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Manufacturing production technician education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a manufacturing production technician. Manufacturing production technicians usually study business, criminal justice, or general studies. 40% of manufacturing production technicians hold a high school diploma, and 21% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 1,258 real manufacturing production technician resumes to see exactly what manufacturing production technician education sections show.

The most common colleges for manufacturing production technicians are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online manufacturing production technician courses to help get the education required to be a manufacturing production technician.

There are certain manufacturing production technician certifications that you should consider. These manufacturing production technician certifications include OSHA Safety Certificate and Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT).

What education do you need to become a manufacturing production technician?

What degree do you need to be a manufacturing production technician?

The most common degree for manufacturing production technicians is high school diploma, with 40% of manufacturing production technicians earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 21% and bachelor's degree degree at 21%.
  • High School Diploma, 40%
  • Bachelor's, 21%
  • Associate, 21%
  • Diploma, 14%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a manufacturing production technician?

You should major in business to become a manufacturing production technician. 26% of manufacturing production technicians major in business. Other common majors for a manufacturing production technician include criminal justice and general studies.

Most common colleges for manufacturing production technicians

Manufacturing production technicians often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Northwood University, and Arizona College - Mesa. Here are the most common colleges for manufacturing production technicians in the US based on their resumes.
Manufacturing production technician common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix15.38%
Northwood University7.69%
Arizona College - Mesa5.77%
Colorado Technical University5.77%
St. Louis5.77%

Best majors for manufacturing production technicians

Best colleges for manufacturing production technicians

The best colleges for manufacturing production technicians are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A manufacturing production 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 manufacturing production 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 manufacturing production technicians.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Maine Maritime Academy

Castine, ME • Private

In-state tuition

$13,478

Enrollment

979

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

7. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

8. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

10. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

20 best online courses for manufacturing production technicians

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Top 10 most affordable universities for manufacturing production technicians

The most affordable schools for manufacturing production technicians are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for manufacturing production 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 manufacturing production 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. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

8. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Cost of attendance

22,990

10. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for manufacturing production technicians

The hardest universities for manufacturing production technicians to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for manufacturing production 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 manufacturing production 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

8. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

9. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

10. Brandeis University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

31%

SAT average

1,398

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for manufacturing production technicians

The easiest schools for manufacturing production technicians to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a manufacturing production 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 manufacturing production technicians.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

6. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

7. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

8. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

9. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

10. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

Average manufacturing production technician salary by education level

Manufacturing production technicians with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $31,242 annually. With a Associate degree, manufacturing production technicians earn a median annual income of $30,470 compared to $30,156 for manufacturing production technicians with an Bachelor's degree.
Manufacturing production technician education levelManufacturing production technician salary
Master's Degree$31,242
High School Diploma or Less$29,229
Bachelor's Degree$30,156
Some College/ Associate Degree$30,470

Manufacturing production technician education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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