Best programs to become a wind turbine service technician
You do not need a college degree to become a wind turbine service technician. BLS lists a postsecondary nondegree award (a certificate) as the typical entry-level education. The fields of study that lead most directly to this job are Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician; Energy Systems Installation and Repair Technology/Technician; and Wind Energy System Installation and Repair Technology/Technician (IPEDS completions).
4 college programs at 278 schools train wind turbine service technicians, graduating 9,326 people a year (IPEDS completions). The job pays a median of $64,120 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About wind turbine service technicians
Inspect, diagnose, adjust, or repair wind turbines. Perform maintenance on wind turbine equipment including resolving electrical, mechanical, and hydraulic malfunctions.
Best programs to study to become a wind turbine service technician
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 47.0303 | 9,155 | 98.2% | 268 | $51,920 | $9,786 |
| 2 | CIP 47.0701 | 63 | 0.7% | 8 | — | — |
| 3 | CIP 47.0704 | 61 | 0.7% | 3 | — | — |
| 4 | Wind Energy Technology/Technicianmain feeder CIP 15.1704 | 47 | 0.5% | 7 | $63,554 | $17,750 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
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.
What wind turbine service 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $77,910 | 400 | 0.34× | 22 | 671 |
| Iowa | $74,880 | 900 | 8.97× | 10 | 419 |
| Texas | $61,950 | 3,890 | 4.30× | 8 | 239 |
| Michigan | $62,800 | 70 | 0.24× | 9 | 236 |
| Indianalimited | $76,680 | 140 | 0.66× | 1 | 234 |
| Pennsylvania | $60,830 | 50 | 0.13× | 10 | 186 |
| Kansas | $78,240 | 330 | 3.63× | 7 | 146 |
| Ohio | $73,880 | 120 | 0.35× | 12 | 126 |
| Oregon | $61,820 | 150 | 1.20× | 6 | 96 |
| Mississippi | $50,040 | 30 | 0.46× | 6 | 80 |
| New Mexicomoderate | $57,230 | 330 | 5.94× | 3 | 61 |
| Wyominglimited | $62,830 | 90 | 4.98× | 2 | 59 |
| Minnesotamoderate | $65,000 | 450 | 2.37× | 4 | 58 |
| Washington | $75,880 | 210 | 0.90× | 8 | 56 |
| Missouri | $65,230 | 80 | 0.41× | 6 | 50 |
| Oklahomalimited | $59,290 | 340 | 3.10× | 2 | 43 |
| Arizonamoderate | $66,330 | 80 | 0.40× | 3 | 28 |
| Idahomoderate | $60,810 | 40 | 0.69× | 3 | 13 |
| North Dakotalimited | $66,700 | 310 | 11.28× | 1 | 10 |
| Coloradomoderate | $74,740 | 410 | 2.24× | 3 | 5 |
| Mainelimited | $59,220 | 50 | 1.27× | 1 | 5 |
| South Dakotalimited | $73,820 | 180 | 6.18× | 1 | 1 |
Skills and knowledge
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
- Troubleshoot or repair mechanical, hydraulic, or electrical malfunctions related to variable pitch systems, variable speed control systems, converter systems, or related components.
- Perform routine maintenance on wind turbine equipment, underground transmission systems, wind fields substations, or fiber optic sensing and control systems.
- Diagnose problems involving wind turbine generators or control systems.
- Test electrical components of wind systems with devices, such as voltage testers, multimeters, oscilloscopes, infrared testers, or fiber optic equipment.
- Start or restart wind turbine generator systems to ensure proper operations.
- Climb wind turbine towers to inspect, maintain, or repair equipment.
- Maintain tool and spare parts inventories required for repair, installation, or replacement services.
- Test structures, controls, or mechanical, hydraulic, or electrical systems, according to test plans or in coordination with engineers.
Skills
- Critical Thinking3.5
- Reading Comprehension3.3
- Monitoring3.3
- Active Learning3.1
- Active Listening3.1
- Speaking3.1
- Learning Strategies3.0
- Writing2.9
Knowledge areas
- Mechanical4.5
- Computers and Electronics4.2
- English Language4.0
- Public Safety and Security3.7
- Engineering and Technology3.7
- Education and Training3.3
Abilities
- Problem Sensitivity4.0
- Near Vision3.8
- Oral Comprehension3.8
- Finger Dexterity3.8
- Deductive Reasoning3.6
- Arm-Hand Steadiness3.6
Core activities
- Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment4.9
- Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment4.8
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials4.7
- Controlling Machines and Processes4.6
- Handling and Moving Objects4.5
- Performing General Physical Activities4.5
How to get in
How to become a wind turbine service technician
- Typical entry education
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- On-the-job training
- Long-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 4 majors mapped to Wind Turbine Service Technicians4 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 15.1704Wind Energy Technology/Technician
- 47.0303Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician
- 47.0701Energy Systems Installation and Repair Technology/Technician
- 47.0704Wind 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 wind turbine service technician?+
You do not need a college degree to become a wind turbine service technician. BLS lists a postsecondary nondegree award (a certificate) as the typical entry-level education. The fields of study that lead most directly to this job are Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician; Energy Systems Installation and Repair Technology/Technician; and Wind Energy System Installation and Repair Technology/Technician (IPEDS completions).
Which college majors lead to becoming a wind turbine service technician?+
The fields of study that lead most directly to this job are Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician; Energy Systems Installation and Repair Technology/Technician; and Wind Energy System Installation and Repair Technology/Technician (IPEDS completions). In all, the NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 4 programs to this job, which together graduate about 9,326 people a year.
How much do wind turbine service technicians earn?+
The median is $64,120 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $49,230 at the 10th percentile to $92,460 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 wind turbine service technicians growing?+
BLS projects a +49.9% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 2,300 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
278 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 4 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 wind turbine service technicians work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Wind Technician, Wind Turbine Technician, Field Service Technician, Wind Farm Support Specialist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 49-9081.
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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