Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians: earnings, debt, and careers

CIP 15.09. Official graduate outcomes from the U.S. Department of Education across 79 programs, and the careers this field is linked to.

Graduate earnings by credential level

National earnings of Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians graduates who were working and not enrolled one year after completing, by credential. Undergraduate certificate: median $44,056; Associate's degree: median $61,477; Bachelor's degree: median $51,032. The bar spans the 25th to 75th percentile, the thin line spans the 10th to 90th percentile, and the red mark is the median.

Credential	Programs	Graduates (recent year)	Median earnings, 1 yr	Median earnings, 4 yrs	Typical program median debt
Undergraduate certificate	39	217	$44,056	$72,032	$8,263 1 programs
Associate's degree	37	106	$61,477	$77,878	$16,050 1 programs
Bachelor's degree	2	4	$51,032	$72,609	Data unavailable
Graduate certificate	1	1	Data unavailable	Data unavailable	Data unavailable

National earnings are published by the Department of Education for each field and credential level Verified data. Typical program median debt is ConnectPrep's calculation: the median across programs of each program's median federal debt Calculated estimate. It covers federal loans only.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most Recent Field of Study Data. Varies by measure; see measure definitions. Published October 15, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.

Associate's degree programs with the highest early earnings

School	Median earnings, 1 yr	Median earnings, 4 yrs	Median debt
Lackawanna College PA · Private, nonprofit · 26 graduates measured	$69,818	$89,729	Data unavailable
Nicholls State University LA · Public · 23 graduates measured	$64,161	$79,041	$16,050
Northern Oklahoma College OK · Public · 17 graduates measured	$63,326	Data unavailable	Data unavailable

Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.

Bachelor's degree programs with the highest early earnings

School	Median earnings, 1 yr	Median earnings, 4 yrs	Median debt
Nicholls State University LA · Public · 25 graduates measured	$51,789	$74,167	Data unavailable

Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.

Careers linked to Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians

Occupation	Median wage, all workers	Change 2025 to 2035	Typical entry education
Engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters, all other	$78,350	+2.8%	Associate's degree
Geological technicians, except hydrologic technicians	$53,350	+3.6%	Associate's degree
Service unit operators, oil and gas	$58,160	+1.1%	No formal educational credential
Gas plant operators	$87,820	-6.0%	High school diploma or equivalent

Occupations mapped to this field in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. Occupation wages describe all workers, not recent graduates.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk. CIP 2020 and SOC 2018 taxonomies. Published April 30, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, National. May 2025 reference period. Published April 30, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, Table 1.2: Occupational projections, 2025-35, and worker characteristics, 2025. Base year 2025, projected year 2035. Published August 27, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.

Detailed CIP codes in this field (3)

15.0901 Mining Technology/Technician
15.0903 Petroleum Technology/Technician
15.0999 Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians, Other