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Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools

2023 Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools

422 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.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which trade school program is right for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Trade College Search has developed this Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 422 schools in the United States to see which associate degree programs were the most popular for trade school students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Drafting & Design Engineering Technology program at each school on the list.

The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Associate Degree Colleges.

#1

Ivy Tech Community College

Indianapolis, IN

Our analysis found Ivy Tech Community College to be the most popular school for drafting & design engineering technology students who want to pursue a associate degree in the United States. Located in the city of Indianapolis, Ivy Tech Community College is a public school with a fairly large student population.

About 21% of the students majoring in design engineering tech at the school are women while 79% are male.

Design Engineering Tech majors at Ivy Tech Community College take out an average of $11,986 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means New York City College of Technology is a great place for drafting & design engineering technology students working on their associate degree. Located in the large city of Brooklyn, City Tech is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Of the 42 students majoring in design engineering tech at City Tech, 55% are male and 45% are female.

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Out of the 422 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jacinto Community College landed the # 3 spot on the list. San Jacinto College is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Pasadena.

Of the 63 students majoring in design engineering tech at San Jacinto College, 71% are male and 29% are female.

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The in-demand associate degree programs at Austin Community College District helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular drafting & design engineering technology schools in the United States. Austin Community College District is a very large public school located in the large city of Austin.

Women make up 30% of the design engineering tech majors at the school.

Design Engineering Tech majors at Austin Community College District take out an average of $16,915 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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The in-demand associate degree programs at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular drafting & design engineering technology schools in the United States. Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the rural area of Perkinston.

Women make up 24% of the design engineering tech majors at the school.

After completing their Associate Degree, design engineering tech graduates from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College carry an average student debt load of $11,012.

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#6

Hennepin Technical College

Brooklyn Park, MN

Hennepin Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for drafting & design engineering technology students to get a associate degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the suburb of Brooklyn Park, Hennepin Technical College is a public school with a small student population.

Of the 33 students majoring in design engineering tech at Hennepin Technical College, 61% are male and 39% are female.

Design Engineering Tech majors at Hennepin Technical College take out an average of $15,852 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Anne Arundel Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools ranking. Located in the large suburb of Arnold, AACC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Of the 31 students majoring in design engineering tech at AACC, 29% are male and 71% are female.

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

Of the 43 students majoring in design engineering tech at WSU Tech, 79% are male and 21% are female.

After completing their Associate Degree, design engineering tech graduates from WSU Tech carry an average student debt load of $17,233.

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Utah Valley University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools ranking. UVU is a fairly large public school located in the city of Orem.

Women make up 24% of the design engineering tech majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that design engineering tech majors at UVU take out while working on their Associate Degree is $10,353.

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#9

Montgomery College

Rockville, MD

Montgomery College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools ranking. Located in the city of Rockville, Montgomery College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 41% of the design engineering tech majors at the school.

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Houston Community College ranked #11 on this year’s Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools list. Located in the large city of Houston, Houston Community College is a public school with a very large student population.

Women make up 42% of the design engineering tech majors at the school.

While working on their Associate Degree, design engineering tech majors at Houston Community College accumulate an average of around $15,837 in student debt.

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Queensborough Community College landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree drafting & design engineering technology programs. Located in the city of Bayside, QCC is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

About 32% of the students majoring in design engineering tech at the school are women while 68% are male.

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Macomb Community College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools ranking. Macomb Community College is a large public school located in the midsize city of Warren.

Of the 37 students majoring in design engineering tech at Macomb Community College, 73% are male and 27% are female.

On average, design engineering tech graduates from Macomb Community College take out $7,239 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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#13

El Centro College

Dallas, TX

With a ranking of #13, El Centro College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for drafting & design engineering technology students working on their associate degree. El Centro College is a very large public school located in the city of Dallas.

About 29% of the students majoring in design engineering tech at the school are women while 71% are male.

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#13

Grand Rapids Community College

Grand Rapids, MI

Grand Rapids Community College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools ranking. Grand Rapids Community College is a large public school located in the city of Grand Rapids.

Women make up 7% of the design engineering tech majors at the school.

After completing their Associate Degree, design engineering tech graduates from Grand Rapids Community College carry an average student debt load of $12,361.

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Waukesha County Technical College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools ranking. WCTC is a moderately-sized public school located in the large suburb of Pewaukee.

Women make up 25% of the design engineering tech majors at the school.

On average, design engineering tech graduates from WCTC take out $19,578 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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St Cloud Technical and Community College landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree drafting & design engineering technology programs. Located in the city of Saint Cloud, St Cloud Technical and Community College is a public school with a small student population.

Women make up 41% of the design engineering tech majors at the school.

