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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 college with a small student population.

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#2

Hennepin Technical College

Brooklyn Park, MN

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Hennepin Technical College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Drafting & Design Engineering Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the large suburb of Brooklyn Park, Hennepin Technical College is a public college with a small student population.

Read full report on Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Hennepin Technical College

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Northeast Community College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Drafting & Design Engineering Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Plains States Region list. 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

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Anoka Technical College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Drafting & Design Engineering Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the large suburb of Anoka, Anoka Technical College is a public college with a small student population.

Read full report on Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Anoka Technical College

#5

Kirkwood Community College

Cedar Rapids, IA

Out of the 8 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Kirkwood Community College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Kirkwood Community College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Cedar Rapids.

Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Kirkwood Community College Report

#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 city of Grand Island, Central Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

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Western Dakota Technical Institute came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Drafting & Design Engineering Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Western Dakota Tech is a small public school located in the rural area of Rapid City.

Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Western Dakota Technical Institute Report

Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best basic certificate drafting & design engineering technology programs. WSU Tech is a medium-sized public school located in the rural area of Wichita.

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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.

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