Mechanical Engineering Technology Programs & Technician Training
Mechanical engineering technology (MET) is the applied side of mechanical engineering education. It can prepare you to help design, build, test, document, troubleshoot, and improve mechanical products and systems. Depending on the program, you may spend substantial time with CAD software, measurement tools, test equipment, materials, manufacturing processes, and physical prototypes.
That does not make every MET credential equivalent to a traditional mechanical engineering degree. A short certificate or two-year technician program is different from bachelor-level preparation for mechanical engineer roles. The distinction matters before you spend money or assume credits will transfer.
The good news is that the pathways are easier to sort out once you know what you actually want to do. If you prefer practical design, testing, manufacturing support, and seeing how a physical system behaves outside a spreadsheet, MET may fit you very well.
Quick Guide
Mechanical Engineering Technology Programs
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What Is Mechanical Engineering Technology?
Mechanical engineering technology focuses on applying mechanical-engineering principles to real equipment, components, prototypes, manufacturing processes, and tests. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics groups mechanical engineering technologists and technicians together under SOC 17-3027. Their work can include preparing 3D layouts and drawings, assembling parts, setting up tests, comparing test results with specifications, recording data, and recommending practical design changes.
Programs vary, but the strongest common thread is application. You are not only learning what a mechanical principle means; you are learning how to measure it, document it, build around it, and tell whether the finished thing actually works.
Mechanical Engineer vs. Technologist vs. Technician
These titles overlap in the real world, and employers do not always use them consistently. Federal labor data also combine mechanical engineering technologists and technicians into one occupation. Still, the education paths are different enough to matter.
| Path | Typical education | Main emphasis | Common work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical engineer | Bachelor's degree | Engineering analysis and design | Designing and developing mechanical and thermal devices and systems, analysis, testing, and project engineering |
| Mechanical engineering technologist | Often bachelor-level engineering technology, although job titles vary | Applied design and implementation | Design refinement, testing, manufacturing support, system implementation, technical operations |
| Mechanical engineering technician | Associate degree or other postsecondary training | Hands-on technical execution | CAD and documentation, assembly, measurement, testing, troubleshooting, prototype and production support |
One important nuance: BLS says mechanical engineers typically need a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or mechanical engineering technology. So a BSMET graduate may be hired into an engineering role. That does not make an associate-level technician program equivalent to a bachelor's degree, and it does not erase separate state rules for Professional Engineer licensure.
Can You Go to Trade School for Mechanical Engineering?
Yes, if what you mean is hands-on mechanical engineering technology or technician training. Technical colleges, community colleges, career-focused schools, and universities can offer MET programs. But a short trade-school credential is not a shortcut to the same education as a four-year mechanical engineering bachelor's program.
If your goal is maximum depth in calculus-based engineering analysis, advanced simulation, research, or the most direct conventional path toward PE licensure, compare bachelor's programs through our engineering schools guide. If you want applied mechanical design, testing, fabrication awareness, and manufacturing support, MET is the more natural place to look.
Certificate vs. Associate vs. Bachelor's Programs
Do not choose a credential by name alone. Schools use titles differently, and a certificate can range from a narrow CAD credential to a broader technical program. Look at the actual curriculum, labs, transfer agreements, and employer outcomes.
| Program type | Typical purpose | Best fit for | Main caution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate or diploma | Focused postsecondary skill development | Students who want a shorter route into CAD, mechanical design support, measurement, or another defined technical niche | Content and transferability vary widely; confirm that it actually supports the jobs you want |
| Associate degree in MET | Broad technician preparation | Students targeting mechanical engineering technician, test, design-support, and manufacturing-support work | Applied courses may not transfer cleanly into a traditional mechanical engineering bachelor's |
| Bachelor's degree in MET | Deeper applied engineering technology | Students seeking broader applied design, analysis, manufacturing, testing, and technical leadership opportunities | PE rules for engineering technology graduates vary by state |
| Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering | Traditional engineering preparation | Students prioritizing deeper engineering theory, mathematical analysis, design, and the conventional PE route | More intensive calculus and engineering science; generally less trade-school-like |
If you are specifically considering an associate degree, our guide to associate degrees explains how AAS, AS, and other degree structures can differ.
