ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a associate's degree in Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 42 college programs with reportable data.

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

+$177,334 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
+158%Estimated return after 10 years
$73,951Observed earnings · year 4
$99,755Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0

The price benchmark is $88,667 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$73,951 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

$73,951Typical earnings four years after completion
$77,218Average earnings five years after completion
$13,500Typical federal student debt
90thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
Not availableDegrees awarded in 2024–25
41College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 3 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians

How much do Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians associate's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $73,951 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 $13,500. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $66,818 to $86,031 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 5 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
$56,635
Federal debt
$10,244
Programs in the comparison
27
26 report earnings →
CURRENT VIEW

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$73,951
Federal debt
$13,500
Programs in the comparison
42
41 report earnings →
OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$81,404
Federal debt
$24,250
Programs in the comparison
55
52 report earnings →
OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$86,133
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
4
4 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$66,818National median$73,95175th percentile$86,031
41 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$86,03175th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$13,500Median 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

Baton Rouge Community College

$142,004 four years after completionBaton Rouge, LA · inspect the full program →
Lowest reported federal debt

Olympic College

$6,875 among completer borrowersBremerton, WA · inspect the full program →
Largest recent graduating class

Ivy Tech Community College

238 reported awards in 2024–25Indianapolis, IN · 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.

$127,701Observed year-4 earnings$67,702
$4,966Annual college-wide average net price$20,850
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.

1Baton Rouge Community College$142,0042Community College of Beaver County$136,8453SOWELA Technical Community College$127,7014University of Alaska Anchorage$125,4835Bismarck State College$121,0396River Parishes Community College$103,1797Weber State University$91,6908Great Basin College$90,3799Olympic College$90,00310Nashville State Community College$87,630

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.

Engineering Technologists and Technicians, Except Drafters, All Other$78,350 median wage59,930 jobs nationwide+2.8% projected growth through 2035 · 5,400 openings a yearTypical entry education: Associate's degree$47,030–$118,330 typical wage rangeIndustrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians$66,120 median wage75,570 jobs nationwide+3.1% projected growth through 2035 · 6,600 openings a yearTypical entry education: Associate's degree$47,300–$99,150 typical wage rangeElectrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians$78,190 median wage95,130 jobs nationwide+2.4% projected growth through 2035 · 8,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Associate's degree$49,510–$115,700 typical wage rangeWelders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$53,750 median wage416,210 jobs nationwide+2.4% projected growth through 2035 · 40,300 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$39,240–$77,530 typical wage rangeSemiconductor Processing Technicians$51,430 median wage31,460 jobs nationwide+8.2% projected growth through 2035 · 3,400 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$37,690–$82,540 typical wage range

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

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.