Texas·Architecture and Engineering Occupations·SOC 17-3027

Best Mechanical Engineering Technologist programs in Texas, ranked by enrollment

Apply theory and principles of mechanical engineering to modify, develop, test, or adjust machinery and equipment under direction of engineering staff or physical.

7 schools in Texas run programs that feed this job, graduating 160 people a year. The job pays a median of $76,610 in Texas across about 2,140 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledMechanical DesignerResearch TechnicianLaboratory Technician (Lab Technician)Mechanical Technician (Mechanical Tech)Engineering Technician (Engineering Tech)Research and Development Technician (R and D Tech)Motor TesterTool Analyst
Graduates / yr
160
in Texas
Median pay · Texas
$76,610
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
2,140
people employed
Schools
7
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
55%
across those schools
Median net price
$24,186
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Texas that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

2 programs in Texas that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Texas (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Texas page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 15.0805In Texas
159
99.4%
7$61,021$24,436
2
CIP 15.0899In Texas
1
0.6%
1$61,021$24,436

Top 7 schools in Texas

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 5 of the 7 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1University of Houston
Houston, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
66Mechanical/Mechanical Engineering Technology/Technician$61,16365%74%
2University of North Texas
Denton, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
31Mechanical/Mechanical Engineering Technology/Technician$59,94161%72%
3Sam Houston State University
Huntsville, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
28Mechanical/Mechanical Engineering Technology/Technician55%90%
4Tarleton State University
Stephenville, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
20Mechanical/Mechanical Engineering Technology/Technician$51,91748%90%
5LeTourneau University
Longview, TX Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
6Mechanical/Mechanical Engineering Technology/Technician$52,62559%$24,18638%
6Texas A & M University - Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
5Mechanical/Mechanical Engineering Technology/Technician$41,31740%89%
7Texas A&M University - Central Texas
Killeen, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
4Mechanical/Mechanical Engineering Technology/Technician100%

All 7 schools in Texas

Every school in Texas with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Texas that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
University of HoustonHoustonPublic661
University of North TexasDentonPublic311
Sam Houston State UniversityHuntsvillePublic281
Tarleton State UniversityStephenvillePublic201
LeTourneau UniversityLongviewPrivate not-for-profit62
Texas A & M University - Corpus ChristiCorpus ChristiPublic51
Texas A&M University - Central TexasKilleenPublic41

What mechanical engineering technologists and technicians earn in Texas

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Texas
$76,610
Mean annual
$81,660
Jobs in state
2,140
What the range looks like
10th pct$48,530Median$76,61090th pct$123,620
Versus the national median
+2.8%

U.S. median $74,510. Texas pays above the national figure.

Job concentration
0.65×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Texas

Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX
$97,300median
60 jobs
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$91,450median
1,030 jobs
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
$68,540median
70 jobs
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$71,910median
350 jobs
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
$64,600median
170 jobs
Midland, TX
$63,950median
40 jobs
El Paso, TX
$65,980median
70 jobs
Tyler, TX
avg
30 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
0.0%
Little or no change
Openings per year
3,200
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
0
38,300 → 38,300
Typical entry education
Associate's degree

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians page.

How to become a Mechanical Engineering Technologist

Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0
Typical entry education
Associate's degree

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.

Top skills

Reading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingSpeakingActive ListeningWritingMathematics

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Texas

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 4 majors mapped to Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians4 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 15.0803Automotive Engineering Technology/Technician
  • 15.0805Mechanical/Mechanical Engineering Technology/Technician
  • 15.0899Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians, Other
  • 15.1103Hydraulics and Fluid Power Technology/Technician

Common questions

Answers for people weighing mechanical engineering technologists and technicians programs in Texas.

What degree do you need to become a Mechanical Engineering Technologist?+

Associate's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Mechanical/Mechanical Engineering Technology/Technician, which awarded 159 degrees in Texas in 2024-25, 99.4% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Mechanical Engineering Technologist?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 2 programs to this occupation. The largest are Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians. Together they graduate about 160 people a year in Texas.

How much do mechanical engineering technologists and technicians earn in Texas?+

The median is $76,610 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 2.8% above the U.S. median of $74,510. 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 mechanical engineering technologists and technicians growing?+

BLS projects a +0.0% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 3,200 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Texas?+

7 institutions in Texas 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 mechanical engineering technologists and technicians work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Mechanical Designer, Research Technician, Laboratory Technician (Lab Technician), Mechanical Technician (Mechanical Tech), Engineering Technician (Engineering Tech), Research and Development Technician (R and D Tech) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 17-3027.

Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians in other statesOhioVirginiaNew YorkNorth CarolinaIndianaMichiganFloridaNew Jersey

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 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected 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 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, 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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