Traffic control technician education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a traffic control technician. Traffic control technicians usually study business, electrical engineering, or aviation. 40% of traffic control technicians hold a high school diploma, and 25% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 763 real traffic control technician resumes to see exactly what traffic control technician education sections show.

The most common colleges for traffic control technicians are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

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

There are certain traffic control technician certifications that you should consider. These traffic control technician certifications include Traffic Control Technician (TCT) and OSHA Safety Certificate .

What education do you need to become a traffic control technician?

What degree do you need to be a traffic control technician?

The most common degree for traffic control technicians is high school diploma, with 40% of traffic control technicians earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 25% and associate degree degree at 20%.

High School Diploma, 40%

Associate, 25%

Bachelor's, 20%

Diploma, 8%

Other Degrees, 7%

What should I major in to become a traffic control technician?

You should major in business to become a traffic control technician. 13% of traffic control technicians major in business. Other common majors for a traffic control technician include electrical engineering and aviation.

Business, 13%

Electrical Engineering, 12%

Aviation, 10%

Electrical Engineering Technology, 10%

Other Majors, 55%

Most common colleges for traffic control technicians

Traffic control technicians often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Grantham University, and San Diego Mesa College. Here are the most common colleges for traffic control technicians in the US based on their resumes.

Traffic control technician common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	11.43%
Grantham University	8.57%
San Diego Mesa College	8.57%
University of Scranton	5.71%
Columbus State University	5.71%

Show more common traffic control technician colleges

Best majors for traffic control technicians

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	13.1%
2	Electrical Engineering	12.1%
3	Aviation	10.1%
4	Electrical Engineering Technology	9.5%
5	Criminal Justice	8.5%

Show more common traffic control technician majors

Best colleges for traffic control technicians

The best colleges for traffic control technicians are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

A traffic control 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 traffic control 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 traffic control technicians.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

5. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

6. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

7. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

10. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

20 best online courses for traffic control technicians

Advertising disclosure

1. VPC Flow Logs - Analyzing Network Traffic

This is a self-paced lab that takes place in the Google Cloud console. In this lab, you configure a network to record traffic to and from an apache web server using VPC Flow Logs. You then export the logs to BigQuery to analyze them...

2. Analyze Network Traffic with TCPDump

In this 1 hour guided project, you will learn how to use one of the most versatile Linux networking utilities tcpdump to capture and analyze TCP traffic. Popular among all ranks of networking professionals, tcpdump will definitely empower you in daily networking operations. Basic network experience and shell script basics are highly recommended as prerequisites...

3. Electrical Control & Protection Systems

4.6

(1,763)

This course introduces electrical control & protection systems which are a critical part of any electrical substation...

4. MikroTik Traffic Control with LABS

4.8

(468)

Learn advanced Mikro Tik Firewall, QOS HTB, Packet flow, DHCP and DNS topics & be ready for the Mikro Tik MTCTCE exam...

5. Creating Routing Policies to Handle Traffic with AWS Route53

In this 2-hour long project based course, we will look at how to handle and divert website traffic to multiple servers using Routing Policies in AWS Route 53. We will look at how you can configure different types of Routing Policies. We will start off with Simple Routing Policy which can be used to divert traffic to multiple servers / IP’s randomly. Then we will look at Weight Routing Policy which allows you to split your traffic based on different weights assigned. We will then move on to...

6. Facebook Marketing: Drive Highly Targeted Facebook Traffic

4.5

(464)

The One Thing That Everybody Wants is Traffic. You Simply Cannot Have Enough Traffic!...

7. Control Systems Made Simple Beginner's Guide

4.4

(798)

Learn fundamentals of Mechanical & electrical system modeling, simulation and control with this unique practical course!...

8. Applied Control Systems 3: UAV drone (3D Dynamics & control)

4.6

(292)

Modeling + state space systems + Model Predictive Control + feedback control + Python simulation: UAV quadcopter drone...

9. Control Systems: From Mathematical Modelling to PID Control

4.2

(791)

Learn the mathematics that will allow you to model and control any engineering system. Make machines do what you want!...

10. Applied Control Systems 1: autonomous cars: Math + PID + MPC

4.6

(1,142)

Modeling + state space systems + PID + Model Predictive Control + Python simulation: lateral control for autonomous cars...

11. Electrical Control & Protection Systems part 2

4.7

(718)

This course introduces electrical control & protection systems which are a critical part of any electrical substation...

12. Dirty Internet Marketing- Free Viral Website Traffic. No SEO

4.5

(334)

Nifty Internet/Online/Digital Marketing Methods To Get Free Viral Traffic To Your Website/Blog. No SEO skills needed...

13. Complete Meta Traffic Ads (Meta CPC) Course + ChatGPT Guide

(621)

Push People to your Website with Meta Traffic Ads (Meta Link Clicks). Learn Meta CPC Ads [Cost Per Click]. Use Chat GPT...

14. PID Controllers - Intro to Control Design

4.2

(338)

Learn to write your own control software while learning fundamental control theory...

15. Facebook Marketing: Next Level Traffic Generation Strategies

4.2

(275)

Deploy these proven & tested Facebook advertising hacks and drive thousands of visitors to your website every day!...

16. Electrical Control & Protection Part 4

4.5

(293)

This course introduces electrical control & protection systems which are a critical part of any electrical network...

17. Electrical Control & Protection Part 3

4.7

(435)

This course introduces electrical control & protection systems which are a critical part of any electrical network...

18. The Complete Electrical Power Control and Protection

4.6

(519)

Your Complete Practical Guide in Electrical Control & Protection Systems for Stations , Substations & Distribution Zones...

19. Fundamentals of Electrical Controls

4.5

(1,915)

Learn the parts and wiring techniques used in a motor control installation, become a Controls Electrician...

20. Advanced Process Control & Safety Instrumented Systems SIS

4.5

(783)

Learn how the main process equipment such as chemical reactors , pumps , compressors & heat exchangers are controlled...

Top 10 most affordable universities for traffic control technicians

The most affordable schools for traffic control technicians are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - bakersfield, and suny farmingdale.

If the best universities for traffic control 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 traffic control technicians.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

7. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

8. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

9. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

10. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for traffic control technicians

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

Some great schools for traffic control 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 traffic control 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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

8. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

9. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

10. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for traffic control technicians

The easiest schools for traffic control technicians to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, wayland baptist university, and barry university.

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

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

4. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

5. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

6. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

7. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

8. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

9. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

10. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

Average traffic control technician salary by education level

Traffic control technicians with a Bachelor's degree earn more than those without, at $43,215 annually. With a Associate degree, traffic control technicians earn a median annual income of $38,195 compared to $36,859 for traffic control technicians with an High School Diploma degree.

Traffic control technician education level	Traffic control technician salary
High School Diploma or Less	$36,859
Bachelor's Degree	$43,215
Some College/ Associate Degree	$38,195

Traffic control technician education FAQs

What is the best college for Traffic Control Technicians?

Have more questions? See all answers to common transportation questions.

Search for traffic control technician jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse transportation jobs