Best degree programs for Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, ranked by enrollment
1 college programs and 14 schools train Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $63,890 median wage, 140,920 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
1 college programs at 14 schools train telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, graduating 319 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Communications Systems Installation and Repair Technology/Technician. The job pays a median of $63,890 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About telecommunications equipment installers and repairers
Install, set up, rearrange, or remove switching, distribution, routing, and dialing equipment used in central offices or headends. Service or repair telephone, cable television, Internet, and other communications equipment on customers' property. May install communications equipment or communications wiring in buildings.
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 47.0103 | 319 | 100.0% | 14 | $37,415 | $9,500 |
Top 14 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What telecommunications equipment installers and repairers 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missourilimited | $57,610 | 2,260 | 0.85× | 1 | 151 |
| New Jerseylimited | $78,000 | 2,690 | 0.69× | 2 | 61 |
| Washingtonlimited | $77,610 | 3,210 | 1.00× | 1 | 47 |
| Iowalimited | $65,710 | 1,780 | 1.26× | 1 | 13 |
| Utahlimited | $65,650 | 2,160 | 1.37× | 1 | 13 |
| Illinoislimited | $64,630 | 5,760 | 1.04× | 1 | 8 |
| Coloradolimited | $76,410 | 3,180 | 1.22× | 1 | 6 |
| Kentuckylimited | $59,700 | 2,210 | 1.22× | 1 | 6 |
| Floridalimited | $61,030 | 11,820 | 1.31× | 1 | 5 |
| Massachusettslimited | $76,500 | 2,890 | 0.88× | 1 | 3 |
| Nebraskalimited | $60,520 | 1,430 | 1.55× | 1 | 3 |
| Pennsylvanialimited | $64,960 | 5,220 | 0.95× | 1 | 2 |
| Georgialimited | $64,900 | 6,640 | 1.50× | 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
- Demonstrate equipment to customers and explain its use, responding to any inquiries or complaints.
- Test circuits and components of malfunctioning telecommunications equipment to isolate sources of malfunctions, using test meters, circuit diagrams, polarity probes, and other hand tools.
- Test repaired, newly installed, or updated equipment to ensure that it functions properly and conforms to specifications, using test equipment and observation.
- Climb poles and ladders, use truck-mounted booms, and enter areas such as manholes and cable vaults to install, maintain, or inspect equipment.
- Assemble and install communication equipment such as data and telephone communication lines, wiring, switching equipment, wiring frames, power apparatus, computer systems, and networks.
- Run wires between components and to outside cable systems, connecting them to wires from telephone poles or underground cable accesses.
- Test connections to ensure that power supplies are adequate and that communications links function.
- Note differences in wire and cable colors so that work can be performed correctly.
Skills
- Critical Thinking3.6
- Active Listening3.5
- Monitoring3.4
- Reading Comprehension3.4
- Speaking3.3
- Active Learning3.1
- Writing3.0
- Learning Strategies2.9
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service4.4
- Telecommunications4.4
- Computers and Electronics4.2
- English Language4.0
- Mathematics3.5
- Public Safety and Security3.3
Abilities
- Oral Comprehension3.9
- Visual Color Discrimination3.9
- Problem Sensitivity3.9
- Near Vision3.9
- Arm-Hand Steadiness3.8
- Finger Dexterity3.6
Core activities
- Working with Computers4.4
- Getting Information4.4
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.4
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment4.1
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.1
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge4.0
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Telecommunications Equipment Installer
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- 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 Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers1 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 47.0103Communications Systems 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 Telecommunications Equipment Installer?+
Postsecondary nondegree award is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Communications Systems Installation and Repair Technology/Technician, which awarded 319 degrees in 2024-25, 100.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Telecommunications Equipment Installer?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 1 programs to this occupation. The largest are Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians. Together they graduate about 319 people a year.
How much do telecommunications equipment installers and repairers earn?+
The median is $63,890 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $44,240 at the 10th percentile to $96,730 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 telecommunications equipment installers and repairers growing?+
BLS projects a -4.2% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 13,200 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
14 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 telecommunications equipment installers and repairers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Service Technician, Central Office Technician, Install and Repair Technician, Telecommunications Technician among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 49-2022.
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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