Best Industrial Technology/Technician Programs in the West
Updated
Regional list from Top Industrial Technology/Technician Programs by Earnings
This page ranks the 5 Industrial Technology/Technician programs in the West by median earnings of Industrial Technology/Technician graduates four years after completing. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo leads the list with median earnings of $89,195 for its graduates four years after completing, followed by California State University-Los Angeles at $86,970.
Across the listed programs, the median figure is $62,489, with a range from $89,195 to $44,189.
All 5 schools are 5 public institutions. California State University-Los Angeles posts the lowest average net price on the page at $3,967, and it also holds the strongest Azimuth composite rank, placing 3rd among nonprofit four-year institutions.
California State University-Fresno is the most accessible by admission rate, admitting 95% of applicants.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo, CA | $89,195 | $16,665 | $7,529 | 31.3% |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo reports $89,195 in median earnings of Industrial Technology/Technician graduates four years after completing and an admission rate of 31%. | |||||
| 2 | California State University-Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA | $86,970 | $3,967 | $2,877 | 91.3% |
| With an average net price of $3,967, California State University-Los Angeles ranks 2nd on this list and posts median earnings of $86,970 four years after completing. | |||||
| 3 | San Jose State University · San Jose, CA | $62,489 | $13,760 | $9,730 | 84.6% |
| San Jose State University shows median earnings of $62,489 for its Industrial Technology/Technician graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $13,760. | |||||
| 4 | Oregon Institute of Technology · Klamath Falls, OR | $60,839 | $15,706 | $9,085 | 95.0% |
| Oregon Institute of Technology ranks 283rd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports $60,839 in median earnings four years after completing. | |||||
| 5 | California State University-Fresno · Fresno, CA | $44,189 | $7,000 | $5,105 | 95.3% |
| California State University-Fresno shows an average net price of $7,000 and median earnings of $44,189 for its Industrial Technology/Technician graduates four years after completing. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Industrial Technology/Technician graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the West appear. The figures come from the earnings of federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled, measured four years after completing for two programs and two years after completing for the other three. For 3 of the 5 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo leads at $89,195, with California State University-Los Angeles just $2,225 behind at $86,970.
Job market context in the West
Graduates of Industrial Technology/Technician programs in the West enter occupations such as Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians, and Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians. The median annual wage across those occupations is $65,894, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $55,246. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 5.7% higher, with 11,790 projected openings a year and about 4,449 openings a year for every hundred graduates, more projected openings than graduates. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses the earnings of graduates from each listed program four years after completing, a different measure from the occupational wage figures described here.
Related rankings
- Top Industrial Technology/Technician Programs by Earnings
- Best Colleges in the West
- Top Industrial Technology/Technician Programs in the Midwest
- Industrial Technology/Technician Programs in the Northeast
- Top Industrial Technology/Technician Programs in the South
- Best Engineering Technology Colleges for Social Mobility in the West
- Engineering Technology Colleges in the West