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Best Value Drafting & Design Engineering Basic Certificate Schools in the Southwest Region

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2023 Best Value Drafting & Design Engineering Basic Certificate Schools in the Southwest Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

8 Colleges
$5,891 Avg Tuition & Fees*

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're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Trade College Search has developed this Best Value Drafting & Design Engineering Basic Certificate Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. This report analyzed 8 schools in the Southwest Region to see which ones offered the best value basic certificate programs for design engineering tech students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. 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.

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

2023 Best Value Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Basic Certificate Schools in the Southwest Region

Check out the design engineering tech basic certificate programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Best Southwest Region Schools for Affordable Quality for an Award Taking Less Than 1 Year in Drafting & Design Engineering

#1

Lee College

Baytown, TX

Our 2023 rankings named Lee College the best value school in the Southwest Region for drafting & design engineering technology students working on their basic certificate. Lee College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Baytown.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Lee College are $4,302 a year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Lee College also is in the top 10% of our Best Drafting & Design Engineering Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Southwest Region ranking.

Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Lee College Report

#2

Tyler Junior College

Tyler, TX

The excellent basic certificate programs at Tyler Junior College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value drafting & design engineering technology schools in the Southwest Region . Tyler Junior College is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Tyler.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Tyler Junior College are $4,440 per year.

Read full report on Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Tyler Junior College

#3

Amarillo College

Amarillo, TX

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Amarillo College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Drafting & Design Engineering Basic Certificate Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the medium-sized city of Amarillo, Amarillo College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Amarillo College are $4,704 a year.

Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Amarillo College Report

#4

Del Mar College

Corpus Christi, TX

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Del Mar College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Drafting & Design Engineering Basic Certificate Schools in the Southwest Region list. DMC is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Corpus Christi.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at DMC are $5,990 a year.

Read full report on Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Del Mar College

#5

Laredo College

Laredo, TX

Out of the 8 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Laredo College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Laredo, Laredo College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Laredo College are $5,748 per year.

Read More…

Houston 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 Houston, Houston Community College is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Houston Community College are $5,460 per year.

Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Houston Community College Report

Austin Community College District ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Drafting & Design Engineering Basic Certificate Schools in the Southwest Region list. Austin Community College District is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Austin.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Austin Community College District are $10,590 per year.

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

With a ranking of #8, Tarrant County College District did quite well on this year’s best value schools for drafting & design engineering technology students working on their basic certificate. Located in the city of Fort Worth, Tarrant County College is a public school with a very large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Tarrant County College are $8,235 per year.

Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Tarrant County College District Report

Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Colleges by State

Explore the best drafting & design engineering technology schools for a specific state in the Southwest region.

State Degrees Awarded
Arizona 150
Texas 1,107
Oklahoma 240
New Mexico 46

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.

  • 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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