Drafting & Design Engineering

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
Master’s Degree	144
Doctor’s Degree	1

What Drafting & Design Engineering Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, design engineering tech majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Design Engineering Tech Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• 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

design engineering tech majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• 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

A major in design engineering tech will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• 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?

People with a design engineering tech degree often go into the following careers:

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 Master’s Degree in Drafting & Design Engineering?

This major is dominated by women with about 77% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	9
Black or African American	4
Hispanic or Latino	6
White	32
International Students	54
Other Races/Ethnicities	39

Geographic Diversity

Design Engineering Tech appeals to people across the globe. About 37.5% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• India
• Saudi Arabia
• Vietnam
• Mexico

How Much Do Drafting & Design Engineering Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

According to 2019-2020 data from the U.S. Department of Education, students who graduated with a master’s degree in design engineering tech have a median salary of $58,262 during the early years of their career. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $58,262 (25th percentile) and $58,262 (75th percentile).

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

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $54,240 to $59,010 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to design engineering tech. 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.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Drafting & Design Engineering

Some degrees associated with design engineering tech may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to design engineering tech have obtained the following education levels.

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 2020-2021, 630 schools offered a design engineering tech program of some type. 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!

Majors Related to Drafting & Design Engineering

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

Major	Number of Grads
Engineering-Related Fields	4,838
Quality Control Technology	736
Industrial Production Technology	440
Engineering Technology (Other)	288
Construction Engineering Technology	264
General Engineering Technology	255
Computer Engineering Technology	179
Mechanical Engineering Technology	104
Nanotechnology	98
Energy Systems Technologies	95
Environmental Control Technology	89
Electromechanical Engineering Technology	43
Architectural Engineering Technology	39
Electronics Engineering Technology	39
Engineering-Related Technologies	15
Nuclear Engineering Technology	0

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.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Pixabay under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.