Universities
Universities and Colleges
Engineering enrollment across the UT System, the Texas A&M System and other major Texas programs exceeds 100,000 students. Workforce is one of the six constraints on the Texas buildout covered at Why Texas.
The Cockrell School of Engineering supplies Tesla, Samsung, Apple and other Austin metro operators, and the TIE NGMM Center runs the Next Generation Microelectronics Manufacturing (NGMM) advanced packaging program with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The wider UT Austin role is at the UT Austin Nexus.
At Texas A&M, the $226 million Texas A&M Semiconductor Institute (TSI) broke ground in April 2026 and joins AggieFab, the Cyclotron Institute and the Center for Microdevices and Systems as the research base for the Brazos Valley Semiconductor Concentration, home to Project Factory One and Terafab. The system spans 11 universities plus the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station.
| Institution | Region | Role and strengths |
|---|---|---|
| UT Austin | Austin metro, Williamson County | Cockrell School; TIE advanced packaging; semiconductor process, AI compute, aerospace, autonomous systems |
| Other UT System campuses | Statewide | UT Dallas for the DFW chip and AI base; UT San Antonio, UT El Paso, UT Rio Grande Valley, UT Permian Basin, UT Tyler |
| Texas A&M, College Station | Brazos Valley | Largest engineering enrollment in Texas; RELLIS semiconductor research; advanced manufacturing, aerospace, autonomous systems |
| Rice University | Greater Houston | AI compute and autonomous systems research |
| University of Houston System | Houston, Gulf Coast | Engineering programs across the Houston region |
| Texas Tech University System | Lubbock, Amarillo | Semiconductor process and advanced manufacturing engineering |
| SMU, TCU, Baylor | Dallas-Fort Worth, Central Texas | Private engineering; Baylor in aerospace |
Technicians
Technical Colleges and Training Programs
Heroes MAKE America and the TSTC Waco programs are covered in full at the Austin-Waco I-35/I-14 Corridor and the Fort Hood Defense Cluster; TXFAME is at the Austin-San Antonio Mega-Metro.
| Program | Where | What it trains |
|---|---|---|
| Texas State Technical College (TSTC) | 11 campuses incl. Waco, Harlingen, Williamson County, New Braunfels | Mechatronics, semiconductor technician, automation and industrial controls; aerospace training at the TSTC Waco Airport (8,600-ft runway) |
| Community colleges | ACC, Houston CC, Dallas College, San Antonio College, Lone Star, Collin, Tarrant County | Transfer paths and technician training; ACC runs semiconductor technician programs and Tesla Giga Texas partnerships |
| Heroes MAKE America | Fort Hood and TSTC Waco | Manufacturing Institute SkillBridge program: 12-week mechatronics certificate plus seven SACA certifications; three cohorts a year since 2018; over 85% placement, including Samsung Austin |
| Texas Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (TXFAME) | TSTC New Braunfels | Machining, welding, automation and controls programming; dedicated Advanced Manufacturing program from Fall 2026 |
Credentials
Certifications
Industry credentials sit alongside degrees for technicians and construction trades.
| Credential | Issuer | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Industry 4.0 Specialist series | Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA) | Mechatronics, automation and controls; seven built into Heroes MAKE America |
| Manufacturing Readiness Badges | Manufacturing Institute (National Association of Manufacturers) | Entry readiness; Leadership and Logistics badges added in 2025 |
| Semiconductor workforce credentials | SEMI and other chip-industry bodies | Fab technicians in Williamson County and statewide |
| Accredited Operations Specialist | Uptime Institute | Data center operations |
| Electrical and pipefitting trades | IBEW; United Association (UA) | Electricians and pipefitters who build fabs and data centers |
Apprenticeships
Apprenticeships and Workforce Pipelines
Union apprentices from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the UA build Giga Texas, Samsung Taylor, Meta Temple and Terafab Gibbons Creek.
| Program | Run by | Role |
|---|---|---|
| SkillBridge | Department of Defense | Employer training in a service member's final 180 days; used by Heroes MAKE America, Samsung and Tesla |
| IBEW and UA apprenticeships | Unions | Multi-year construction trade training |
| Employer-university partnerships | Employers | Samsung with Texas A&M, Tesla with ACC, Apple with UT Austin |
| Texas Skills Development Fund | Texas Workforce Commission | Grants for employer-led training |
| Registered Apprenticeship | US Department of Labor | Federal apprenticeship standard used with state programs |
State
State Agencies and Conferences
Industry conferences and employer-university workshops are listed at Austin Conferences and Expos.
| Agency | Role |
|---|---|
| Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) | Program approval, enrollment planning and financial aid |
| Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) | Workforce development, unemployment insurance, Skills Development Fund |
| Texas Workforce Investment Council (TWIC) | Governor-appointed council aligning programs with employers and schools |
| Texas Semiconductor Innovation Consortium (TSIC) | Created under the Texas CHIPS Act (SB 1083, 2023) to coordinate TIE NGMM, TSI and other chip programs |
| Governor's Office of Economic Development and Tourism | Recruits operators; administers the Texas Enterprise Fund |
Record
Dataset Record
- Sources
- UT System; Texas A&M System; TSTC; Manufacturing Institute; Texas Workforce Commission; THECB
- Last verified
- Q4 2026