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Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools

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2023 Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools

422 Colleges
$40,874 Avg Salary
$14,540 Avg Student Debt

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

In 2020-2021, 8,819 people earned a degree or certificate in drafting and design engineering technology, making the major the #20 most popular in the United States.

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 2023 rankings named Ivy Tech Community College the most popular school in the United States for drafting and design engineering technology students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Indianapolis, Ivy Tech Community College is a public college with a very large student population.

Of the 63 students majoring in design engineering tech at Ivy Tech Community College, 81% are male and 19% are female.

The average amount in student loans that design engineering tech majors at Ivy Tech Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $15,739.

Read full report on Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Ivy Tech Community College

The in-demand associate degree programs at New York City College of Technology helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular drafting and design engineering technology schools in the United States. Located in the city of Brooklyn, City Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 55% of the design engineering tech majors at the school.

Read full report on Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at New York City College of Technology

The in-demand associate degree programs at San Jacinto Community College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular drafting and design engineering technology schools in the United States. San Jacinto College is a very large public school located in the suburb of Pasadena.

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

Read full report on Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at San Jacinto Community College

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Austin Community College District is a great place for drafting and design engineering technology students working on their associate degree. Austin Community College District is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Austin.

About 35% of the students majoring in design engineering tech at the school are women while 65% are male.

The average amount in student loans that design engineering tech majors at Austin Community College District take out while working on their Associate Degree is $15,706.

Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Austin Community College District Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools list. Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the rural area of Perkinston.

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

While working on their Associate Degree, design engineering tech majors at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College accumulate an average of around $10,823 in student debt.

Read More…

#6

Hennepin Technical College

Brooklyn Park, MN

Hennepin Technical College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools ranking. Located in the large suburb of Brooklyn Park, Hennepin Technical College is a public school with a small student population.

Women make up 35% of the design engineering tech majors at the school.

Design Engineering Tech majors at Hennepin Technical College take out an average of $26,496 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Hennepin Technical College Report

With a ranking of #7, Anne Arundel Community College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for drafting and design engineering technology students working on their associate degree. Located in the large suburb of Arnold, AACC is a public college with a large student population.

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

The average amount in student loans that design engineering tech majors at AACC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $13,734.

Read full report on Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Anne Arundel Community College

Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools ranking. Located in the rural area of Wichita, WSU Tech is a public college with a small student population.

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 WSU Tech take out while working on their Associate Degree is $18,857.

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

Utah Valley University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for drafting and design engineering technology students to get a associate degree. It came in at #9 on the list. UVU is a very large public school located in the small city of Orem.

About 31% of the students majoring in design engineering tech at the school are women while 69% are male.

Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Utah Valley University Report

#9

Montgomery College

Rockville, MD

Montgomery College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for drafting and design engineering technology students to get a associate degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the small city of Rockville, Montgomery College is a public school with a fairly large student population.

About 46% of the students majoring in design engineering tech at the school are women while 54% are male.

Read More…

Houston Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for drafting and design engineering technology students to get a associate degree. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the city of Houston, Houston Community College is a public school with a very large student population.

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

Design Engineering Tech majors at Houston Community College take out an average of $18,019 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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

Queensborough Community College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools ranking. QCC is a large public school located in the large city of Bayside.

About 35% of the students majoring in design engineering tech at the school are women while 65% are male.

Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Queensborough Community College Report

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 fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Warren.

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

Design Engineering Tech majors at Macomb Community College take out an average of $6,516 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Macomb Community College Report

#13

El Centro College

Dallas, TX

El Centro College ranked #13 on this year’s Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools list. El Centro College is a very large public school located in the city of Dallas.

Women make up 56% of the design engineering tech majors at the school.

Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at El Centro College Report

#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 15% of the design engineering tech majors at the school.

On average, design engineering tech graduates from Grand Rapids Community College take out $19,263 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

With a ranking of #13, Waukesha County Technical College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for drafting and design engineering technology students working on their associate degree. WCTC is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Pewaukee.

Of the 27 students majoring in design engineering tech at WCTC, 70% are male and 30% are female.

After completing their Associate Degree, design engineering tech graduates from WCTC carry an average student debt load of $17,832.

Read More…

St Cloud Technical and Community College ranked #17 on this year’s Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools list. 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 20% of the design engineering tech majors at the school.

On average, design engineering tech graduates from St Cloud Technical and Community College take out $15,778 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at St Cloud Technical and Community College Report

Lake Washington Institute of Technology did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for drafting and design engineering technology students to get a associate degree. It came in at #17 on the list. Located in the suburb of Kirkland, LWTech is a public college with a small student population.

About 40% of the students majoring in design engineering tech at the school are women while 60% are male.

The average amount in student loans that design engineering tech majors at LWTech take out while working on their Associate Degree is $22,414.

Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Lake Washington Institute of Technology Report

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

Women make up 16% of the design engineering tech majors at the school.

Read More…

#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 36% of the design engineering tech majors at the school.

Read More…

#17

Oakland Community College

Bloomfield Hills, MI

Oakland Community College landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree drafting and design engineering technology programs. Oakland Community College is a large public school located in the suburb of Bloomfield Hills.

About 20% of the students majoring in design engineering tech at the school are women while 80% are male.

On average, design engineering tech graduates from Oakland Community College take out $15,221 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Oakland Community College Report

Tarrant County College District ranked #17 on this year’s Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools list. Located in the city of Fort Worth, Tarrant County College is a public college with a very large student population.

Of the 25 students majoring in design engineering tech at Tarrant County College, 72% are male and 28% are female.

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

#23

Dunwoody College of Technology

Minneapolis, MN

Dunwoody College of Technology ranked #23 on this year’s Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools list. Dunwoody College of Technology is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Minneapolis.

Of the 23 students majoring in design engineering tech at Dunwoody College of Technology, 91% are male and 9% are female.

While working on their Associate Degree, design engineering tech majors at Dunwoody College of Technology accumulate an average of around $19,958 in student debt.

Read full report on Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Dunwoody College of Technology

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

Women make up 23% of the design engineering tech majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that design engineering tech majors at Lamar Institute of Technology take out while working on their Associate Degree is $15,855.

Read More…

South Puget Sound Community College ranked #25 on this year’s Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools list. South Puget Sound Community College is a small public school located in the small city of Olympia.

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

Read full report on Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at South Puget Sound Community College

#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 shows the remainder 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 and 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
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 4,140
CAD/CADD Drafting &/or Design Technology 2,233
Architectural Drafting & Architectural CAD/CADD 1,141
Mechanical Drafting & Mechanical Drafting CAD/CADD 1,082
Civil Drafting & Civil Engineering CAD/CADD 86
Other Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies 70
Electrical/Electronics Drafting & Electrical/Electronics CAD/CADD 49
3-D Modeling and Design Technology 18

Majors Similar to Design Engineering Tech

Related Major Annual Graduates
Industrial Production Technology 11,466
Electromechanical Engineering Technology 10,550
Environmental Control Technology 8,601
Electronics Engineering Technology 8,553
Mechanical Engineering Technology 5,909

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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