On average, design engineering tech graduates from St Cloud Technical and Community College take out $11,155 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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With a ranking of #17, Lake Washington Institute of Technology did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for drafting & design engineering technology students working on their associate degree. Located in the large suburb of Kirkland, LWTech is a public school with a small student population.

Women make up 30% of the design engineering tech majors at the school.

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Island Drafting and Technical Institute ranked #17 on this year’s Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Amityville, Island Drafting and Technical Institute is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

Of the 22 students majoring in design engineering tech at Island Drafting and Technical Institute, 86% are male and 14% are female.

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#17

Lee College

Baytown, TX

Lee College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools ranking. Lee College is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Baytown.

Women make up 26% of the design engineering tech majors at the school.

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#17

Oakland Community College

Auburn Hills, MI

Oakland Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for drafting & design engineering technology students to get a associate degree. It came in at #17 on the list. Oakland Community College is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Auburn Hills.

Women make up 21% of the design engineering tech majors at the school.

On average, design engineering tech graduates from Oakland Community College take out $12,782 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Tarrant County College District did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for drafting & design engineering technology students to get a associate degree. It came in at #17 on the list. Located in the city of Fort Worth, Tarrant County College is a public college with a very large student population.

Of the 10 students majoring in design engineering tech at Tarrant County College, 60% are male and 40% are female.

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#23

Dunwoody College of Technology

Minneapolis, MN

Dunwoody College of Technology did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for drafting & design engineering technology students to get a associate degree. It came in at #23 on the list. Dunwoody College of Technology is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Minneapolis.

Women make up 12% of the design engineering tech majors at the school.

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.

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Lamar Institute of Technology landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree drafting & design engineering technology programs. Lamar Institute of Technology is a small public school located in the midsize city of Beaumont.

Of the 34 students majoring in design engineering tech at Lamar Institute of Technology, 71% are male and 29% are female.

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With a ranking of #25, South Puget Sound Community College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for drafting & design engineering technology students working on their associate degree. South Puget Sound Community College is a small public school located in the small city of Olympia.

Women make up 22% of the design engineering tech majors at the school.

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#27

Valencia College

Orlando, FL
#27

Portland Community College

Portland, OR
#33

South Texas College

McAllen, TX
#41

Southern Maine Community College

South Portland, ME
#41

Gwinnett Technical College

Lawrenceville, GA
#41

ITI Technical College

Baton Rouge, LA
#41

Henry Ford College

Dearborn, MI
#47

Tyler Junior College

Tyler, TX
#47

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, CA

Remaining Award Winners

This section represents the rest of the schools awarded a Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 422 different United States drafting & design engineering technology schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
47 Palomar College San Marcos, CA
47 Ventura College Ventura, CA
47 College of DuPage Glen Ellyn, IL
47 College of Southern Idaho Twin Falls, ID
47 Academy of Art University San Francisco, CA
57 Metropolitan Community College Omaha, NE
57 Johnson County Community College Overland Park, KS
57 Des Moines Area Community College Ankeny, IA
57 Pearl River Community College Poplarville, MS
57 Ridgewater College Willmar, MN
57 Ozarks Technical Community College Springfield, MO
63 Vincennes University Vincennes, IN
63 Tidewater Community College Norfolk, VA
63 Spokane Community College Spokane, WA
63 Chippewa Valley Technical College Eau Claire, WI
63 Glendale Community College Glendale, AZ
63 Pennsylvania College of Technology Williamsport, PA

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools award.

Rank College Location
69 SUNY Delhi Delhi, NY
69 Pima Community College Tucson, AZ
69 Northeast Mississippi Community College Booneville, MS
69 Victor Valley College Victorville, CA
69 Lakeshore Technical College Cleveland, WI
69 Central Community College Grand Island, NE
69 Madison Area Technical College Madison, WI
69 Salt Lake Community College Salt Lake City, UT
69 Merced College Merced, CA
69 Mott Community College Flint, MI
69 Renton Technical College Renton, WA
69 Moraine Park Technical College Fond du Lac, WI
69 Century College White Bear Lake, MN
82 Delgado Community College New Orleans, LA
82 Amarillo College Amarillo, TX
82 Front Range Community College Westminster, CO
82 Nashua Community College Nashua, NH
82 Mid Michigan College Harrison, MI
82 Sacramento City College Sacramento, CA
82 Alvin Community College Alvin, TX
82 Milwaukee Area Technical College Milwaukee, WI
82 Shelton State Community College Tuscaloosa, AL
82 University of Arkansas Community College - Morrilton Morrilton, AR
82 YTI Career Institute-York York, PA

Drafting & Design Engineering Technology by Region

View the Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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 26 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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