Virginia·Architecture and Engineering Occupations·SOC 17-3028

Best Calibration Technologist programs in Virginia, ranked by enrollment

Execute or adapt procedures and techniques for calibrating measurement devices, by applying knowledge of measurement science, mathematics, physics, chemistry, and electronics, sometimes under the direction of engineering staff.

24 schools in Virginia run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,176 people a year. The job pays a median of $72,730 in Virginia across about 330 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledTest TechnicianCalibration EngineerEquipment TechnicianHydrometer CalibratorInstrument TechnicianCalibration SpecialistCalibration TechnicianElectronics Technician
Graduates / yr
1,176
in Virginia
Median pay · Virginia
$72,730
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
330
people employed
Schools
24
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
42%
across those schools
Median net price
$19,848
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Virginia that lead to this job

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

1 programs in Virginia that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Virginia (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 Virginia page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 15.0303In Virginia
1,176
100.0%
24$59,859$15,372

Top 24 schools in Virginia

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 5 of the 24 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Northern Virginia Community College
Annandale, VA Public · 1 feeder programs
248Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician33%
2Brightpoint Community College
Chester, VA Public · 1 feeder programs
140Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician$39,20438%
3New River Community College
Dublin, VA Public · 1 feeder programs
107Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician$60,18350%
4Blue Ridge Community College
Weyers Cave, VA Public · 1 feeder programs
62Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician40%
5Virginia Western Community College
Roanoke, VA Public · 1 feeder programs
60Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician$40,10440%
6Laurel Ridge Community College
Middletown, VA Public · 1 feeder programs
55Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician45%
7Virginia Peninsula Community College
Hampton, VA Public · 1 feeder programs
51Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician34%
8Danville Community College
Danville, VA Public · 1 feeder programs
50Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician$57,53339%
9Tidewater Community College
Norfolk, VA Public · 1 feeder programs
44Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician$56,97132%
10Southwest Virginia Community College
Cedar Bluff, VA Public · 1 feeder programs
43Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician46%
11Mountain Empire Community College
Big Stone Gap, VA Public · 1 feeder programs
40Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician48%
12Central Virginia Community College
Lynchburg, VA Public · 1 feeder programs
39Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician45%
13J Sargeant Reynolds Community College
Richmond, VA Public · 1 feeder programs
36Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician32%
14Advanced Technology Institute
Virginia Beach, VA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
34Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician79%$19,84854%
15Patrick & Henry Community College
Martinsville, VA Public · 1 feeder programs
25Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician42%
16Germanna Community College
Locust Grove, VA Public · 1 feeder programs
24Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician46%
17Rappahannock Community College
Glenns, VA Public · 1 feeder programs
24Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician45%
18Mountain Gateway Community College
Clifton Forge, VA Public · 1 feeder programs
23Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician38%
19Eastern Shore Community College
Melfa, VA Public · 1 feeder programs
20Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician41%
20Southside Virginia Community College
Alberta, VA Public · 1 feeder programs
17Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician42%
21Wytheville Community College
Wytheville, VA Public · 1 feeder programs
12Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician47%
22Virginia Highlands Community College
Abingdon, VA Public · 1 feeder programs
10Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician40%
23Piedmont Virginia Community College
Charlottesville, VA Public · 1 feeder programs
8Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician39%
24Paul D Camp Community College
Franklin, VA Public · 1 feeder programs
4Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician36%

All 24 schools in Virginia

Every school in Virginia 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 Virginia that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Northern Virginia Community CollegeAnnandalePublic2481
Brightpoint Community CollegeChesterPublic1401
New River Community CollegeDublinPublic1071
Blue Ridge Community CollegeWeyers CavePublic621
Virginia Western Community CollegeRoanokePublic601
Laurel Ridge Community CollegeMiddletownPublic551
Virginia Peninsula Community CollegeHamptonPublic511
Danville Community CollegeDanvillePublic501
Tidewater Community CollegeNorfolkPublic441
Southwest Virginia Community CollegeCedar BluffPublic431
Mountain Empire Community CollegeBig Stone GapPublic401
Central Virginia Community CollegeLynchburgPublic391
J Sargeant Reynolds Community CollegeRichmondPublic361
Advanced Technology InstituteVirginia BeachPrivate for-profit341
Patrick & Henry Community CollegeMartinsvillePublic251

What calibration technologists and technicians earn in Virginia

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

Median annual in Virginia
$72,730
Mean annual
$77,340
Jobs in state
330
What the range looks like
10th pct$50,110Median$72,73090th pct$110,620
Versus the national median
+7.2%

U.S. median $67,820. Virginia pays above the national figure.

Job concentration
0.75×

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

Metro areas in Virginia

Richmond, VA
$79,040median
40 jobs
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC
$65,130median
120 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+4.7%
About as fast as average
Openings per year
1,400
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
700
15,800 → 16,500
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 Calibration Technologists and Technicians page.

How to become a Calibration 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.

The same job in other states

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

Related careers in Virginia

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 3 majors mapped to Calibration Technologists and Technicians3 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 15.0303Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician
  • 15.0401Biomedical Technology/Technician
  • 15.0404Instrumentation Technology/Technician

Common questions

Answers for people weighing calibration technologists and technicians programs in Virginia.

What degree do you need to become a Calibration Technologist?+

Associate's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician, which awarded 1,176 degrees in Virginia in 2024-25, 100.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Calibration Technologist?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 1 programs to this occupation. The largest are Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians. Together they graduate about 1,176 people a year in Virginia.

How much do calibration technologists and technicians earn in Virginia?+

The median is $72,730 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 7.2% above the U.S. median of $67,820. 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 calibration technologists and technicians growing?+

BLS projects a +4.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 1,400 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

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

24 institutions in Virginia 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.

Do you need training or experience beyond a degree?+

BLS lists 'None' for related work experience and 'None' for on-the-job training typically needed to reach competency.

Calibration Technologists and Technicians in other statesTexasIllinoisLouisianaCaliforniaFloridaOhioNew YorkNorth Carolina

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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