Machine Shop Technology/Assistant Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Machine Shop Technology/Assistant maps to BLS occupations averaging about $54,263, with roughly 485,200 workers nationwide in those roles. Median in-state published tuition is about $4,267; common paths include Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic and Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders.
Key Statistics
Machine Shop Technology/Assistant: what the data shows
Common questions about machine shop technology/assistant degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a machine shop technology/assistant degree?
A Machine Shop Technology/Assistant program is classified under NCES CIP 48.0503 in the Precision Metal Working field family (48.05).
A program that prepares individuals to apply technical knowledge and skills to fabricate and modify metal parts in support of other manufacturing, repair or design activities, or as an independent business
Types of machine shop technology/assistant degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 48.05 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) Machinist Technology/CNC Machinist (CIP 48.0510)
- Ironworking/Ironworker (CIP 48.0509)
- Machine Tool Technology/Machinist (CIP 48.0501)
- Metal Fabricator (CIP 48.0511)
- Sheet Metal Technology/Sheetworking (CIP 48.0506)
- Tool and Die Technology/Technician (CIP 48.0507)
- Welding (CIP 48.0508)
How long does it take to get a machine shop technology/assistant degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 48.0503 in our file:
- 126 Associate (100.0% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What degree do you need?
For Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a machine shop technology/assistant degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Machine Shop Technology/Assistant to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 31,510 | $41,600 |
| Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 159,500 | $47,590 |
| Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining | 6,130 | $68,860 |
| Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 36,290 | $47,060 |
| Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 96,950 | $49,390 |
| Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 154,820 | $41,230 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a machine shop technology/assistant degree worth it?
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $4,267 and median net price is $8,384.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Machine Shop Technology/Assistant and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$4,267 Median In-State Public
$16,657 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Machine Shop Technology/Assistant majors are, on average, $4,267 for in-state public colleges, and $16,657 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Machine Shop Technology/Assistant programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
100,000 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Machine Shop Technology/Assistant from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Machine Shop Technology/Assistant.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ivy Tech Community College | IN | 58,267 |
| 2 | Ivy Tech Community College | IN | 58,267 |
| 3 | Lone Star College System | TX | 45,188 |
| 4 | Lone Star College System | TX | 45,188 |
| 5 | Brigham Young University-Idaho | ID | 44,397 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Machine Shop Technology/Assistant programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barstow Community College | CA | $1,104 |
| 2 | Barstow Community College | CA | $1,104 |
| 3 | Taft College | CA | $1,108 |
| 4 | Taft College | CA | $1,108 |
| 5 | Antelope Valley Community College District | CA | $1,124 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Machine Shop Technology/Assistant programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico State University-Grants | NM | $68 |
| 2 | New Mexico State University-Grants | NM | $68 |
| 3 | Fort Peck Community College | MT | $400 |
| 4 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $480 |
| 5 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $480 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Machine Shop Technology/Assistant programs.
Graduation Rates
Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.
Graduation/completion rates for Machine Shop Technology/Assistant programs across institutions.
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 48.05 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) Machinist Technology/CNC Machinist CIP 48.0510
- Ironworking/Ironworker CIP 48.0509
- Machine Tool Technology/Machinist CIP 48.0501
- Metal Fabricator CIP 48.0511
- Sheet Metal Technology/Sheetworking CIP 48.0506
- Tool and Die Technology/Technician CIP 48.0507
- Welding CIP 48.0508
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 48.0503 in the survey year used in our extract (126 total across levels below).
- 126 Associate (100.0% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $54,263. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Machine Shop Technology/Assistant graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | $48,139 | 31,510 |
| Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | $60,758 | 159,500 |
| Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining | $77,369 | 6,130 |
| Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | $54,736 | 36,290 |
| Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | $53,104 | 96,950 |
| Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | $48,518 | 154,820 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$54,263 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Machine Shop Technology/Assistant majors is $54,263.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Machine Shop Technology/Assistant majors.
Occupations by Share
485,200 2023 Workforce
The number of Machine Shop Technology/Assistant graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Machine Shop Technology/Assistant by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Machine Shop Technology/Assistant in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Machine Shop Technology/Assistant.
Age distribution for Machine Shop Technology/Assistant degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
1,634 Total Degrees Awarded
1,504 Male (92.04%)
130 Female (7.96%)
Gender distribution of Machine Shop Technology/Assistant degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
1,283 White (78.52%)
109 Hispanic or Latino (6.67%)
77 Black or African American (4.71%)
47 Two or More Races (2.88%)
29 Asian (1.77%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Machine Shop Technology/Assistant degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Machine Shop Technology/Assistant are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Machine Shop Technology/Assistant.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Machine Shop Technology/Assistant field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Machine Shop Technology/Assistant majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Machine Shop Technology/Assistant majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Machine Shop Technology/Assistant majors.
About
A program that prepares individuals to apply technical knowledge and skills to fabricate and modify metal parts in support of other manufacturing, repair or design activities, or as an independent business
In 2023, 100,000 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Machine Shop Technology/Assistant.
CIP Code
48.0503 - Machine Shop Technology/Assistant
What the data shows
Men earned 8.0% of 1,634 Machine Shop Technology/Assistant completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $54,263. The largest mapped role by headcount is Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (31,510 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $4,267 in-state at public colleges and $16,657 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.