What You Can Learn in Mechanical Engineering Technology
The 2026-27 ABET criteria for Mechanical Engineering Technology are a useful benchmark for what a current program may emphasize. ABET-accredited associate programs are expected to address practical topics such as GD&T, CAD/design software, measurement and instrumentation, lab documentation, codes and standards, basic engineering mechanics, and an integrating or capstone experience. Baccalaureate MET criteria add deeper subjects such as calculus, manufacturing processes, materials, solid mechanics, mechanical system design, thermal sciences, circuits and controls, and technical communication.
Programs that are not ABET accredited can still be legitimate and useful, but these categories give you a strong set of questions to ask.
- CAD and engineering drawings: Creating and revising parts, assemblies, and technical drawings with 3D design software.
- GD&T: Using geometric dimensioning and tolerancing to communicate allowable variation in manufactured parts. ASME Y14.5-2018 (R2024) is the current ASME edition as of 2026.
- Measurement and metrology: Selecting, setting up, and calibrating instruments and using measurement results correctly.
- Engineering mechanics: Applying concepts such as forces, loads, motion, stress, and deformation at a depth appropriate to the credential.
- Materials and manufacturing: Understanding how material choice and production methods affect whether a design can be built reliably and economically.
- Testing and documentation: Setting up tests, collecting data, comparing results with specifications, and writing reports that another technical professional can actually use.
- Thermal, fluid, electrical, and control topics: Commonly deeper in bachelor-level MET programs and present to different degrees in associate programs.
CAD Skills Matter More Than a Particular Software Logo
You may see SolidWorks, AutoCAD, Autodesk Inventor, Creo, or other platforms in program descriptions. That can be useful, but the transferable skill is learning how to build stable parametric models, manage assemblies, create clear drawings, apply tolerances, and revise a design without turning the model tree into digital roadkill.
Where GD&T Fits
GD&T is not a separate career requirement for every technician, but it is a meaningful mechanical-design and inspection skill. ABET includes it directly in current Mechanical Engineering Technology program criteria. A program that teaches students to connect drawings, tolerances, measurement, and manufacturing is generally more useful than one that treats CAD as little more than drawing pretty shapes on a screen.
How to Tell Whether a Program Is Current
Look past the equipment glamour shots. A good lab is useful, but only if students actually use it to solve technical problems.
- Current CAD instruction: Students should build parts and assemblies and create proper technical documentation, not just learn menu commands.
- Measurement and testing: Ask which instruments students personally set up, calibrate, and use.
- GD&T and standards: Look for formal exposure to tolerancing and relevant industry codes or standards.
- Mechanical fundamentals: The program should connect drawings and software to mechanics, materials, and actual component behavior.
- Hands-on projects: Capstones, prototypes, lab reports, and test projects are stronger evidence of applied learning than a long software list.
- Manufacturing awareness: Students should understand how parts are made, measured, assembled, and inspected even if the program is not a machining program.
- Transfer documentation: If a bachelor's degree is part of your plan, ask for the written articulation agreement or destination-school transfer map before enrolling.
- Employer connection: Co-ops, internships, advisory boards, and relationships with regional employers can help keep curriculum grounded in actual work.
Which Technical Path Fits You?
