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2024 Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Associate Degree Schools

85 Colleges in the United States
2,947 Associate Degrees
$40,874 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on getting your associate degree in drafting & design engineering technology, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #48 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual reviewed 85 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for associate degree seekers in the field of drafting & design engineering technology. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,947 associate degrees in drafting & design engineering technology during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Drafting & Design Engineering Technology School for Your Associate Degree

Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Associate Degree Schools Your choice of drafting & design engineering technology for getting your associate degree school matters. Important measures of a quality design engineering tech program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Early-Career Earnings

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their associate degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their associate degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for drafting & design engineering technology students working on their associate degree.

More Ways to Rank Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Design Engineering Tech Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Associate Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Drafting & Design Engineering Technology in the United States

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in drafting & design engineering technology. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

12 Top Schools for an Associate in Design Engineering Tech

1
35 Annual Graduates

Every student who is interested in an associate degree in drafting & design engineering technology has to check out Utah Valley University. UVU is a very large public university located in the small city of Orem.More information about a associate in drafting & design engineering technology from Utah Valley University

2
Hennepin Technical College crest
Hennepin Technical College
Brooklyn Park, MN
40 Annual Graduates
$43,921 Median Starting Salary
$20,250 Median Student Debt

Any student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in drafting & design engineering technology needs to check out Hennepin Technical College. Hennepin Technical College is a small public college located in the suburb of Brooklyn Park.

Drafting & Design Engineering Technology associate degree recipients from Hennepin Technical College get an earnings boost of around $3,047 above the average income of drafting & design engineering technology majors.

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

3

It's difficult to beat Portland Community College if you wish to pursue an associate degree in drafting & design engineering technology. Located in the city of Portland, Portland Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Drafting & Design Engineering Technology associate degree recipients from Portland Community College receive an earnings boost of approximately $11,047 above the typical income of drafting & design engineering technology majors.

More information about a associate in drafting & design engineering technology from Portland Community College

4
Lee College crest
Lee College
Baytown, TX

Lee College is a wonderful option for students interested in an associate degree in drafting & design engineering technology. Lee College is a medium-sized public college located in the city of Baytown.

Associate recipients from the drafting & design engineering technology program at Lee College make $6,754 more than the typical graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a associate in drafting & design engineering technology from Lee College

5
22 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Beaumont, Lamar Institute of Technology is a public school with a small student population.More information about a associate in drafting & design engineering technology from Lamar Institute of Technology

6
27 Annual Graduates
$47,502 Median Starting Salary
$14,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of Pewaukee, WCTC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Associate recipients from the drafting & design engineering technology program at Waukesha County Technical College make $6,628 above the standard graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a associate in drafting & design engineering technology from Waukesha County Technical College

7
27 Annual Graduates
$40,678 Median Starting Salary
$8,296 Median Student Debt

Macomb Community College is a large public college located in the midsize city of Warren.

After graduation, design engineering tech associate recipients typically make around $40,678 in their early careers.

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

8
El Centro College crest
El Centro College
Dallas, TX
27 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Dallas, El Centro College is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in drafting & design engineering technology from El Centro College

9
23 Annual Graduates
$47,333 Median Starting Salary
$20,625 Median Student Debt

Dunwoody College of Technology is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large city of Minneapolis.

Those drafting & design engineering technology students who get their associate degree from Dunwoody College of Technology receive $6,459 more than the typical design engineering tech graduate.

More information about a associate in drafting & design engineering technology from Dunwoody College of Technology

10
Valencia College crest
Valencia College
Orlando, FL
20 Annual Graduates

Valencia College is a very large public college located in the city of Orlando.More information about a associate in drafting & design engineering technology from Valencia College

11
42 Annual Graduates
$48,687 Median Starting Salary
$10,625 Median Student Debt

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College is a medium-sized public college located in the rural area of Perkinston.

Drafting & Design Engineering Technology associate degree recipients from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College get an earnings boost of approximately $7,813 above the typical earnings of drafting & design engineering technology majors.

More information about a associate in drafting & design engineering technology from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College

12
Ridgewater College crest
Ridgewater College
Willmar, MN
14 Annual Graduates

Located in the town of Willmar, Ridgewater College is a public college with a small student population.More information about a associate in drafting & design engineering technology from Ridgewater College

Honorable Mentions

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

Rank College Location
13 Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology Wichita, KS
14 Austin Community College District Austin, TX
15 Academy of Art University San Francisco, CA
16 Texas State Technical College Waco, TX
17 Houston Community College Houston, TX
18 St Cloud Technical and Community College Saint Cloud, MN
19 San Jacinto Community College Pasadena, TX
20 Chippewa Valley Technical College Eau Claire, WI
21 Kirkwood Community College Cedar Rapids, IA

Drafting & Design Engineering Technology by Region

View the Best Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Associate Degree 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

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Drafting & Design Engineering Technology is one of 18 different types of Engineering Technologies programs to choose from.

Design Engineering Tech Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
General Drafting & Design Technology 1,283
CAD/CADD Drafting &/or Design Technology 601
Architectural Drafting & Architectural CAD/CADD 566
Mechanical Drafting & Mechanical Drafting CAD/CADD 413
Civil Drafting & Civil Engineering CAD/CADD 29
Other Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies 28
Electrical/Electronics Drafting & Electrical/Electronics CAD/CADD 21
3-D Modeling and Design Technology 6

Majors Similar to Design Engineering Tech

Related Major Annual Graduates
Electromechanical Engineering Technology 4,150
Electronics Engineering Technology 3,344
Industrial Production Technology 3,236
Mechanical Engineering Technology 1,835
General Engineering Technology 1,416
Computer Engineering Technology 1,137
Environmental Control Technology 1,111
Quality Control Technology 766
Civil Engineering Technology 690
Construction Engineering Technology 690

Notes and References

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