Best Mechatronics AAS Programs in Oregon, Ranked (2026)

The 4 best mechatronics AAS programs in Oregon, ranked

Differentiator across the four programs is metro and employer pipeline. PCC owns Silicon Forest. MHCC owns east Portland metro plus Boeing. Linn-Benton owns the mid-Willamette Valley. Rogue owns southern Oregon. All four ladder into Oregon Tech or OSU for students continuing to a BS.

Why Oregon AAS programs place graduates so well

Oregon's mechatronics-technician wages run in the top US quintile. There are two reasons. First, Silicon Forest. Intel Hillsboro is the company's largest US site by employment with 22,000+ people. Add Lam Research, Applied Materials, Qorvo, and Tektronix, and you get one of the densest US semiconductor markets, where mechatronics technicians work on lithography tools, etchers, deposition chambers, and the rest of the fab equipment. Second, Boeing Portland and Daimler Trucks NA Portland. Boeing's composites and fabrication operation pays competitively for mechatronics-trained technicians. Daimler builds Freightliner and Western Star trucks from Portland with significant production automation.

Beyond those two anchor industries, Oregon has Precision Castparts (aerospace castings), Leatherman (tools), Microchip Technology, and broader food-processing and wood-products manufacturing across the Willamette Valley and southern Oregon. Mechatronics-technician demand is broad even outside Silicon Forest.

PCC's $69,000 placement: why Silicon Forest changes the AAS math

PCC publicly reports a median starting wage around $69,000 for graduates of the Mechatronics, Automation, and Robotics Engineering Technology AAS. That's well above the national median for mechatronics-technician AAS graduates (typically $45,000-$55,000) and reflects the Silicon Forest pay premium.

Intel Hillsboro Equipment Technician starting wages run $50,000 to $65,000 with shift differentials and overtime. Lam Research Field Service Engineer roles for entry-level techs often pay $65,000-$75,000. Applied Materials Customer Support Engineer roles are similar. Qorvo Equipment Technician roles run $55,000-$70,000. Average those across the typical PCC graduate placement mix and you land near $69,000.

The implication: if you can get into PCC's Mechatronics AAS, you're plugging into one of the country's most productive credential-to-employment markets. PCC has limited cohort sizes (the program is competitive to enroll in), but the placement outcomes justify the demand. If you can't get into PCC, MHCC's Boeing scholarship program is the next best Portland-metro path.

Top Oregon employers hiring mechatronics technicians

Intel Hillsboro (Ronler Acres, Jones Farm, Aloha)

22,000+ employees across multiple Hillsboro campuses. Largest Intel US site. Continuous equipment-technician hiring. PCC and Clackamas CC are the primary AAS pipelines.

Lam Research (Tualatin + Hillsboro)

Dominant US semiconductor wafer-processing equipment manufacturer. Field Service Engineers travel to customer fabs worldwide. Pays among the highest mechatronics-technician wages in OR.

Applied Materials (Hillsboro + Gresham)

Global semiconductor equipment leader. Customer-support and field-engineer roles plus internal manufacturing.

Qorvo (Hillsboro)

RF chip manufacturer. Equipment-technician roles across RF chip production lines.

Boeing Portland

Composites, fabrication, and machining. MHCC's Boeing scholarship program is the primary pipeline. About 1,800 employees in Portland.

Daimler Trucks NA Portland (Freightliner, Western Star)

Daimler Trucks NA headquarters in Portland. Class 8 truck assembly. Significant mechatronics work across truck-manufacturing automation.

Precision Castparts (PCC, multiple OR plants), Tektronix Beaverton, Leatherman, Microchip Gresham

The broader Portland-metro and Willamette Valley manufacturing employer base. Aerospace castings, test equipment, tools, semiconductors. Thousands more mechatronics-technician roles.

Willamette Valley food processing + wood products

Linn-Benton CC's primary placement base. Food processing (frozen vegetables, juices, dairy), wood products, and metal-fabrication shops across the mid-Willamette Valley.

Southern OR forestry + manufacturing

Rogue CC's primary placement base. Wood products, forestry equipment, and rural manufacturing across southern Oregon.

Mechatronics technician salary in Oregon

• Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists (SOC 17-3024) in OR: median around $66,000 to $74,000. Top US quintile.
• Mechanical Engineering Technologists (SOC 17-3027) in OR: median around $58,000 to $66,000.
• Industrial Machinery Mechanics (SOC 49-9041) in OR: median around $60,000 to $68,000 with significant overtime.
• Entry-level AAS holders typically start around $50,000 to $58,000. PCC graduates land at about $69,000 median through Silicon Forest placement.
• Cost of living in Portland metro runs around 110 percent of US average. Eugene and Salem 95-100 percent. Rural OR 85-92 percent.

Paying for an Oregon mechatronics AAS

• PCC tuition: around $143/credit. Full 90-credit AAS runs about $12,870 total.
• MHCC tuition: around $124/credit. Full AAS about $11,160. Plus Boeing scholarship for selected students.
• Linn-Benton tuition: around $112/credit. Full AAS about $10,080.
• Rogue CC tuition: around $110/credit. Full AAS about $9,900.
• Federal Pell Grants: up to $7,395/year. Covers most or all tuition for eligible students at any OR CC.
• Oregon Opportunity Grant: state need-based aid for OR residents.
• Oregon Promise: covers tuition minus other aid at OR community colleges for recent high school graduates.
• Boeing scholarship at MHCC: tuition and fees covered for selected MHCC Mechatronics AAS students with Boeing pipeline placement.

Best Oregon cities for mechatronics careers

Portland metro / Hillsboro / Beaverton

Silicon Forest. PCC and MHCC are the primary CC pipelines. Highest mechatronics-technician wages in OR.

Gresham / east Portland metro

Home to MHCC. Microchip Technology Gresham, Boeing supplier base, plus broader east-metro manufacturing.

Corvallis / Albany / mid-Willamette Valley

Linn-Benton CC in Albany, OSU in Corvallis (20 minutes north). Food processing, wood products, metal-fabrication base. OSU Robotics graduate program for ladder-up students.

Grants Pass / White City / southern Oregon

Rogue CC's Table Rock High Technology Center (opened 2018). Wood products and rural manufacturing. Lowest cost of living of any OR region.

Wilsonville / south Portland metro

Oregon Tech's Wilsonville campus delivers the Robotics Dual Major BS for students continuing from a CC AAS. Silicon Forest-adjacent location.

How we ranked Oregon mechatronics AAS programs

Every program scored on our 7-factor methodology: accreditation (25 percent), program leadership (15 percent), pathways and laddering (15 percent), delivery format (15 percent), employer signal (15 percent), cost and affordability (10 percent), reputation (5 percent). See the full methodology breakdown. PCC scores highest on employer signal because of the reported $69K placement outcomes and direct Silicon Forest alignment. MHCC scores well on employer signal because of the Boeing scholarship. Linn-Benton and Rogue score competitively for regional placement.

Oregon mechatronics AAS: frequently asked questions

Sources

• BLS OEWS for SOC 17-3024, 17-3027, and 49-9041 in Oregon, May 2024 release.
• Business Oregon: state manufacturing employment data including Silicon Forest.
• Portland Community College Mechatronics AAS.
• Mt. Hood Community College Mechatronics AAS.
• Linn-Benton Community College Mechatronics.
• Rogue Community College Mechatronics.
• Oregon Tech Robotics, Autonomous Systems, and Control Engineering: the BS transfer destination.
• NWCCU: Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities institutional accreditation for all OR community colleges referenced.