Post job

Transportation technician education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a transportation technician. Transportation technicians usually study business, general studies, or computer science. 33% of transportation technicians hold a bachelor's degree, and 33% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,673 real transportation technician resumes to see exactly what transportation technician education sections show.

The most common colleges for transportation technicians are the North Carolina State University and the North Carolina State University.

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

There are certain transportation technician certifications that you should consider. These transportation technician certifications include Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and Medical Assistant.

What education do you need to become a transportation technician?

What degree do you need to be a transportation technician?

The most common degree for transportation technicians is bachelor's degree, with 33% of transportation technicians earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 33% and associate degree degree at 21%.
  • Bachelor's, 33%
  • Associate, 33%
  • High School Diploma, 21%
  • Diploma, 5%
  • Other Degrees, 8%

What should I major in to become a transportation technician?

You should major in business to become a transportation technician. 20% of transportation technicians major in business. Other common majors for a transportation technician include general studies and computer science.

Most common colleges for transportation technicians

Transportation technicians often get their degrees at North Carolina State University, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Washington State University. Here are the most common colleges for transportation technicians in the US based on their resumes.
Transportation technician common collegePercentages
North Carolina State University10.98%
University of North Carolina at Greensboro9.76%
Washington State University8.54%
University of Phoenix6.10%
University of Akron4.88%

Best majors for transportation technicians

Best colleges for transportation technicians

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

A transportation 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 transportation 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 transportation 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 transportation technicians

Advertising disclosure

1. Medical Emergencies: CPR, Toxicology, and Wilderness

coursera

In this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills to assess and stabilize certain types of patients for transport. By the end of this course, you will be able to: (1) Identify the signs and symptoms associated with a patient in shock, to describe the major categories of shock, to assess a patient with signs of shock and formulate a plan for treatment to stabilize the patient for transport, (2) Identify a patient in cardiac arrest and to describe the components of high performance CPR...

2. Trauma Emergencies and Care

coursera

Welcome to Trauma Emergencies and Care. In this course, you will learn about some of the mechanics and physics of trauma on the human body, and how this can cause injury. You will continue to expand your new vocabulary with medical terminology, and learn how to describe the different injuries you may see. You will also learn about the trauma system itself- and when it is important to transport patients to a trauma center. Then we will dive into specific injuries based on what part of the body...

3. Customer Service, Customer Support, And Customer Experience

udemy
4.6
(2,666)

Customer service, customer support, and customer experience training. Loyal clients through world-class customer service...

4. Transport logistics - Introduction to transport modes

udemy
4.6
(1,038)

Logistics, transport and shipping - Learn about Truck, Air, Ocean, Barge and Rail transport modes...

5. Medical Emergencies: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation

coursera

In this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills to assess and stabilize certain types of patients for transport. By the end of this course, you will be able to: 1) assess a basic medical patient 2) describe general pharmacologic principles and the skills associated with medication administration, 3) explain airway physiology, the assessment of the airway and available interventions for airway management, 4) identify, assess and formulate a plan to stabilize a patient with a...

6. Introduction to Technical Support

coursera

Technical Support professionals are in great demand! This is the first course in the IBM IT Support Professional Certificate program, designed to prepare you for a rewarding career in technical support. You will begin this self-paced course by learning what Informational Technology (IT) support is all about. You'll find out the roles and responsibilities of Technical Support professionals and become familiar with all the different career paths you can take in Technical Support. You will also...

7. Logistics Management: International Transport & Shipping

udemy
4.6
(1,665)

Logistics Supply Chain Management Basics - Transport / Import - Export your Freight / Inventory by Air, Sea or Land...

8. Become a Pharmacy Technician

udemy
4.7
(2,374)

A Video Study Guide for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam...

9. Emergency Care: Pregnancy, Infants, and Children

coursera

Welcome to the final course of lectures in your quest to master EMT basics. In this course, we will cover some of the highest-stress patient populations: pregnant patients and kids, also known as pediatrics. To wrap up your EMT knowledge we will end this course with information about hazmat situations, extricating patients from tight spots and finally how you write a note about your patient care. You will learn to ensure it communicates what your assessment of the patient was, what...

10. Pharmacy Technician Fundamentals

coursera

In this foundational Pharmacy Technician Career Training Specialization, students will take four courses to master the fundamentals of a career in pharmacy. The first two courses teach how to communicate and engage professionally in any healthcare setting and the necessary knowledge of human anatomy and physiology required for any medical role. Next, students dive into two pharmacy-related courses - Pharmacy Technician Essentials and Pharmacy Dosages & Prescriptions Essentials - to round out...

11. Customer Service & Support For Customer Service Executives

udemy
4.5
(941)

Learn Customer Service Skills & Provide Excellent Customer Support, Customer Experience & How To Manage Upset Customers...

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. Supply Chain Fundamentals: Logistic & Transportation

udemy
4.5
(577)

Learn the Fundamentals of Logistic, Warehouse, Inbound, Picking, Packing, transportation and apply it to any ERP system...

14. [2023] Customer Service 2.0: Learn Digital Customer Service

udemy
4.5
(3,956)

Used by ChaseĀ®, IntelĀ®, & more! Learn soft skills, social media customer service, diagnosing user problems, & more...

15. IT Support Technical Skills Bootcamp

udemy
4.5
(1,653)

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

16. Customer Service Mastery: Delight Every Customer

udemy
4.7
(18,204)

Master Customer Service using this practical customer care course...

17. Zendesk for Customer Service Agents Training Course

udemy
4.6
(1,065)

How to provide great customer support using Zendesk, a course for beginners...

18. Computer Network Fundamentals- IT Helpdesk & Desktop Support

udemy
4
(409)

Learn the basic fundamentals of computer networking & OSI model for desktop support and IT service desk technicians...

19. SAP: Supply Chain Logistics & Transportation in S/4 HANA

udemy
4.4
(1,249)

Everything you need to know about SAP S/4 HANA Supply Chain Logistics and Transportation Management in one place...

20. Become a Microbiology Laboratory Technician

udemy
4
(339)

Microbiology...

Top 10 most affordable universities for transportation technicians

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

If the best universities for transportation 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 transportation 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 transportation technicians

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

Some great schools for transportation 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 transportation 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

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

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

5%

SAT average

1,520

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

The easiest schools for transportation 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 transportation 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 transportation 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 transportation technician salary by education level

According to our data, transportation technicians with a Bachelor's degree earn the highest average salary, at $38,611 annually. Transportation technicians with a Associate degree earn an average annual salary of $35,494.
Transportation technician education levelTransportation technician salary
High School Diploma or Less$34,643
Bachelor's Degree$38,611
Some College/ Associate Degree$35,494

Transportation technician education FAQs

Search for transportation technician jobs

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.

Browse transportation jobs