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Public works technician education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a public works technician. Public works technicians usually study business, criminal justice, or electrical engineering. 47% of public works technicians hold a bachelor's degree, and 24% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,026 real public works technician resumes to see exactly what public works technician education sections show.
The most common colleges for public works technicians are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online public works technician courses to help get the education required to be a public works technician.
What education do you need to become a public works technician?
What degree do you need to be a public works technician?
- Bachelor's, 47%
- Associate, 24%
- High School Diploma, 15%
- Diploma, 6%
- Other Degrees, 8%
What should I major in to become a public works technician?
- Business, 19%
- Criminal Justice, 8%
- Computer Science, 6%
- Other Majors, 60%
Most common colleges for public works technicians
| Public works technician common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 14.71% |
| Remington College | 5.88% |
| DeVry University | 5.88% |
| University of Cincinnati | 5.88% |
| Baker College | 5.88% |
Best majors for public works technicians
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 19.3% |
| 2 | Criminal Justice | 7.8% |
| 3 | Electrical Engineering | 7.4% |
| 4 | Computer Science | 6.1% |
| 5 | Liberal Arts | 5.4% |
Best colleges for public works technicians
The best colleges for public works technicians are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.
A public works 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 public works 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 public works technicians.
1. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
2. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$15,094
Enrollment
32,974
3. SUNY College at Plattsburgh
Plattsburgh, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,369
Enrollment
5,229
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
5. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
6. SUNY Buffalo State
Buffalo, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,210
Enrollment
7,944
7. Butler University
Indianapolis, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$41,120
Enrollment
4,553
8. Elon University
Elon, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$35,319
Enrollment
6,196
9. York College of Pennsylvania
York, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$20,100
Enrollment
3,960
10. University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Lincoln, NE • Private
In-state tuition
$9,242
Enrollment
20,592
20 best online courses for public works technicians
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Top 10 most affordable universities for public works technicians
The most affordable schools for public works technicians are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and brigham young university.
If the best universities for public works 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 public works 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. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
4. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
5. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
6. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
7. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
8. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
9. SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Utica, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,238
Cost of attendance
21,567
10. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for public works technicians
The hardest universities for public works technicians to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.
Some great schools for public works 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 public works 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. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
8. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
9. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
10. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,338
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for public works technicians
The easiest schools for public works technicians to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and notre dame college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a public works 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 public works 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. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
4. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
5. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
6. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
7. Presentation College
Aberdeen, SD • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,050
8. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
9. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
10. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
Average public works technician salary by education level
| Public works technician education level | Public works technician salary |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or Less | $41,881 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $46,802 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $45,178 |
Public works technician education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025