Find Trade Colleges

Best Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools in the Plains States Region

2023 Best Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools in the Plains States Region

17 Colleges
$41,027 Avg Salary
$12,811 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Associate Degree School for You

Drafting & Design Engineering Technology is the #20 most popular major in the country with 8,822 degrees and certificates awarded in 2021-2022.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for trade school students. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Trade College Search has developed this Best Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. This report analyzed 17 schools in the Plains States Region to see which ones offered the best associate degree programs for trade school students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for design engineering tech majors pursuing a associate degree.

Top 10 Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Associate Degree Schools

#1

Ridgewater College

Willmar, MN

Our 2023 rankings named Ridgewater College the best school in the Plains States Region for drafting & design engineering technology students working on their associate degree. Located in the town of Willmar, Ridgewater College is a public school with a small student population.

While working on their Associate Degree, design engineering tech majors at Ridgewater College accumulate an average of around $11,004 in student debt.

Read full report on Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Ridgewater College

Request Information

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Dunwoody College of Technology. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools in the Plains States Region list. Dunwoody College of Technology is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Minneapolis.

While working on their Associate Degree, design engineering tech majors at Dunwoody College of Technology accumulate an average of around $15,813 in student debt.

Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Dunwoody College of Technology Report

Request Information

The excellent associate degree programs at Northeast Community College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best drafting & design engineering technology schools in the Plains States Region . Located in the remote town of Norfolk, Northeast is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Read full report on Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Northeast Community College

Request Information
#4

Southeast Technical College

Sioux Falls, SD

The excellent associate degree programs at Southeast Technical College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best drafting & design engineering technology schools in the Plains States Region . Southeast Tech is a small public school located in the rural area of Sioux Falls.

Read More…

Request Information

The excellent associate degree programs at Alexandria Technical & Community College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best drafting & design engineering technology schools in the Plains States Region . Located in the town of Alexandria, ATCC is a public college with a small student population.

While working on their Associate Degree, design engineering tech majors at ATCC accumulate an average of around $13,354 in student debt.

Read More…

Request Information

St Cloud Technical and Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for drafting & design engineering technology students to get a associate degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the city of Saint Cloud, St Cloud Technical and Community College is a public school with a small student population.

After completing their Associate Degree, design engineering tech graduates from St Cloud Technical and Community College carry an average student debtload of $11,155.

Read full report on Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at St Cloud Technical and Community College

Request Information
#7

Hennepin Technical College

Brooklyn Park, MN

Hennepin Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for drafting & design engineering technology students to get a associate degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Brooklyn Park, Hennepin Technical College is a public college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that design engineering tech majors at Hennepin Technical College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $15,852.

Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Hennepin Technical College Report

Request Information

Western Iowa Tech Community College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree drafting & design engineering technology programs. Located in the small city of Sioux City, Western Iowa Tech Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Read More…

Request Information

Dakota County Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for drafting & design engineering technology students to get a associate degree. It came in at #9 on the list. DCTC is a small public school located in the rural area of Rosemount.

The average amount in student loans that design engineering tech majors at DCTC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $14,341.

Read More…

Request Information

Anoka Technical College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the large suburb of Anoka, Anoka Technical College is a public college with a small student population.

On average, design engineering tech graduates from Anoka Technical College take out $15,210 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Anoka Technical College Report

Request Information

Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Colleges by State

Explore the best drafting & design engineering technology colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Kansas 130
Missouri 137
Minnesota 333
South Dakota 20
Iowa 103
Nebraska 152

Drafting & Design Engineering Technology is one of 18 different types of trade school programs to choose from.

Design Engineering Tech Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Drafting & Design Technology 4,028
CAD/CADD Drafting &/or Design Technology 2,179
Architectural Drafting & Architectural CAD/CADD 1,318
Mechanical Drafting & Mechanical Drafting CAD/CADD 1,058
Civil Drafting & Civil Engineering CAD/CADD 104
Other Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies 72
Electrical/Electronics Drafting & Electrical/Electronics CAD/CADD 47

Related Major Annual Graduates
Industrial Production Technology 11,288
Electromechanical Engineering Technology 10,780
Environmental Control Technology 9,376
Electronics Engineering Technology 8,347
Engineering-Related Fields 6,553

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 17 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Pixabay.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Find Trade Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited trade schools across the U.S.