by our College Data Analytics TeamPeople and goods travel by air, ground, or sea and need trained professionals to build, operate and manage transportation equipment, as well as to plan routes and direct traffic. A program in Transportation and Materials Moving will provide with the technical knowledge and skills needed to operate and maintain these means of transportation.
Two majors associated with this field are Air Transportation and Marine Transportation. Students involved in these majors will learn the historic and present uses for these crafts. Courses in an Air Transportation program include: ground support operations, aviation safety, air traffic control, and federal aviation regulations. Marine Transportation students will take courses in crew supervision, catch identification, safety procedures, decompression systems, and diving safety procedures.
This major is commonly offered as a Bachelor's degree, however depending on which concentration you choose you can receive it as an associate's degree or certification.
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
BS in Operations Management - Logistics & Transportation
Enhance your Bachelor of Science in Operations Management with a concentration in Logistics and Transportation at Southern New Hampshire University.
Transportation & Materials Moving was the 33rd most popular major in the 2021-2022 school year. Colleges in the United States reported awarding 33,306 degrees in this year alone. Our 2025 Best Transportation & Materials Moving Schools ranking analyzes 62 of these schools to determine the best overall colleges for transportation & materials moving students. Continue reading to check out one of our many unbiased rankings of transportation & materials moving programs later in this article.
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
BS in Operations Management - Logistics & Transportation
Enhance your Bachelor of Science in Operations Management with a concentration in Logistics and Transportation at Southern New Hampshire University.
Careers in this field often involve working outdoors lifting heavy materials and braving extreme weather conditions. Students should enjoy working outdoors and possess physical strength and stamina. Working at sea or in the sky can be unpredictable. You will be required to make quick decisions and remain calm under chaotic conditions.
Communication skills are essential to this major, as you will be working directly with others and need to follow directions carefully. If you are a problem solver and are able to make quick decisions, this major is for you. Many programs require or encourage internships to allow students to gain first-hand experience in the field.
New students will need to have completed high school or a GED program and each school will have their own minimum GPA and SAT/ACT test requirements. Specific transportation & materials moving careers may require a certain level of degree attainment or additional certifications beyond that.
There are many different transportation & materials moving degree levels. You can spend many years getting as high as a in transportation & materials moving to something that takes less time like a . How long it takes to complete some common transportation & materials moving degree levels is shown below.
| Degree | Credit Requirements | Typical Program Length |
|---|---|---|
| Associate Degree | 60-70 credits | 2 years |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 120 credits | 4 years |
| Master’s Degree | 50-70 credits | 1-3 years |
| Doctorate | Program required coursework including thesis or dissertation | At least 4 years |
A bachelor's degree is the most common level of education achieved by those in careers related to transportation & materials moving, with approximately 9.5% of workers getting one. See the the most common levels of education for transportation & materials moving workers below.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma | 50.2% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 16.1% |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 9.6% |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 8.8% |
| Some College Courses | 6.3% |
View the chart below to get an idea of what degree level most of those in transportation & materials moving careers have.
The education level required is different depending on the transportation & materials moving career you are seeking.
Careers in this field involve transportation vehicles and spending time working outdoors. Some jobs in the field of air transportation are: Aircraft Pilot, Air Traffic Controller, Airline Flight Attendant, and Aircraft and Avionics equipment mechanics and technicians. Jobs in the Marine Transportation field are : ship captain, executive officer, engineers and ranking mates, fisher and related fishing worker, fishing operations supervisor, deep-water or scuba diver, or diving instructor. Other positions include warehouse manager, trucking manager, logistics specialist, regional planner and others.
Want a job when you graduate with your transportation & materials moving degree? Transportation & Materials Moving careers are expected to grow 6.3% between 2016 and 2026.
The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to transportation & materials moving.
| Occupation Name | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 1,980,100 | 5.8% |
| Light Truck or Delivery Services Drivers | 1,015,600 | 6.5% |
| Operating Engineers and Construction Equipment Operators | 416,900 | 12.3% |
| Transportation Supervisors | 217,700 | 6.6% |
| Highway Maintenance Workers | 160,200 | 6.9% |
Recently graduated transportation & materials moving students earned an average of $47,171 in <nil>. Earnings can range from as low as $18,387 to as high as $104,007. As you might expect, salaries for transportation & materials moving graduates vary depending on the level of education that was acquired.
Salaries for transportation & materials moving graduates can vary widely by the occupation you choose as well. The following table shows the top highest paying careers transportation & materials moving grads often go into.
| Occupation Name | Median Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $169,560 |
| Air Traffic Controllers | $120,830 |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | $102,850 |
| Commercial Pilots | $96,530 |
| Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels | $82,380 |
With over 1,017 different transportation & materials moving degree programs to choose from, finding the best fit for you can be a challenge. Fortunately you have come to the right place. We have analyzed all of these schools to come up with hundreds of unbiased transportation & materials moving school rankings to help you with this.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Ground Transportation | 21,480 |
| Air Transportation | 10,326 |
| Marine Transportation | 1,493 |
| Other Transportation & Materials Moving | 7 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Personal & Culinary Services | 149,352 |
| Mechanic & Repair Technologies | 105,741 |
| Precision Production | 55,411 |
| Construction Trades | 40,802 |
Image Credit: By Alessandro Aceri under License More about our data sources and methodologies.
