Solar Energy Technology/Technician Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Solar Energy Technology/Technician maps to BLS occupations averaging about $114,867, with roughly 596,430 workers nationwide in those roles. About 17,799 bachelor's completions in IPEDS 2023; median in-state published tuition is about $4,358.
Key Statistics
Solar Energy Technology/Technician: what the data shows
Common questions about solar energy technology/technician degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a solar energy technology/technician degree?
A Solar Energy Technology/Technician program is classified under NCES CIP 15.0505 in the Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians field family (15.05).
Moved from 15.0505 to 15.1703
IPEDS counted 17,799 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of solar energy technology/technician degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 15.05 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Energy Management and Systems Technology/Technician (CIP 15.0503)
- Environmental/Environmental Engineering Technology/Technician (CIP 15.0507)
- Hazardous Materials Management and Waste Technology/Technician (CIP 15.0508)
- Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering Technology/Technician (CIP 15.0501)
- Water Quality and Wastewater Treatment Management and Recycling Technology/Technician (CIP 15.0506)
How long does it take to get a solar energy technology/technician degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 15.0505 in our file:
- 21,426 Associate (44.0% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 17,799 Bachelor's (36.6% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 9,428 Master's (19.4% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
- 7 Doctorate (0.0% of IPEDS total)—varies by program
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 Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians (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 solar energy technology/technician degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Solar Energy Technology/Technician 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | 136,390 | $78,680 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 75,710 | $155,020 |
| Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | 43,640 | $39,270 |
| Brickmasons and Blockmasons | 53,520 | $60,800 |
| Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians | 36,880 | $52,080 |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products | 293,930 | $100,070 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a solar energy technology/technician degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians bachelor's program family: median debt $20,613, median earnings $66,185 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 0.43.
About 0.0% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $4,358 and median net price is $8,516.
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 Solar Energy Technology/Technician and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$4,358 Median In-State Public
$15,664 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Solar Energy Technology/Technician majors are, on average, $4,358 for in-state public colleges, and $15,664 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Solar Energy Technology/Technician programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
100,000 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Solar Energy Technology/Technician from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Solar Energy Technology/Technician.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 2 | Ivy Tech Community College | IN | 58,267 |
| 3 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | OH | 45,638 |
| 4 | Tarrant County College District | TX | 42,300 |
| 5 | Tarrant County College District | TX | 42,300 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Solar Energy Technology/Technician programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antelope Valley Community College District | CA | $1,124 |
| 2 | Antelope Valley Community College District | CA | $1,124 |
| 3 | Woodland Community College | CA | $1,124 |
| 4 | Woodland Community College | CA | $1,124 |
| 5 | Lake Tahoe Community College | CA | $1,131 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Solar Energy Technology/Technician programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $480 |
| 2 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $480 |
| 3 | Henry Ford College | MI | $660 |
| 4 | Henry Ford College | MI | $660 |
| 5 | Radford M Locklin Technical College | FL | $987 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Solar Energy Technology/Technician programs.
Graduation Rates
Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.
Graduation/completion rates for Solar Energy Technology/Technician programs across institutions.
Where students complete this major (IPEDS)
Bachelor's-level completions (IPEDS Completions, award level 5) summed by institution state. State is taken from IPEDS Directory (HD2023) for each reporting institution.
Geographic concentration
The largest number of reported bachelor's completions for Solar Energy Technology/Technician is in TX (1,822 completions). That state represents about 10.2% of U.S. bachelor's completions reported for this CIP in the IPEDS file we use.
Among states, the highest concentration relative to all bachelor's degrees awarded in-state is AL (1.25% of that state's bachelor's completions).
Top states by count of bachelor's completions for this CIP (IPEDS).
| State | Bachelor's completions (this CIP) | % of U.S. total (this CIP) | % of state's all bachelor's |
|---|---|---|---|
| TX | 1,822 | 10.2% | 0.62% |
| NY | 1,762 | 9.9% | 0.64% |
| IN | 1,148 | 6.5% | 1.11% |
| CA | 1,023 | 5.8% | 0.23% |
| AL | 847 | 4.8% | 1.25% |
| MI | 834 | 4.7% | 0.73% |
| NC | 789 | 4.4% | 0.64% |
| OH | 718 | 4.0% | 0.52% |
| FL | 626 | 3.5% | 0.27% |
| PA | 622 | 3.5% | 0.36% |
| GA | 612 | 3.4% | 0.53% |
| VA | 520 | 2.9% | 0.42% |
| IL | 481 | 2.7% | 0.35% |
| TN | 358 | 2.0% | 0.48% |
| CO | 356 | 2.0% | 0.50% |
| KY | 353 | 2.0% | 0.68% |
| UT | 339 | 1.9% | 0.31% |
| KS | 321 | 1.8% | 0.87% |
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 15.05 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Energy Management and Systems Technology/Technician CIP 15.0503
- Environmental/Environmental Engineering Technology/Technician CIP 15.0507
- Hazardous Materials Management and Waste Technology/Technician CIP 15.0508
- Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering Technology/Technician CIP 15.0501
- Water Quality and Wastewater Treatment Management and Recycling Technology/Technician CIP 15.0506
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 15.0505 in the survey year used in our extract (48,660 total across levels below).
- 21,426 Associate (44.0% of IPEDS total)
- 17,799 Bachelor's (36.6% of IPEDS total)
- 9,428 Master's (19.4% of IPEDS total)
- 7 Doctorate (0.0% 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 $114,867. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Solar Energy Technology/Technician graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | $88,062 | 136,390 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | $188,333 | 75,710 |
| Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | $53,312 | 43,640 |
| Brickmasons and Blockmasons | $74,538 | 53,520 |
| Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians | $58,116 | 36,880 |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products | $131,986 | 293,930 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians CIP family (1 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Solar Energy Technology/Technician graduate.
- $20,613 median federal loan debt among completers
- $66,185 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 0.43 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 0.0% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
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
$119,371 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Solar Energy Technology/Technician majors is $119,371.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Solar Energy Technology/Technician majors.
Occupations by Share
596,430 2023 Workforce
The number of Solar Energy Technology/Technician graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Solar Energy Technology/Technician by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Solar Energy Technology/Technician in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Solar Energy Technology/Technician.
Age distribution for Solar Energy Technology/Technician degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
17,799 Total Degrees Awarded
14,630 Male (82.20%)
3,169 Female (17.80%)
Gender distribution of Solar Energy Technology/Technician degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
10,776 White (60.54%)
2,748 Hispanic or Latino (15.44%)
1,409 Black or African American (7.92%)
942 Asian (5.29%)
580 Two or More Races (3.26%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Solar Energy Technology/Technician degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Solar Energy Technology/Technician are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Solar Energy Technology/Technician.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Solar Energy Technology/Technician field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Solar Energy Technology/Technician majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Solar Energy Technology/Technician 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 Solar Energy Technology/Technician majors.
About
Moved from 15.0505 to 15.1703
In 2023, 100,000 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Solar Energy Technology/Technician.
CIP Code
15.0505 - Solar Energy Technology/Technician
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $20,613 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $66,185, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.43. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Solar Energy Technology/Technician graduate.
Men earned 17.8% of 91,975 Solar Energy Technology/Technician completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $114,867. The largest mapped role by headcount is Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians (136,390 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $4,358 in-state at public colleges and $15,664 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.