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Central office technician education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a central office technician. Central office technicians usually study electrical engineering, business, or electrical engineering technology. 41% of central office technicians hold a associate degree, and 32% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 1,822 real central office technician resumes to see exactly what central office technician education sections show.
The most common colleges for central office technicians are the DeVry University and the DeVry University.
There are also many online central office technician courses to help get the education required to be a central office technician.
There are certain central office technician certifications that you should consider. These central office technician certifications include Telecommunications (TCM) and Master Certified Electronics Technician (CETma).
What education do you need to become a central office technician?
What degree do you need to be a central office technician?
- Associate, 41%
- Bachelor's, 32%
- High School Diploma, 12%
- Diploma, 5%
- Other Degrees, 10%
What should I major in to become a central office technician?
- Business, 15%
- Computer Networking, 11%
- Other Majors, 40%
Most common colleges for central office technicians
| Central office technician common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| DeVry University | 11.21% |
| University of Phoenix | 10.34% |
| Strayer University | 8.62% |
| Pace University | 7.76% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 6.90% |
Best majors for central office technicians
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electrical Engineering | 21.5% |
| 2 | Business | 15.2% |
| 3 | Electrical Engineering Technology | 12.6% |
| 4 | Computer Networking | 11.0% |
| 5 | Computer Science | 6.4% |
Best colleges for central office technicians
The best colleges for central office technicians are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
A central office technician with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for central office technicians. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become central office technicians.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
3. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon
Bayamon, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,940
Enrollment
4,169
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
5. SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Utica, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,238
Enrollment
2,120
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
7. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,522
Enrollment
13,760
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
9. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,625
Enrollment
17,407
10. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
20 best online courses for central office technicians
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Top 10 most affordable universities for central office technicians
The most affordable schools for central office technicians are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for central office technicians are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for central office technicians.
1. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
2. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
8. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
9. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
10. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for central office technicians
The hardest universities for central office technicians to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for central office technicians are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for central office technicians based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
4. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
8. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
9. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
10. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, NY • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,415
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for central office technicians
The easiest schools for central office technicians to get into are Kean University, capitol technology university, and oregon institute of technology.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a central office technician without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for central office technicians.
1. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
2. Capitol Technology University
Laurel, MD • Private
Admissions rate
69%
SAT average
1,070
3. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
4. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
5. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
6. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
7. University of Baltimore
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,020
8. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
9. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
10. Pennsylvania State University - Fayette (The Eberly Campus)
Lemont Furnace, PA • Private
Admissions rate
80%
SAT average
1,067
Average central office technician salary by education level
| Central office technician education level | Central office technician salary |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or Less | $37,499 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $41,660 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $42,024 |
Central office technician education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common installation, maintenance and repair questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025