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Building drafter education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a building drafter. Building drafters usually study drafting and design, civil engineering, or architecture. 33% of building drafters hold a associate degree, and 25% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 25 real building drafter resumes to see exactly what building drafter education sections show.
The most common colleges for building drafters are the Clemson University and the Clemson University.
There are also many online building drafter courses to help get the education required to be a building drafter.
What education do you need to become a building drafter?
What degree do you need to be a building drafter?
- Associate, 33%
- Bachelor's, 25%
- High School Diploma, 17%
- Doctorate, 17%
- Other Degrees, 8%
What should I major in to become a building drafter?
- Drafting And Design, 29%
- Civil Engineering, 14%
- Architecture, 14%
- Other Majors, 29%
Most common colleges for building drafters
| Building drafter common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Clemson University | 20.00% |
| Renton Technical College | 20.00% |
| University of Chicago | 20.00% |
| University of Wyoming | 20.00% |
| University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | 20.00% |
Best majors for building drafters
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Drafting And Design | 28.6% |
| 2 | Civil Engineering | 14.3% |
| 3 | Architecture | 14.3% |
| 4 | Electrical Engineering | 14.3% |
| 5 | Computer Engineering | 7.1% |
Best colleges for building drafters
The best colleges for building drafters are Columbia University in the City of New York, Carnegie Mellon University, and Northwestern University.
A building drafter with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for building drafters. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become building drafters.
1. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
2. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
3. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$13,226
Enrollment
31,568
4. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
5. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
6. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
7. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
8. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
In-state tuition
$53,399
Enrollment
7,356
9. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
10. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
20 best online courses for building drafters
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Top 10 most affordable universities for building drafters
The most affordable schools for building drafters are University of Florida, california state university - long beach, and city college of new york of the city university of new york, the.
If the best universities for building drafters are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for building drafters.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,140
Cost of attendance
14,430
4. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
5. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
6. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
7. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
8. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
9. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Socorro, NM • Private
In-state tuition
$7,770
Cost of attendance
21,244
10. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for building drafters
The hardest universities for building drafters to get into are Columbia University in the City of New York, Carnegie Mellon University, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for building drafters are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for building drafters based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
2. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
4. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
5. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
6. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
7. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
8. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
9. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
10. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for building drafters
The easiest schools for building drafters to get into are Barry University, texas a&m; university - kingsville, and oregon institute of technology.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a building drafter without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for building drafters.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,035
3. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
4. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
5. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
6. Pennsylvania State University - DuBois
DuBois, PA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,079
7. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
8. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
9. The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,035
10. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
Average building drafter salary by education level
| Building drafter education level | Building drafter salary |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or Less | $55,899 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $59,406 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $57,320 |
Building drafter education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025