I think you need, first of all, to be careful with your terms. Words mean things ... sometimes very specific things ... and can have a direct bearing on the answers you get.
"Journey" men pre-date college degrees by several centuries. Then, as now, they were expected to follow the work, from job to job. Sure, today most limit their travels to the same community ... but the actual place they work changes daily.
The short answer is: to become a Journeyman, you MUST first be an apprentice. Not so long ago, this meant having a recognized master take you under his wing for several years of work and training.
Today, the "Journeyman" credential is issued either by a Union, or a government body (usually local). The "apprentice" programs are regulated under Federal DOL standards, and usually monitored by your state.
The effect of all this is that it is almost impossible to be allowed to even sit for the Journeyman test without first being accepted to a state-recognized apprenticeship program. Such programs typically require four years of specific course work (which may earn an Associates' degree), and at least the equivalent of 4 years of full time work, for a licensed electrical contractor, with the work documented to cover different parts of the trade. 4 calendar years of seasonal work roping houses won't suffice.
NOW- maybe you didn't really mean 'journeyman electrician.' Perhaps it is your intent to, say, work in a factory, keeping things running. This is honorable, and skilled, work. While sharing many things with the work performed by a journeyman, there is a much heavier emphasis on controls and motors. You'll never be dealing with services or 3-way switches.
For this work, there are a variety of trade schools and community colleges with 'industrial maintenance' programs. These typically result in an Associates' Degree.
Finally ... the "4 year degree" you mention. I am not aware of ANY such degree that will result in your being able to take a Journeyman test anywhere. Not even 'electrical engineering;' that's a different discipline altogether.
In Virginia to take the Journeyman Electrician test:
http://www.contractors-license.org/va/Virginia.html- four years of practical trade experience and 240 hours of vocational training.
- an associate degree from a Department-approved program and two years of practical experience
- an bachelor's degree from a
Department-approved program and one year of practical experience
- ten years of documented Department-approved practical experience
For Virginia, Electrical Engineering is an approved program. But i cant find what other degrees count.
