Welding Technology major
Welding Technology: courses, careers, and where to study
Welding Technology trains you to join and cut metal with arc, oxyfuel, and other processes, building precise hands-on skill in fabrication, blueprint reading, and weld quality.
Welding Technology is a hands-on trade program built around joining and cutting metal. You learn core arc processes such as shielded metal arc (stick), gas metal arc (MIG), gas tungsten arc (TIG), and flux-cored welding, along with oxyfuel cutting, brazing, and soldering. Coursework covers welding metallurgy, how ferrous and non-ferrous materials behave under heat, how to read blueprints and weld symbols, joint design, and the inspection methods used to judge a finished weld. Where Mechanical Engineering Technology centers on designing, analyzing, and testing whole machines and parts alongside engineers, Welding Technology focuses on the craft and discipline of producing sound, code-compliant welds yourself, with much of your time spent in a booth practicing positions and passes on real material.
Most students earn a certificate, diploma, or associate degree, often at a community or technical college, and many programs prepare you to sit for welder qualification or performance tests. Work spans manufacturing, construction, shipbuilding, pipelines, and equipment repair, and conditions range from indoor shops to fieldwork at heights or in confined spaces. Many employers and codes require you to pass a qualification test for a specific process and position, and credentials offered through organizations like the American Welding Society are worth verifying for your goals. A welding major is a foundation rather than a promise: pay and demand vary by region, industry, and certifications held, and some welders advance into inspection, supervision, or specialized processes over time.
In federal data for the closely related occupation of welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a 2024 median wage of $51,000 and projects employment to grow about 2.2% from 2024 to 2034; a high school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education for that occupation. National figures are occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages or graduate outcomes.
Academic classification (CIP)
In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Welding Technology maps to CIP 48.0508, Welding Technology/Welder, within the PRECISION PRODUCTION family. The official definition:
A program that prepares individuals to apply technical knowledge and skills to join or cut metal surfaces. Includes instruction in arc welding, resistance welding, brazing and soldering, cutting, high-energy beam welding and cutting, solid state welding, ferrous and non-ferrous materials, oxidation-reduction reactions, welding metallurgy, welding processes and heat treating, structural design, safety, and applicable codes and standards.
Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov
What credential Welding Technology is awarded as
Of the 45,448 Welding Technology credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2023-24:
- Certificate92%41,936
- Associate8%3,508
- Bachelor's<1%4
This mix is fairly consistent nationally: across the 44 states reporting it, the certificate share moves by about 29 percentage points between the 10th and 90th percentile state, so the credential is more a property of the field than of where you study it. See the full study.
Credentials conferred in 2023-24, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.
What you'll study
- Shielded metal arc welding (stick), in multiple joint positions
- Gas metal arc (MIG) and flux-cored arc welding techniques
- Gas tungsten arc welding (TIG) on steel, stainless, and aluminum
- Oxyfuel and plasma cutting, brazing, and soldering
- Reading blueprints, weld symbols, and fabrication drawings
- Welding metallurgy and the behavior of ferrous and non-ferrous metals
- Visual and basic nondestructive weld inspection methods
- Shop safety, ventilation, fume control, and equipment setup
- Applicable welding codes and standards and how qualification testing works
Typical careers
- Welder
- Welder, cutter, solderer, and brazer
- Metal fabricator
- Pipe welder or pipefitter
- Welding inspector
- Structural steel fitter
Typical salary range: Early-career wages vary by employer, region, and experience (BLS, 2024 welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers median $51,000).Ranges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.
Related occupations
Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Welding Technology, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.
| Occupation | Median pay | Openings / yr | Projected change | Most entrants hold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers | $51,000 | 45,600 | +2.2% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | $47,060 | 3,200 | -9% | High school diploma or equivalent |
Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). 2 of these 2 occupations report a median wage.
“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying Welding Technology does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.
Before you commit to a Welding Technology major
CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific Welding Technology program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.
Ask the Welding Technology department
- Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
- What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
- What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
- Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?
Ask current students & check the curriculum
- How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
- What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
- Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
- How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Find a Welding Technology program
CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.
Colleges that awarded the most Welding Technology credentials
Largest by credentials conferred in 2023-24. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.
- Ivy Tech Community CollegeIN · 658
- Tulsa Welding School-TulsaOK · 565
- Texas State Technical CollegeTX · 563
- Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical CollegeKY · 505
- Bluegrass Community and Technical CollegeKY · 500
- South Texas CollegeTX · 480
- Maysville Community and Technical CollegeKY · 467
- Northwood Technical CollegeWI · 420
- Northshore Technical Community CollegeLA · 409
- Mesa Community CollegeAZ · 403
- Collin County Community College DistrictTX · 385
- Lone Star College SystemTX · 381
Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2023-24. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.
Where Welding Technology credentials were awarded
31 states have a distinct enough set of Welding Technology colleges to be worth its own page.
- Texas59
- California58
- North Carolina56
- Illinois39
- Michigan29
- Pennsylvania25
- Georgia24
- Arkansas24
- Washington22
- Kansas22
- Minnesota20
- Alabama18
- Virginia17
- Kentucky16
- Iowa16
- Oregon15
- Ohio15
- Florida15
- Colorado14
- New Mexico14
- Louisiana12
- Arizona12
- Montana11
- Missouri10
- Wyoming7
- Idaho7
- West Virginia7
- Nebraska6
- New York6
- North Dakota6
- Maine5
Search Welding Technology schools by state
- Welding Technology in California
- Welding Technology in Florida
- Welding Technology in Georgia
- Welding Technology in Illinois
- Welding Technology in Maryland
- Welding Technology in Massachusetts
- Welding Technology in New York
- Welding Technology in North Carolina
- Welding Technology in Pennsylvania
- Welding Technology in Texas
Related majors
Mechanical Engineering Technology
Mechanical Engineering Technology is the hands-on, applied side of mechanical engineering, training students to build, test, and improve real machines and parts alongside engineers.
Automotive Technology
Automotive Technology trains you to diagnose, service, and repair the engines, brakes, electrical systems, and drivetrains of cars and light trucks using shop tools and scan equipment.
HVAC Technology
HVAC Technology trains you to install, service, and repair heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration systems, blending applied mechanics, electrical work, and hands-on diagnostics.
Carpentry
Carpentry is the trade of laying out, framing, and finishing wood and related structures from blueprints, building hands-on skill with hand and power tools, measurement, and building codes.
Construction Management
Construction Management blends building science, project planning, and business to prepare graduates to plan, budget, and oversee construction projects from groundbreaking to handover.
Put this major in context
The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a Welding Technology degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.
Explore Production & Manufacturing careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
How one major leads to many careers
Why a single Welding Technology degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.
Why a median wage is not a starting salary
How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.
When accreditation and licensure matter
How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a Welding Technology path before you enroll.
Does a pricier college pay off?
How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.
Does picking a major narrow your college list?
Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.
Certificate or degree?
What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.
How this guide is sourced
This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.