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Drafting & Design Engineering Major

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Drafting & Design Engineering

322 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
144 Master's Degrees Annually
#229 in Popularity
$56,700 Median Salary

Types of Degrees Drafting & Design Engineering Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many drafting and design engineering technology graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Basic Certificate 3,724
Associate Degree 2,947
Undergraduate Certificate 1,826
Bachelor’s Degree 322
Master’s Degree 144
Doctor’s Degree 1

What Drafting & Design Engineering Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to design engineering tech were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Design Engineering Tech Majors

Design Engineering Tech majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

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  • Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
  • Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  • Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Skills for Design Engineering Tech Majors

When studying design engineering tech, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

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  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Design Engineering Tech Majors

Design Engineering Tech majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

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  • Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Drafting & Design Engineering Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with design engineering tech:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
Architectural Drafters 8.1% $54,920
Civil Drafters 8.1% $54,920
Drafters 8.2% $51,850
Electrical Drafters 6.9% $60,070
Electronic Drafters 6.9% $60,070
Mechanical Drafters 5.2% $55,920

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Drafting & Design Engineering?

322 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
30% Percent Women
20% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 322 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in drafting and design engineering technology in 2021, making it rank #229 in popularity. This major attracts more men than women. About 70% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of design engineering tech majors is as follows:

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 14
Black or African American 22
Hispanic or Latino 20
White 182
International Students 47
Other Races/Ethnicities 37

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Design Engineering Tech, too. About 14.6% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

  • China
  • India
  • Vietnam
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Mexico

How Much Do Drafting & Design Engineering Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

The U.S. Department of Education found that students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a bachelor’s degree in drafting and design engineering technology made a median starting salary of $48,536 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $37,569 (25th percentile) and $58,625 (75th percentile).

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Note that some of these people may have jobs that are not directly related to a design engineering tech degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Design Engineering Tech majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $54,240 to $59,010 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Median Salary for a Drafting & Design Engineering Major  ( 54240 to 59010 )
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Median Salary for a High School Graduate  ( 30000 to 57900 )
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250K
Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree Holder  ( 45600 to 99000 )
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Median Salary for an Advanced Degree Holder  ( 55600 to 125400 )
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250K

Some degrees associated with design engineering tech may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for design engineering tech careers below.

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) 5.7%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) 20.3%
Some College Courses 9.0%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 36.7%
Bachelor’s Degree 23.1%
Master’s Degree 4.9%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession. 0.0%
Post-Doctoral Training 0.0%

Online Drafting & Design Engineering Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 630 schools offered some type of drafting and design engineering technology program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level Colleges Offering Programs Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) 0 0
Certificate (1-2 years) 431 14
Certificate (2-4 Years) 21 3
Associate’s Degree 538 19
Bachelor’s Degree 2 0
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 9 3
Post-Master’s 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 1 0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 0 0

Is a Degree in Drafting & Design Engineering Worth It?

The median salary for a design engineering tech grad is $56,700 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 42% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $336,000 after 20 years!

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You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to design engineering tech.

Major Number of Grads
Industrial Production Technology 11,906
Electromechanical Engineering Technology 10,593
Environmental Control Technology 8,690
Electronics Engineering Technology 8,592
Engineering-Related Fields 6,736
Mechanical Engineering Technology 6,013
General Engineering Technology 4,676
Construction Engineering Technology 4,330
Quality Control Technology 3,824
Computer Engineering Technology 3,595
Engineering Technology (Other) 1,768
Architectural Engineering Technology 1,290
Energy Systems Technologies 1,256
Civil Engineering Technology 1,187
Engineering-Related Technologies 989
Mining & Petroleum Technology 445
Nuclear Engineering Technology 220
Nanotechnology 114

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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