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Technology Education

A program that prepares individuals to teach technology education/industrial arts programs at various educational levels.

Types of Degrees Technology Education Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Technology Education may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	39
Bachelor’s Degree	168
Master’s Degree	199

What Technology Education Majors Need to Know

Programs in Technology Education emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Technology Education graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Technology Education emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Technology Education program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Technology Education careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Technology Education graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.7 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.4 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Developing Objectives and Strategies	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Technology Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Padlet	Computer based training software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	✓
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Technology Education graduates include:

• Educator
• Teacher
• Instructor
• Computer Teacher
• Vocational Trainer
• Industrial Arts Teacher
• Business Education Teacher
• Computer Science Teacher
• Career Education Teacher
• Technical Education Teacher
• Industrial Technology Teacher
• Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher (FACS Teacher)
• Carpentry Teacher
• Business Teacher
• Vocational Teacher

What Can You Do With a Technology Education Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Technology Education commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Education Teachers, Postsecondary	2.4%	$98,329	$80,157–$116,500
Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary	0.6%	$86,398	$72,979–$99,816

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Technology Education graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	38.3%
Doctoral degree	27.6%
Master’s degree	12.1%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	7.0%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	5.9%
Postsecondary certificate	3.0%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.1%
Less than a high school diploma	1.5%
Some college courses	1.4%
Post-master’s certificate	1.0%
First professional degree	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Technology Education?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 60.6% of Technology Education degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	160	39.4%
Men	246	60.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Technology Education graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	311	76.6%
Asian	7	1.7%
Hispanic or Latino	42	10.3%
Black or African American	30	7.4%
Two or More Races	6	1.5%
Race Unknown	7	1.7%
International Students	3	0.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Technology Education Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Technology Education graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$49,919
4 years	$50,204
5 years	$56,331

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $56,331 — roughly 13% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Technology Education Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Technology Education. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Bachelor’s	6	1
Master’s	4	4

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Technology Education Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Technology Education graduates earn a median of $50,204 four years after completion — roughly 32% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas	39,881
Secondary Education and Teaching	10,594
Teacher Education, Multiple Levels	8,732
Physical Education Teaching and Coaching	6,964
Reading Teacher Education	5,986
Music Teacher Education	4,544
English/Language Arts Teacher Education	3,018
Mathematics Teacher Education	2,993
Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching	2,976
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas, Other	2,352
Social Studies Teacher Education	1,963
Art Teacher Education	1,860

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.