MET overlaps with several fields without replacing them. Pick the program based on what you want to spend your day doing.
| If you mainly want to... | Explore this path |
|---|---|
| Do deeper engineering analysis and pursue a traditional engineering degree | Engineering |
| Design, test, document, and improve mechanical products and systems | Mechanical Engineering Technology |
| Troubleshoot integrated mechanical, electrical, sensor, and PLC systems | Mechatronics and Automation Technician |
| Focus on industrial robots and automated systems | Robotics and Automation |
| Spend most of your time producing technical drawings and CAD documentation | Drafting and CADD |
| Set up and operate machine tools and make precision parts | CNC Machining |
| Maintain, repair, and troubleshoot plant machinery | Industrial Maintenance |
Online vs. Campus Mechanical Engineering Technology Programs
Online MET programs are real. CAD, technical math, design documentation, and some analysis can translate well to remote learning. The harder question is how a program handles the physical side of the discipline.
Before choosing an online or hybrid program, ask how students complete outcomes involving measurement, instrumentation, testing, fabrication, materials, or equipment. Some programs may use remote kits, simulation, local arrangements, or a curriculum designed around outcomes that can be completed at a distance. What matters is whether the delivery model matches the skills you want to leave with.
If your goal is hands-on test-lab or manufacturing work, a program with meaningful physical lab access can be especially valuable. If your goal leans toward CAD and design documentation, a well-designed online program may fit more naturally.
Accreditation, ABET, and the PE Question
There are two different accreditation questions to check:
- Institutional accreditation applies to the college or university as a whole. It is an important baseline when evaluating federal financial-aid eligibility, institutional legitimacy, and transfer policies. Our accreditation guide explains the basics.
- ABET programmatic accreditation applies to specific engineering and engineering-technology programs. Mechanical Engineering Technology programs are evaluated through ABET's Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission (ETAC), while traditional engineering programs are generally evaluated through the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC).
ABET is not a universal hiring requirement for mechanical engineering technician jobs. It becomes more important if you care about transfer, certain employers, public-sector opportunities, or Professional Engineer licensure.
Can a Mechanical Engineering Technology Graduate Become a PE?
Potentially, but this is exactly where you should verify rather than assume. The current NCEES Model Law recognizes a bachelor's degree from an ETAC/ABET-accredited engineering technology program as an education route for PE licensure, with a longer experience requirement than the EAC/ABET engineering route under the model. States and territories write their own licensing laws, and some are more restrictive.
If a PE license is a serious long-term goal, check the engineering board in the state where you expect to practice before choosing your degree. Do not rely on a school's generic statement that a program is "engineering-related."
Will an Associate MET Degree Transfer to a Bachelor's?
It can, but the destination matters.
- MET associate to MET bachelor's: This can work very well when the schools have a formal 2+2 or articulation agreement. Some institutions explicitly build their associate programs as feeders into bachelor-level MET study.
- Applied MET associate to traditional mechanical engineering bachelor's: Expect more friction. Technical math, applied physics, and technician-oriented mechanics courses may not replace the calculus-based science and engineering sequence required by a BSME program.
If you already know you want a traditional mechanical engineering bachelor's, work backward from the four-year program. Ask that school which associate courses it will accept before you commit elsewhere. "It should transfer" is not a transfer plan.
What Does Mechanical Engineering Technology School Cost?
There is no honest single national price. Public technical colleges, community colleges, private career schools, and four-year universities can have dramatically different tuition structures.
Compare the total direct cost, not just the advertised tuition rate. Depending on the program, you may need to budget for:
- Tuition and mandatory fees
- Books and digital course materials
- A computer capable of running required CAD software
- Software or technology fees
- Safety equipment and lab supplies
- Measurement or drafting tools
- Transportation to labs, co-ops, or internships
Use each school's current cost-of-attendance information and the federal College Scorecard to compare sticker price, net price, completion information, and debt where available.
Mechanical Engineering Technology Careers, Salary, and Outlook
The cleanest national benchmark is BLS SOC 17-3027, Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians. In May 2025, the occupation had a median annual wage of $74,510, or $35.82 per hour. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $48,400, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $106,050.
Do not read those percentiles as a guaranteed new-graduate and senior-worker pay ladder. They describe the national wage distribution across workers, industries, and locations.
