---

Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD

Types of Degrees Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD Majors Are Earning

Those studying Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	135
Associate’s Degree	340
Bachelor’s Degree	13
Master’s Degree	441

What Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD Majors Need to Know

Programs in Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Design — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 6.1 / 7.
• Engineering and Technology — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• Mechanical — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Learning — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Near Vision — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Visualization — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Mathematical Reasoning — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.7 / 7
Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment	4.7 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.9 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.8 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	3.7 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.7 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	3.7 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.5 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Piping and instrumentation design PID software	Computer aided design CAD software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Motion graphics software	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Three-dimensional scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
ESRI ArcGIS software	Geographic information system	—
SofTech CADRA	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Bentley MicroStation	Computer aided design CAD software	✓
Reverse engineering software	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Document management system software	Document management software	—
Autodesk Revit	Computer aided design CAD software	✓
Dassault Systemes SolidWorks	Computer aided design CAD software	✓
Autodesk Navisworks	Computer aided design CAD software	✓

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD graduates include:

• Drafting Technician
• Drafter
• CAD Technician (Computer Aided Design Technician)
• Body Designer
• Mechanical Design Technician
• Die Designer
• Design Drafter
• CAD Draftsman (Computer-Aided Design Draftsman)
• Mechanical Detailer
• Design Checker
• CAM Specialist (Computer Aided Manufacturing Specialist)
• Product Designer
• Detail Drafter
• Furniture Detailer
• CAD Drafter (Computer Aided Design Drafter)

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	61.3%
Bachelor’s degree	20.2%
Postsecondary certificate	8.0%
Some college courses	7.5%
Master’s degree	2.8%
First professional degree	0.1%
Post-doctoral training	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 81.1% of Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	176	18.9%
Men	756	81.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	600	64.4%
Asian	51	5.5%
Hispanic or Latino	167	17.9%
Black or African American	36	3.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	9	1.0%
Two or More Races	27	2.9%
Race Unknown	33	3.5%
International Students	9	1.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$43,976
4 years	$45,788
5 years	$51,867

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $51,867 — roughly 18% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	6	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Mechanical Drafting & CAD/CADD graduates earn a median of $45,788 four years after completion — roughly 20% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians	15.13
3-D Modeling and Design Technology/Technician	15.1307
Architectural Drafting and Architectural CAD/CADD	15.1303
CAD/CADD Drafting and/or Design Technology/Technician	15.1302
Civil Drafting and Civil Engineering CAD/CADD	15.1304
Drafting and Design Technology/Technician, General	15.1301
Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Other	15.1399
Electrical/Electronics Drafting and Electrical/Electronics CAD/CADD	15.1305
Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering Technology/Technician	15.0801
Automotive Engineering Technology/Technician	15.0803
Mechanical/Mechanical Engineering Technology/Technician	15.0805

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.