Find Trade Colleges

Best Drafting & Design Engineering Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Plains States Region

2023 Best Drafting & Design Engineering Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Plains States Region

8 Colleges

Finding the Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Basic Certificate 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.

The Best Drafting & Design Engineering Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Plains States Region ranking is one of many tools that Trade College Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 8 schools in the Plains States Region to see which basic certificate programs offered the best educational experiences for trade school students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region

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

Top Plains States Region Trade Schools for an Award Taking Less Than 1 Year in Drafting & Design Engineering

#1

Ridgewater College

Willmar, MN

Our analysis found Ridgewater College to be the best school for drafting & design engineering technology students who want to pursue a basic certificate in the Plains States Region . Located in the town of Willmar, Ridgewater College is a public school with a small student population.

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

Request Information
#2

Hennepin Technical College

Brooklyn Park, MN

Out of the 8 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Hennepin Technical College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Brooklyn Park, Hennepin Technical College is a public college with a small student population.

Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Hennepin Technical College Report

Request Information

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Northeast Community College is a great place for drafting & design engineering technology students working on their basic certificate. Located in the remote town of Norfolk, Northeast is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Read More…

Request Information

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Anoka Technical College is a great place for drafting & design engineering technology students working on their basic certificate. Located in the large suburb of Anoka, Anoka Technical College is a public school with a small student population.

Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Anoka Technical College Report

Request Information
#5

Kirkwood Community College

Cedar Rapids, IA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Kirkwood Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Drafting & Design Engineering Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Plains States Region list. Kirkwood Community College is a large public school located in the midsize city of Cedar Rapids.

Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Kirkwood Community College Report

Request Information
#6

Central Community College

Grand Island, NE

Central Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for drafting & design engineering technology students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the small city of Grand Island, Central Community College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Central Community College Report

Request Information

Western Dakota Technical Institute landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best basic certificate drafting & design engineering technology programs. Western Dakota Tech is a small public school located in the rural area of Rapid City.

Read More…

Request Information

Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology ranked #8 on this year’s Best Drafting & Design Engineering Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Plains States Region list. WSU Tech is a medium-sized public school located in the rural area of Wichita.

Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology 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 8 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.