# Carpenters

> A program that prepares individuals to apply technical knowledge and skills to lay out, cut, fabricate, erect, install, and repair wooden structures and fixtures, using hand and power tools. Includes instruction in technical mathematics, framing, construction materials and selection, job estimating, blueprint reading, foundations and roughing-in, finish carpentry techniques, and applicable codes and standards.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/programs/carpenters
- CIP code: 46.02 (Construction Trades)
- Colleges offering it: 204 at its most common degree level

## Outcomes by degree level (College Scorecard, 2025)

| Degree level | Colleges | Median earnings 1 yr | Median earnings 4 yrs | Median federal debt |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| Certificate | 204 | $35,631 | $43,787 | $12,362 |
| Associate's | 81 | $68,032 | $48,574 | $11,500 |
| Bachelor's | 1 | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Colleges whose graduates earn the most (Associate's)

Only programs with at least 10 graduates are listed.

| College | Location | Median earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: |
| [Ivy Tech Community College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/ivy-tech-community-college-1314) | Indianapolis, IN | $69,442 | $5,500 |
| [Ranken Technical College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/ranken-technical-college-2188) | Saint Louis, MO | $48,574 | $12,000 |
| [Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology](https://www.collegesref.com/college/thaddeus-stevens-college-of-technology-2715) | Lancaster, PA | $46,433 | $11,000 |
| [SUNY College of Technology at Delhi](https://www.collegesref.com/college/suny-college-of-technology-at-delhi-2651) | Delhi, NY | $45,162 | $12,000 |

## Related careers (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk)

- [First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/first-line-supervisors-of-construction-trades-and-extraction-workers): $79,920 median pay
- [Solar Energy Installation Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/solar-energy-installation-managers): $79,920 median pay
- [Carpenters](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/carpenters): $60,580 median pay

## More in Construction Trades

- [Electrical and Power Transmission Installers](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/electrical-and-power-transmission-installers): 395 colleges
- [Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/building-construction-finishing-management-and-inspection): 268 colleges
- [Plumbing and Related Water Supply Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/plumbing-and-related-water-supply-services): 147 colleges
- [Construction Trades, General](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/construction-trades-general): 87 colleges
- [Mason/Masonry](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/mason-masonry): 38 colleges
- [Construction Trades, Other](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/construction-trades-other): 25 colleges

## Sources

- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/
- NCES Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020: https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/