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2025 Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools

59 Colleges in the United States
8,822 Design Engineering Tech Degrees Awarded
$44,238 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in drafting & design engineering technology is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #151 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 59 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 8,822 degrees in drafting & design engineering technology annually.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Drafting & Design Engineering Technology School

Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools Your choice of drafting & design engineering technology school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Drafting & Design Engineering Technology School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Design Engineering Tech
Bachelor's Degrees in Design Engineering Tech
Master's Degrees in Design Engineering Tech

The design engineering tech school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Drafting & Design Engineering Technology in the United States

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the design engineering tech degrees they offer, see the list below. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

11 Top Schools in Design Engineering Tech

1
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
56 Design Engineering Tech Degrees Awarded
48.2% Growth in Graduates

Macomb Community College is a good option for students pursuing a degree in drafting & design engineering technology. Macomb Community College is a fairly large public college located in the city of Warren. A Best Colleges rank of #499 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Macomb Community College is a great college overall.

There were about 56 drafting & design engineering technology students who graduated with this degree at Macomb Community College in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the design engineering tech program earn around $44,701 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in drafting & design engineering technology from Macomb Community College

2
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In LA
51 Design Engineering Tech Degrees Awarded

It's difficult to beat SOWELA Technical Community College if you want to pursue a degree in drafting & design engineering technology. Located in the small city of Lake Charles, SOWELA is a public college with a small student population.

There were approximately 51 drafting & design engineering technology students who graduated with this degree at SOWELA in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in drafting & design engineering technology from SOWELA Technical Community College

3
Academy of Art University crest
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
227 Design Engineering Tech Degrees Awarded
$47,321 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in drafting & design engineering technology needs to take a look at Academy of Art University. Academy of Art University is a medium-sized private for-profit university located in the city of San Francisco. A Best Colleges rank of #349 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Academy of Art University is a great university overall.

There were roughly 227 drafting & design engineering technology students who graduated with this degree at Academy of Art University in the most recent year we have data available. Drafting & Design Engineering Technology degree recipients from Academy of Art University receive an earnings boost of around $3,084 over the typical earnings of drafting & design engineering technology majors.

More information about a degree in drafting & design engineering technology from Academy of Art University

4
Ivy Tech Community College crest
Ivy Tech Community College
Indianapolis, IN
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
202 Design Engineering Tech Degrees Awarded
$41,467 Median Starting Salary

Ivy Tech Community College is a great decision for students interested in a degree in drafting & design engineering technology. Ivy Tech Community College is a fairly large public college located in the city of Indianapolis. A Best Colleges rank of #173 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Ivy Tech Community College is a great college overall.

There were roughly 202 drafting & design engineering technology students who graduated with this degree at Ivy Tech Community College in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, design engineering tech degree recipients usually earn an average of $41,467 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in drafting & design engineering technology from Ivy Tech Community College

5
Hennepin Technical College crest
Hennepin Technical College
Brooklyn Park, MN
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
76 Design Engineering Tech Degrees Awarded
$49,539 Median Starting Salary

Hennepin Technical College is a small public college located in the large suburb of Brooklyn Park. A Best Colleges rank of #282 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Hennepin Technical College is a great college overall.

There were roughly 76 drafting & design engineering technology students who graduated with this degree at Hennepin Technical College in the most recent year we have data available. Those drafting & design engineering technology students who get their degree from Hennepin Technical College receive $5,301 more than the average design engineering tech grad.

More information about a degree in drafting & design engineering technology from Hennepin Technical College

6
Kirkwood Community College crest
Kirkwood Community College
Cedar Rapids, IA
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In IA
31 Design Engineering Tech Degrees Awarded

Kirkwood Community College is a fairly large public college located in the medium-sized city of Cedar Rapids. This college ranks 16th out of 37 schools for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were about 31 drafting & design engineering technology students who graduated with this degree at Kirkwood Community College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in drafting & design engineering technology from Kirkwood Community College

7
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In UT
101 Design Engineering Tech Degrees Awarded

UVU is a fairly large public university located in the city of Orem. This university ranks 7th out of 11 schools for overall quality in the state of Utah.

There were approximately 101 drafting & design engineering technology students who graduated with this degree at UVU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in drafting & design engineering technology from Utah Valley University

8
Ridgewater College crest
Ridgewater College
Willmar, MN
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In MN
9.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the remote town of Willmar, Ridgewater College is a public college with a small student population. This college ranks 28th out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were approximately 22 drafting & design engineering technology students who graduated with this degree at Ridgewater College in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in drafting & design engineering technology from Ridgewater College

9
El Centro College crest
El Centro College
Dallas, TX
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In TX
82 Design Engineering Tech Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Dallas, El Centro College is a public college with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #281 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means El Centro College is a great college overall.

There were approximately 82 drafting & design engineering technology students who graduated with this degree at El Centro College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in drafting & design engineering technology from El Centro College

10
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
47 Design Engineering Tech Degrees Awarded
57.4% Growth in Graduates

Pittsburgh Technical College is a fairly small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Oakdale. This college ranks 46th out of 103 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were approximately 47 drafting & design engineering technology students who graduated with this degree at Pittsburgh Technical College in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the design engineering tech program make an average of $41,991 for their early career.

More information about a degree in drafting & design engineering technology from Pittsburgh Technical College

11
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
140 Design Engineering Tech Degrees Awarded
8.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Austin, Austin Community College District is a public college with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #506 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Austin Community College District is a great college overall.

There were about 140 drafting & design engineering technology students who graduated with this degree at Austin Community College District in the most recent data year. Those drafting & design engineering technology students who get their degree from Austin Community College District earn $5,691 more than the average design engineering tech grad.

More information about a degree in drafting & design engineering technology from Austin Community College District

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Drafting & Design Engineering Technology students that almost earned our Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools award.

Rank College Location
12 Southeast Community College Area Lincoln, NE
13 Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology Wichita, KS
14 Dunwoody College of Technology Minneapolis, MN
15 Oakland Community College Auburn Hills, MI
16 Portland Community College Portland, OR
17 Lewis and Clark Community College Godfrey, IL
18 Northeast Wisconsin Technical College Green Bay, WI
19 Waukesha County Technical College Pewaukee, WI

Drafting & Design Engineering Technology by Region

View the Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology 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

View All Rankings >

One of 18 majors within the Engineering Technologies 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

View All Design Engineering Tech Concentrations >

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
Mechanical Engineering Technology 6,205
Construction Engineering Technology 4,299
General Engineering Technology 3,841
Quality Control Technology 3,720
Computer Engineering Technology 3,509

View All Design Engineering Tech Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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