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Best Value Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota

2023 Best Value Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

7 Colleges
$8,755 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$41,027 Avg Salary

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

With 333 degrees and certificates handed out in 2021-2022, drafting & design engineering technology is the #13 most popular major in Minnesota.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which trade school program is right for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country.

The Best Value Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota ranking is one of many tools that Trade College Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 7 schools in Minnesota to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for design engineering tech students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

Best Minnesota Schools for Affordable Quality for an Associate in Drafting & Design Engineering

#1

Ridgewater College

Willmar, MN

Our analysis found Ridgewater College to be the best value school for drafting & design engineering technology students who want to pursue a associate degree in Minnesota. Located in the town of Willmar, Ridgewater College is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Ridgewater College are $6,114 a year. On average, design engineering tech graduates from Ridgewater College take out $11,004 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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#2

Hennepin Technical College

Brooklyn Park, MN

Out of the 7 schools in Minnesota 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.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Hennepin Technical College are $5,881 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, design engineering tech majors at Hennepin Technical College accumulate an average of around $15,852 in student debt.

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The excellent associate degree programs at Alexandria Technical & Community College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value drafting & design engineering technology schools in Minnesota. Located in the remote town of Alexandria, ATCC is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at ATCC are $6,107 a year. On average, design engineering tech graduates from ATCC take out $13,354 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, ATCC is ranked #1 for overall quality for design engineering tech in Minnesota.

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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means St Cloud Technical and Community College is a great value for drafting & design engineering technology students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Saint Cloud, St Cloud Technical and Community College is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at St Cloud Technical and Community College are $6,075 a year. Design Engineering Tech majors at St Cloud Technical and Community College take out an average of $11,155 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Out of the 7 schools in Minnesota that were part of this year’s ranking, Anoka Technical College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Anoka, Anoka Technical College is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Anoka Technical College are $6,075 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, design engineering tech graduates from Anoka Technical College carry an average student debtload of $15,210.

Anoka Technical College also made our Best Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools in Minnesota list, coming in at #5.

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Dakota County Technical College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree drafting & design engineering technology programs. DCTC is a small public school located in the rural area of Rosemount.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at DCTC are $6,419 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, design engineering tech majors at DCTC accumulate an average of around $14,341 in student debt.

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Dunwoody College of Technology ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota list. Dunwoody College of Technology is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Minneapolis.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Dunwoody College of Technology are $24,611 per year. On average, design engineering tech graduates from Dunwoody College of Technology take out $15,813 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Dunwoody College of Technology is ranked #2 for overall quality for design engineering tech in Minnesota.

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Best Value Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Value Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Colleges in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Kansas 130
Missouri 137
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

Majors Similar to Design Engineering Tech

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 7 schools only.

  • 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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