---

Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD

Types of Degrees Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD Majors Are Earning

Those studying Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	135
Associate’s Degree	340
Bachelor’s Degree	13
Master’s Degree	441

What Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD Majors Need to Know

Studies in Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Design — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 6.1 / 7.
• Engineering and Technology — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• Mechanical — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Mathematics — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Near Vision — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Mathematical Reasoning — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Visualization — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.7 / 7
Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment	4.7 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.9 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.8 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.7 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	3.7 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	3.7 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.5 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
NavisWorks Jetstream	Computer aided design CAD software	✓
Piping and instrumentation design PID software	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Three-dimensional scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
Extensible markup language XML	Enterprise application integration software	—
Autodesk Inventor	Computer aided design CAD software	—
1CadCam Unigraphics	Computer aided manufacturing CAM software	—
ESRI ArcGIS software	Geographic information system	—
Scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
Adobe LiveMotion	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Adobe After Effects	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD graduates include:

• Design Checker
• Technical Designer
• Body Design Checker
• Controls Designer
• Auto Design Layout Drafter (Automotive Design Layout Drafter)
• Architectural Drafter
• CAD Operator (Computer-Aided Design Operator)
• Installation Drafter
• AutoCAD Drafter
• Auto Design Drafter (Automotive Design Drafter)
• Auto Design Detailer
• Mechanical Design Drafter
• AutoCAD Designer
• CAD Draughter (Computer Aided Design Draughter)
• Furniture Detailer

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	61.3%
Bachelor’s degree	20.2%
Postsecondary certificate	8.0%
Some college courses	7.5%
Master’s degree	2.8%
Post-doctoral training	0.1%
First professional degree	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 81.1% of Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	176	18.9%
Men	756	81.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	600	64.4%
Asian	51	5.5%
Hispanic or Latino	167	17.9%
Black or African American	36	3.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	9	1.0%
Two or More Races	27	2.9%
Race Unknown	33	3.5%
International Students	9	1.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$43,976
4 years	$45,788
5 years	$51,867

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $51,867 — roughly 18% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	6	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

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

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD graduates earn a median of $45,788 four years after completion — roughly 20% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians	9,702
Drafting and Design Technology/Technician, General	4,395
Mechanical/Mechanical Engineering Technology/Technician	3,162
CAD/CADD Drafting and/or Design Technology/Technician	2,476
Architectural Drafting and Architectural CAD/CADD	1,623
Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering Technology/Technician	1,144
Automotive Engineering Technology/Technician	1,112
Civil Drafting and Civil Engineering CAD/CADD	108
Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Other	68
Electrical/Electronics Drafting and Electrical/Electronics CAD/CADD	60
3-D Modeling and Design Technology/Technician	40

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.