How to become an electrician in Maryland

8,000 hours of supervised work, then the state exam.² Maryland licenses electricians through the Maryland State Board of Master Electricians.¹

8,000hours of work before the exam

Pick your way in

Every route ends at the same place: 8,000 logged hours and the state exam.

A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.

Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.

Get hired as a helper by a licensed electrical contractor and log hours on the job.

journeyperson from the Maryland State Board of Master Electricians.

Start as an apprentice or trainee
Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.
Issued by
Maryland State Board of Master Electricians
Compare the ways in
Log 8,000 hours8,000 hrs
About 4 years of full-time work under a licensed electrician. Plus 576 classroom hours. Keep your own log of hours and pay stubs.
Issued by
Your employer signs off
Time
8,000 hrs
What counts as hours
Pass the journeyperson exam
Apply to the Maryland State Board of Master Electricians with your hours, then book the exam with PSI Exams.
Issued by
Maryland State Board of Master Electricians
Exam, fees and code book
Keep it currentEvery 2 years
Renew every 2 years. 10 hours of continuing education per license term for a master electrician and 5 hours for a journeyperson
Issued by
Maryland State Board of Master Electricians
Time
Every 2 years
Renewal and continuing education
Run your own shop
Master: 7 years under a licensed master electrician, or reciprocity
Issued by
State Board of Electricians
Maryland contractor license

Already logging hours?

Exam vendor, code book, fees, renewal and reciprocity for the Maryland journeyperson.

Pay once you're working

$73,490

a year is the median for electricians in Maryland ($35.33 an hour, May 2025).⁴

Maryland median $35.33 an hour

About 4 years of full-time work: the journeyperson requires 8,000 hours of supervised experience.²

Yes. Maryland licenses electrical contractors through the State Board of Electricians.²

Projections Central expects about 1,520 electrician openings a year in Maryland through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.³

Next step

58 registered programs in Maryland. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.