Architectural Drafting & CAD/CADD

Types of Degrees Architectural Drafting & CAD/CADD Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many architectural drafting and architectural CAD/CADD graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Associate Degree	566
Basic Certificate	344
Undergraduate Certificate	204
Bachelor’s Degree	27

What Architectural Drafting & CAD/CADD Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, architectural drafting and architectural CAD/CADD majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Architectural Drafting and Architectural CAD/CADD Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Building and Construction - Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

Skills for Architectural Drafting and Architectural CAD/CADD Majors

When studying architectural drafting and architectural CAD/CADD, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Systems Analysis - Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.

Abilities for Architectural Drafting and Architectural CAD/CADD Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a architectural drafting and architectural CAD/CADD student include the following:

• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Visualization - The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Architectural Drafting & CAD/CADD Major?

People with a architectural drafting and architectural CAD/CADD degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Architectural Drafters	8.1%	$54,920

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Architectural Drafting & CAD/CADD?

This major attracts more men than women. About 64% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of architectural drafting and architectural CAD/CADD majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	36
Black or African American	36
Hispanic or Latino	139
White	287
International Students	25
Other Races/Ethnicities	43

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Architectural Drafting and Architectural CAD/CADD, too. About 4.4% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Architectural Drafting & CAD/CADD Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

The median salary for someone in a career related to architectural drafting and architectural CAD/CADD is $56,700. This median refers to all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Architectural Drafting & CAD/CADD

Some degrees associated with architectural drafting and architectural CAD/CADD may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to architectural drafting and architectural CAD/CADD have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.4%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	0.9%
Some College Courses	0.4%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	17.3%
Bachelor’s Degree	52.8%
Master’s Degree	25.0%

Online Architectural Drafting & CAD/CADD Programs

In 2020-2021, 139 schools offered a architectural drafting and architectural CAD/CADD program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	56	1
Certificate (2-4 Years)	4	0
Associate’s Degree	89	3
Bachelor’s Degree	0	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	1	1
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Architectural Drafting & CAD/CADD Worth It?

The median salary for a architectural drafting and architectural CAD/CADD grad is $56,700 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 42% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $336,000 after 20 years!

Trades Related to Architectural Drafting & CAD/CADD

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to architectural drafting and architectural CAD/CADD.

Major	Number of Grads
General Drafting & Design Technology	4,140
CAD/CADD Drafting &/or Design Technology	2,233
Mechanical Drafting & Mechanical Drafting CAD/CADD	1,082
Civil Drafting & Civil Engineering CAD/CADD	86
Other Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies	70
Electrical/Electronics Drafting & Electrical/Electronics CAD/CADD	49
3-D Modeling and Design Technology	18

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Pixabay under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.