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Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools in California

2023 Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools in California

56 Colleges
$41,027 Avg Salary
$12,811 Avg Student Debt

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

In 2021-2022, 760 degrees and certificates were awarded to drafting & design engineering technology students who went to a California college or university. This makes it the #20 most popular major in the state.

It's not easy to decide which trade school program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Trade College Search has created its Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 56 schools in California 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

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Academy of Art University the most popular school in California for drafting & design engineering technology students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of San Francisco, Academy of Art University is a private for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

Women make up 76% of the design engineering tech majors at the school.

Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Academy of Art University Report

#1

Ventura College

Ventura, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Ventura College the most popular school in California for drafting & design engineering technology students working on their associate degree. Ventura College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Ventura.

Women make up 37% of the design engineering tech majors at the school.

Read full report on Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Ventura College

#1

Palomar College

San Marcos, CA

Our analysis found Palomar College to be the most popular school for drafting & design engineering technology students who want to pursue a associate degree in California. Palomar College is a large public school located in the large suburb of San Marcos.

Of the 16 students majoring in design engineering tech at Palomar College, 75% are male and 25% are female.

Read full report on Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Palomar College

#4

Victor Valley College

Victorville, CA

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Victor Valley College is a great place for drafting & design engineering technology students working on their associate degree. Located in the suburb of Victorville, Victor Valley College is a public college with a large student population.

Women make up 50% of the design engineering tech majors at the school.

Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Victor Valley College Report

#4

Merced College

Merced, CA

Out of the 56 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Merced College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the city of Merced, Merced Community College District is a public college with a large student population.

Read More…

#6

Sacramento City College

Sacramento, CA

Sacramento City College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree drafting & design engineering technology programs. Located in the large city of Sacramento, Sacramento City is a public college with a fairly large student population.

About 17% of the students majoring in design engineering tech at the school are women while 83% are male.

Read full report on Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Sacramento City College

#7

Bakersfield College

Bakersfield, CA

With a ranking of #7, Bakersfield College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for drafting & design engineering technology students working on their associate degree. Bakersfield College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Bakersfield.

Women make up 71% of the design engineering tech majors at the school.

Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Bakersfield College Report

#8

Rio Hondo College

Whittier, CA

Rio Hondo College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools in California ranking. RHCCD is a large public school located in the suburb of Whittier.

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

Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at Rio Hondo College Report

#8

MiraCosta College

Oceanside, CA

MiraCosta College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree drafting & design engineering technology programs. Located in the suburb of Oceanside, MiraCosta College is a public college with a large student population.

Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at MiraCosta College Report

#10

American River College

Sacramento, CA

American River College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Associate Degree Trade Schools in California ranking. American River is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Sacramento.

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

Full Drafting & Design Engineering Technology at American River College Report

Honorable Mentions

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 in California award.

Rank College Location

Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Most Popular Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 451
Oregon 182
Nevada 15
Alaska 6
Hawaii 38

One of 18 majors within the trade school area of study, drafting & design engineering technology has other similar majors worth exploring.

Design Engineering Tech Focus Areas

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 31 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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