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Plant technician education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
Usually, plant technicians don't need a college education. The most common degree for plant technicians is bachelor's degree with 40% graduates, with only 26% plant technician graduates earning associate degree. Plant technicians who decided to graduate from college often finish University of Phoenix or Colorado State University. Some good skills to have in this position include preventive maintenance, ladders and data collection.

Popular plant technician certifications include EPA Amusement Operators Safety Certification (EPA), OSHA Safety Certificate , or Master Certified Electronics Technician (CETma). To improve plant technician qualification and skills, we prepared some online courses to help in plant technician education paths.

What education do you need to become a plant technician?

What degree do you need to be a plant technician?

The most common degree for plant technicians is bachelor's degree, with 40% of plant technicians earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 26% and associate degree degree at 21%.
  • Bachelor's, 40%
  • Associate, 26%
  • High School Diploma, 21%
  • Diploma, 6%
  • Other Degrees, 7%

What should I major in to become a plant technician?

You should major in business to become a plant technician. 16% of plant technicians major in business. Other common majors for a plant technician include electrical engineering and biology.

Best majors for plant technicians

20 best online courses for plant technicians

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1. Understanding Plants - Part I: What a Plant Knows

coursera

For centuries we have collectively marveled at plant diversity and form—from Charles Darwin’s early fascination with stems and flowers to Seymour Krelborn’s distorted doting in Little Shop of Horrors. This course intends to present an intriguing and scientifically valid look at how plants themselves experience the world—from the colors they see to the sensations they feel. Highlighting the latest research in genetics and more, we will delve into the inner lives of plants and draw parallels with...

2. Plant Bioinformatics Capstone

coursera

The past 15 years have been exciting ones in plant biology. Hundreds of plant genomes have been sequenced, RNA-seq has enabled transcriptome-wide expression profiling, and a proliferation of "-seq"-based methods has permitted protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions to be determined cheaply and in a high-throughput manner. These data sets in turn allow us to generate hypotheses at the click of a mouse or tap of a finger. In Plant Bioinformatics on Coursera.org, we covered 33 plant-specific...

3. SAP Plant Maintenance(PM) Module Online Classes

udemy
4.3
(1,105)

Functional Module SAP Plant Maintenance(PM) with Configuration...

4. Real World SAP - Plant Maintenance Orders and Notifications

udemy
4.4
(809)

Learn SAP PM / EAM with a focus on real world scenarios...

5. Plant Bioinformatics

coursera

The past 15 years have been exciting ones in plant biology. Hundreds of plant genomes have been sequenced, RNA-seq has enabled transcriptome-wide expression profiling, and a proliferation of "-seq"-based methods has permitted protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions to be determined cheaply and in a high-throughput manner. These data sets in turn allow us to generate hypotheses at the click of a mouse. For instance, knowing where and when a gene is expressed can help us narrow down the...

6. Plant Bioinformatic Methods

coursera

The past 15 years have been exciting ones in plant biology. Hundreds of plant genomes have been sequenced, RNA-seq has enabled transcriptome-wide expression profiling, and a proliferation of "-seq"-based methods has permitted protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions to be determined cheaply and in a high-throughput manner. These data sets in turn allow us to generate hypotheses at the click of a mouse or tap of a finger.The Plant Bioinformatics Specialization on Coursera introduces core...

7. Herbalism:: Growing Top Medicinal Plants Certificate

udemy
4.8
(687)

Growing your own herbal medicine is easy and allows you to have quick access to medicinal plants when you need them...

8. Design of Water Treatment Systems for Beginners

udemy
4.7
(269)

Learn how to fully design a water treatment system for small to medium scale projects...

9. Curanderismo: Traditional Healing Using Plants

coursera

COURSE DESCRIPTION As one of four courses on Curanderismo, the art of Hispanic/Latino traditional medicine, this course focuses specifically on the use of plants in traditional healing. As an educational and cultural platform, this course will share the history, influences, and contributions of traditional medicine. Trained traditional healers will share their knowledge of the healing properties of plants commonly found in the Southwestern United States and Mexico through practical applications...

10. Water Treatment Process Design

udemy
4.4
(396)

design water treatment& RO/NF plants, sand& multimedia filter, iron& manganese removal filter, Ion exchange DI& softener...

11. Cook Real Food: How to Make Simple Plant-Based Meals

udemy
4.6
(1,644)

Learn how to cook whole plant foods to make quick, easy, and healthy vegan meals for practical everyday eating...

12. IT/Desktop Computer Support- Troubleshooting for Technicians

udemy
4.2
(306)

Learn how to troubleshoot desktop computer issues as an IT Support Technician on real-world organisational networks...

13. Herbalism:: Identify & Harvest Medicinal Plants Certificate

udemy
4.8
(2,299)

Identify, harvest and use easy to find herbs from the wild that are commonly used in herbal, holistic, natural medicine...

14. HVAC Fundamentals and BMS Controls

udemy
4.3
(1,126)

Build your knowledge systematically, from the working principles of HVAC to optimizing a chiller plant operation...

15. Functional Safety for Safety Instrumented Systems

udemy
4.1
(263)

The most complete course available on Functional Safety. 2+ hours of videos, case studies, assignments, & more...

16. How to Read P & ID, PFD & BFD used in Process Plant like Pro

udemy
4.5
(744)

Learn How to Read Piping and Instrument Diagram-P & ID, Process Flow Diagram and Block Flow Diagram used in Process Plant...

17. Herbalism:: Wild Edible Plants for High Nutrition

udemy
4.8
(460)

Identify and forage common wild foods for exceptional nutrition. This is essential for holistic and natural medicine...

18. How To Read Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams Made Easy

udemy
4.5
(471)

All you'll ever need to easily Read P & IDs in one Clear and Concise Course for Plant Operators, Maintenance & Engineers...

19. SAP Controlling

udemy
4.4
(293)

SAP Controlling...

20. PLC Programming - Training from Scratch on RSLogix500 & 5000

udemy
4.5
(2,418)

PLC programming from scratch training class by a controls engineer equipped with PLC systems - Allen Bradley RSLogix 500...

Average plant technician salary by education level

According to our data, plant technicians with a Bachelor's degree earn the highest average salary, at $49,215 annually. Plant technicians with a Associate degree earn an average annual salary of $47,775.
Plant technician education levelPlant technician salary
High School Diploma or Less$44,825
Bachelor's Degree$49,215
Some College/ Associate Degree$47,775

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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