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Military Systems & Maintenance

Instructional content for this group of programs is defined in codes 29.0401 - 29.0499.

Types of Degrees Military Systems & Maintenance Majors Are Earning

Those studying Military Systems & Maintenance have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	3
Associate’s Degree	88
Bachelor’s Degree	99
Master’s Degree	17

What Military Systems & Maintenance Majors Need to Know

Programs in Military Systems & Maintenance emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Military Systems & Maintenance graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Military Systems & Maintenance emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Engineering and Technology — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Mechanical — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Production and Processing — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a Military Systems & Maintenance program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Quality Control Analysis — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Operations Monitoring — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Military Systems & Maintenance careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Near Vision — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Military Systems & Maintenance graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.3 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Processing Information	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Military Systems & Maintenance professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
National Instruments LabVIEW	Development environment software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Autodesk AutoCAD	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Computer aided design CAD software	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Data acquisition software	Analytical or scientific software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Dassault Systemes SolidWorks	Computer aided design CAD software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Military Systems & Maintenance graduates include:

• Test Technician (Test Tech)
• Engineering Technician
• Test Technician
• Laser Specialist
• Test Specialist
• Data Acquisition Technician
• Wind Tunnel Mechanic
• Flight Test Data Acquisition Technician
• Flight Data Technician
• Wind Tunnel Technician
• Aerospace Assembler
• Engineering Specialist
• Avionics Test Technician
• Aerospace Operations Technologist
• Engineering Test Technician

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Military Systems & Maintenance graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	36.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	28.5%
Postsecondary certificate	19.7%
Bachelor’s degree	8.7%
Some college courses	4.1%
Master’s degree	1.4%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Military Systems & Maintenance?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 81.6% of Military Systems & Maintenance degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	38	18.4%
Men	169	81.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Military Systems & Maintenance graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	130	62.8%
Asian	5	2.4%
Hispanic or Latino	27	13.0%
Black or African American	11	5.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.5%
Two or More Races	9	4.3%
Race Unknown	19	9.2%
International Students	3	1.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Military Systems & Maintenance Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Military Systems & Maintenance graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$54,214

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Military Systems & Maintenance Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Military Systems & Maintenance. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	2	0
Bachelor’s	1	0
Master’s	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Military Technologies Sciences	4,796
Intelligence, Command Control and Information Operations	4,051
Military Applied Sciences	383
Military Technologies and Applied Sciences, Other	144
Military Technology and Applied Sciences Management	11
MILITARY TECHNOLOGIES AND APPLIED SCIENCES	—
Reserved	—

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.