaking2.9
- Learning Strategies2.6
- Mathematics2.6
Knowledge areas
- Building and Construction4.8
- Engineering and Technology4.4
- Mechanical4.3
- Design4.1
- Administration and Management4.1
- Customer and Personal Service4.0
Abilities
- Near Vision3.8
- Problem Sensitivity3.8
- Visualization3.6
- Information Ordering3.4
- Manual Dexterity3.3
- Deductive Reasoning3.3
Core activities
- Performing General Physical Activities4.5
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials4.3
- Handling and Moving Objects4.3
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment4.1
- Getting Information4.1
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings4.0
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Solar Photovoltaic Installer
Job zone 2 of 5 · SVP Below 6.0- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 3 majors mapped to Solar Photovoltaic Installers3 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 15.1703Solar Energy Technology/Technician
- 46.0410Roofer
- 47.0703Solar Energy System Installation and Repair 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 a Solar Photovoltaic Installer?+
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 Solar Energy Technology/Technician, which awarded 312 degrees in 2024-25, 79.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Solar Photovoltaic Installer?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 3 programs to this occupation. The largest are Energy Systems Technologies/Technicians, Building/Construction Finishing, Energy Systems Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians. Together they graduate about 395 people a year.
How much do solar photovoltaic installers earn?+
The median is $53,140 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $41,600 at the 10th percentile to $79,970 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 solar photovoltaic installers growing?+
BLS projects a +42.1% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 4,100 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
41 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 3 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 solar photovoltaic installers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Solar Installer, PV Installer (Photovoltaic Installer), Solar PV Installer (Solar Photovoltaic Installer), Solar PV Integrator (Solar Photovoltaic Integrator) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 47-2231.
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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