BLS projects employment to grow from about 36,900 jobs in 2025 to 37,400 in 2035, roughly 1 percent. That is slower than the average for all occupations, but BLS still projects about 3,100 openings per year, mostly because workers leave the occupation or labor force.
BLS also notes that automation may reduce some routine engineering and design tasks while mechanical engineering technologists and technicians remain needed to help engineers develop increasingly complex products, equipment, and systems. That is a better reason to learn measurement, testing, mechanical fundamentals, documentation, and judgment instead of betting your career on one software package.
What Jobs Can MET Graduates Pursue?
Employer titles are messy, so treat the following as examples rather than separate federal occupations:
- Mechanical engineering technician
- Mechanical design technician or designer
- Test or validation technician
- R&D technician
- Manufacturing engineering technician
- Quality or metrology technician
- Field service technician
- Applications or technical support specialist
A bachelor-level MET graduate may also compete for some jobs with "engineer" in the employer title, particularly in manufacturing, applications, product, or plant environments. The title alone does not tell you whether a role is a licensed engineering position or whether a particular degree qualifies. Read the job requirements.
Questions to Ask Before You Enroll
- What credential does the program award, and what jobs do recent graduates actually enter?
- Is the institution accredited by a U.S. Department of Education-recognized accreditor?
- Is the MET program ABET accredited? If not, why not, and does that matter for my transfer or career goals?
- Which CAD platforms are taught, and do students create complete assemblies and production drawings?
- Does the curriculum include GD&T, measurement, instrumentation, engineering mechanics, and a capstone or integrating project?
- Which lab tools and machines will I personally use rather than only observe?
- How are labs handled if the program is online?
- Are internships or co-ops built into the program?
- If I later want a BSMET or BSME, which written articulation agreements apply to my credits?
- What is the full cost after fees, software, computer requirements, tools, and travel?
Frequently Asked Questions
Is mechanical engineering technology the same as mechanical engineering?
No. Mechanical engineering technology is generally more applied and hands-on, while traditional mechanical engineering usually includes deeper theoretical mathematics and engineering analysis. Both can lead to mechanical-product and manufacturing work, but the curricula and career paths are not interchangeable.
Can I become a mechanical engineer through trade school?
A short trade-school certificate or associate-level technician program is not equivalent to the bachelor-level preparation typically expected for mechanical engineer jobs. If your goal is to work as a mechanical engineer, compare bachelor programs in mechanical engineering and mechanical engineering technology and check any licensing requirements that matter to your plans.
Is an associate degree enough to become a mechanical engineering technician?
It can be. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists an associate degree as the typical entry-level education for mechanical engineering technologists and technicians, while also noting that some workers enter with other postsecondary training. Employer requirements vary.
Does mechanical engineering technology require calculus?
It depends on the credential and program. Associate programs may emphasize algebra, trigonometry, and applied technical math. ABET's current baccalaureate Mechanical Engineering Technology criteria include elements of differential and integral calculus.
Can I study mechanical engineering technology online?
Yes, online and hybrid programs exist. Before enrolling, ask exactly how the program handles testing, measurement, instrumentation, fabrication, and other hands-on outcomes that may be harder to reproduce remotely.
Is ABET accreditation required for mechanical engineering technology?
Not for every technician job. However, ABET accreditation can be important when comparing program quality, planning a transfer, pursuing some employers or public-sector roles, or keeping Professional Engineer licensure options open. Always verify the requirements for your intended path.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians (May 2025 wage data; 2025-35 projections)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Mechanical Engineers (May 2025 wage data; 2025-35 projections)
- O*NET OnLine: Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians
- ABET: 2026-27 Criteria for Accrediting Engineering Technology Programs
- ASME: Y14.5-2018 (R2024) Dimensioning and Tolerancing
- NCEES: Engineering Licensure
Find a Mechanical Engineering Technology Program
Now you have a better filter than "find the nearest school." Compare the credential, curriculum, labs, accreditation, transfer options, and total cost against the kind of work you actually want to do. Then use the school-search tools below to explore available programs.