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Telecom technician education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a telecom technician. Telecom technicians usually study electrical engineering, business, or electrical engineering technology. 40% of telecom technicians hold a associate degree, and 31% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 1,583 real telecom technician resumes to see exactly what telecom technician education sections show.

The most common colleges for telecom technicians are the DeVry University and the DeVry University.

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

There are certain telecom technician certifications that you should consider. These telecom technician certifications include Master Certified Electronics Technician (CETma) and Telecommunications Electronics Technician (TCM).

What education do you need to become a telecom technician?

What degree do you need to be a telecom technician?

The most common degree for telecom technicians is associate degree, with 40% of telecom technicians earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 31% and bachelor's degree degree at 12%.
  • Associate, 40%
  • Bachelor's, 31%
  • High School Diploma, 12%
  • Diploma, 10%
  • Other Degrees, 7%

What should I major in to become a telecom technician?

You should major in electrical engineering to become a telecom technician. 24% of telecom technicians major in electrical engineering. Other common majors for a telecom technician include business and electrical engineering technology.

Most common colleges for telecom technicians

Telecom technicians often get their degrees at DeVry University, City College of New York of the City University of New York, The, and Florida Technical College. Here are the most common colleges for telecom technicians in the US based on their resumes.
Telecom technician common collegePercentages
DeVry University20.90%
City College of New York of the City University of New York, The7.46%
Florida Technical College5.97%
University of Phoenix5.97%
The University of Texas at Arlington5.97%

Best majors for telecom technicians

Best colleges for telecom technicians

The best colleges for telecom technicians are Northeastern University, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

A telecom 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 telecom 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 telecom technicians.

1. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon

Bayamon, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,940

Enrollment

4,169

2. New Mexico State University

Las Cruces, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$6,686

Enrollment

11,139

3. Baker College

Owosso, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$9,800

Enrollment

8,319

4. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

5. National University College - Bayamon

Bayamon, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$6,675

Enrollment

10,203

6. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

7. Arkansas State University

Jonesboro, AR • Private

In-state tuition

$8,607

Enrollment

8,623

8. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

10. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

20 best online courses for telecom technicians

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3. Introduction To Telecom Networks: Fixed/Wireless Networks

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PSTN, Voice Over IP Systems (Softswitch, IMS), Internet, Mobile/cellular systems, Optical Fiber Systems (OFAN, DWDM)...

4. Introduction to Business Support System - BSS

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5. Design of High-Performance Optical Systems

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This course can also be taken for academic credit as ECEA 5602, part of CU Boulder’s Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree. Optical instruments are how we see the world, from corrective eyewear to medical endoscopes to cell phone cameras to orbiting telescopes. This course extends what you have learned about first-order, paraxial system design and optical resolution and efficiency with the introduction to real lenses and their imperfections. We begin with a description of how...

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14. IT/Desktop Computer Support- Troubleshooting for Technicians

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20. IT Support Technical Skills Bootcamp

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Hands-on Technical skills for IT Support Professionals...

Top 10 most affordable universities for telecom technicians

The most affordable schools for telecom technicians are California State University - Long Beach, suny farmingdale, and inter american university of puerto rico bayamon.

If the best universities for telecom 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 telecom technicians.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon

Bayamon, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,940

Cost of attendance

13,508

4. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Ponce

Mercedita, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,914

Cost of attendance

13,564

5. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Barranquitas

Barranquitas, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,902

Cost of attendance

13,479

6. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Aguadilla

Aguadilla, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,902

Cost of attendance

13,284

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

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. National University College - Bayamon

Bayamon, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$6,675

Cost of attendance

12,941

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for telecom technicians

The hardest universities for telecom technicians to get into are Northeastern University, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for telecom 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 telecom 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. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

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. Southern Methodist University

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

51%

SAT average

1,395

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

8. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,517

9. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

10. Tufts University

Medford, MA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,461

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for telecom technicians

The easiest schools for telecom technicians to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, capitol technology university, and pennsylvania state university - altoona.

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

1. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

2. Capitol Technology University

Laurel, MD • Private

Admissions rate

69%

SAT average

1,070

3. Pennsylvania State University - Altoona

Altoona, PA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,094

4. Pennsylvania State University - Berks

Reading, PA • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,107

5. South Dakota State University

Brookings, SD • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,149

6. Cleveland State University

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,111

7. Ferris State University

Big Rapids, MI • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

1,070

8. Purdue University Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, IN • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,080

9. Alabama A & M University

Normal, AL • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

957

10. Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,068

Average telecom technician salary by education level

According to our data, telecom technicians with a Associate degree earn the highest average salary, at $58,585 annually. Telecom technicians with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $58,068.
Telecom technician education levelTelecom technician salary
High School Diploma or Less$52,164
Bachelor's Degree$58,068
Some College/ Associate Degree$58,585

Telecom 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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