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ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a associate's degree in Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 34 college programs with reportable data.

Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Strong payoff

+$179,732 over 10 years

National scenario across reporting associate's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 2-year duration.

3.9 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
+154%Estimated return after 10 years
$74,666Observed earnings · year 4
$103,330Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0

The price benchmark is $89,866 per year below this threshold.

Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

PRICE SENSITIVITY

The price can change the verdict.

Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.

What stays fixed$74,666 observed annual earnings · 2 years of study · $45,000 alternative annual earnings · ten-year horizonThe marked price is the average college-wide net-price context across reporting institutions. This is a sensitivity test, not a tuition quote or earnings forecast.
WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$74,666Typical earnings four years after completion
$66,541Average earnings five years after completion
$12,000Typical federal student debt
91thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
137Degrees awarded in 2024–25
31College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 5 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians

How much do Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians associate's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $74,666 four years after completion across reportable associate's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

The median reported federal debt is $12,000. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $65,015 to $77,631 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 10 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$65,611
Federal debt
$9,500
Programs in the comparison
61
56 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$74,666
Federal debt
$12,000
Programs in the comparison
34
31 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$83,528
Federal debt
$23,250
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median
25th percentile$65,015National median$74,66675th percentile$77,631
31 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$77,63175th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$12,000Median federal debt across programs that report it
4Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

Dakota County Technical College

$89,205 four years after completionRosemount, MN · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debt

Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College

$8,581 among completer borrowersBowling Green, KY · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

Nashville Auto-Diesel College

102 reported awards in 2024–25Nashville, TN · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

$85,274Observed year-4 earnings$54,921
$3,337Annual college-wide average net price$27,854
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Dakota County Technical College$89,2052Bluegrass Community and Technical College$88,9963Owensboro Community and Technical College$85,2744South Georgia Technical College$81,9625State Technical College of Missouri$81,0006Georgia Northwestern Technical College$79,9737Itawamba Community College$78,1398Pennsylvania College of Technology$77,9559Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College$77,63110Elizabethtown Community and Technical College$75,769

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Pay and projected demand

Related careers do not share one outlook

Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door$74,340 median wage48,240 jobs nationwide+4.3% projected growth through 2035 · 3,600 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$45,910–$112,500 typical wage rangeElevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers$109,910 median wage23,790 jobs nationwide+5.7% projected growth through 2035 · 1,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$59,270–$158,890 typical wage rangeRail Car Repairers$67,530 median wage21,350 jobs nationwide+2.6% projected growth through 2035 · 1,600 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$46,800–$95,100 typical wage rangeMillwrights$65,700 median wage40,330 jobs nationwide+0.9% projected growth through 2035 · 3,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$46,290–$93,600 typical wage rangeMobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines$65,510 median wage176,600 jobs nationwide+6.7% projected growth through 2035 · 15,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$46,820–$94,460 typical wage rangeIndustrial Machinery Mechanics$64,520 median wage439,640 jobs nationwide+17.8% projected growth through 2035 · 44,400 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$46,120–$95,170 typical wage rangeWind Turbine Service Technicians$64,120 median wage9,980 jobs nationwide+29.5% projected growth through 2035 · 1,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Postsecondary nondegree award$49,230–$92,460 typical wage rangeRefractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons$61,290 median wage1,080 jobs nationwide-13.7% projected growth through 2035 · 100 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$40,590–$86,510 typical wage rangeMaintenance Workers, Machinery$60,850 median wage60,020 jobs nationwide-1.9% projected growth through 2035 · 4,400 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$42,000–$88,550 typical wage rangeNO MATCHUnreported jobs nationwide

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

COMPARE NEARBY FIELDS

Similar degrees in the same subject family

These alternatives share the same broad federal CIP family and credential level. Earnings and debt use the same definitions as this page.

Associate's Degree

Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians

Year-4 earnings
$59,977
Federal debt
$12,000
180 reporting programs →Associate's Degree

Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR)

Year-4 earnings
$58,608
Federal debt
$17,366
42 reporting programs →Associate's Degree

Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians

Year-4 earnings
$59,987
Federal debt
$15,755
28 reporting programs →Associate's Degree

Mechanic and Repair Technologies/Technicians, Other

Year-4 earnings
$64,609
Federal debt
$12,385
6 reporting programs →
EXPLORE BY STATE

Where this degree has enough data to compare

State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.

CA5 programs$69,919 average earnings

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.