Civil design technician education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a civil design technician. Civil design technicians usually study drafting and design, civil engineering, or civil engineering technologies. 67% of civil design technicians hold a associate degree, and 21% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 409 real civil design technician resumes to see exactly what civil design technician education sections show.

The most common colleges for civil design technicians are the University of New Mexico and the University of New Mexico.

There are also many online civil design technician courses to help get the education required to be a civil design technician.

What education do you need to become a civil design technician?

What degree do you need to be a civil design technician?

The most common degree for civil design technicians is associate degree, with 67% of civil design technicians earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 21% and bachelor's degree degree at 6%.

Associate, 67%

Bachelor's, 21%

High School Diploma, 6%

Diploma, 4%

Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a civil design technician?

You should major in drafting and design to become a civil design technician. 38% of civil design technicians major in drafting and design. Other common majors for a civil design technician include civil engineering and civil engineering technologies.

Drafting And Design, 38%

Civil Engineering, 10%

Civil Engineering Technologies, 7%

Engineering, 7%

Other Majors, 38%

Most common colleges for civil design technicians

Civil design technicians often get their degrees at University of New Mexico, Lamar University, and Florida State College at Jacksonville. Here are the most common colleges for civil design technicians in the US based on their resumes.

Civil design technician common college	Percentages
University of New Mexico	11.90%
Lamar University	9.52%
Florida State College at Jacksonville	7.14%
Austin Community College	7.14%
University of Phoenix	7.14%

Show more common civil design technician colleges

Best majors for civil design technicians

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Drafting And Design	37.5%
2	Civil Engineering	9.5%
3	Civil Engineering Technologies	7.1%
4	Engineering	7.1%
5	Architecture	6.5%

Show more common civil design technician majors

Best colleges for civil design technicians

The best colleges for civil design technicians are Carnegie Mellon University, Johns Hopkins University, and Tufts University.

A civil design technician with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for civil design technicians. 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 civil design technicians.

1. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

3. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

4. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$9,816

Enrollment

21,047

5. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

6. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Enrollment

34,564

7. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

8. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,353

Enrollment

24,841

9. Wentworth Institute of Technology

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$33,950

Enrollment

4,254

10. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

20 best online courses for civil design technicians

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Top 10 most affordable universities for civil design technicians

The most affordable schools for civil design technicians are University of Florida, california state university - long beach, and suny farmingdale.

If the best universities for civil design technicians 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 civil design technicians.

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. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

4. California State University - Northridge

Northridge, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,893

Cost of attendance

18,870

5. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

6. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,353

Cost of attendance

21,302

7. California State University - Sacramento

Sacramento, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,310

Cost of attendance

19,807

8. 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

9. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

10. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for civil design technicians

The hardest universities for civil design technicians to get into are Carnegie Mellon University, Johns Hopkins University, and Tufts University.

Some great schools for civil design technicians 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 civil design technicians 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. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

2. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

3. Tufts University

Medford, MA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,461

4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,545

5. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

6. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

Admissions rate

30%

SAT average

1,339

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

8. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,465

9. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

Admissions rate

26%

SAT average

1,427

10. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for civil design technicians

The easiest schools for civil design technicians to get into are Ferris State University, south dakota state university, and purdue university fort wayne.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a civil design technician 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 civil design technicians.

1. Ferris State University

Big Rapids, MI • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

1,070

2. South Dakota State University

Brookings, SD • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,149

3. Purdue University Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, IN • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,080

4. Portland State University

Portland, OR • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,111

5. Eastern Michigan University

Ypsilanti, MI • Private

Admissions rate

76%

SAT average

1,025

6. California State University - Sacramento

Sacramento, CA • Private

Admissions rate

64%

SAT average

1,030

7. Alabama A & M University

Normal, AL • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

957

8. University of Toledo

Toledo, OH • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

1,145

9. California University of Pennsylvania

California, PA • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,007

10. California State University - Chico

Chico, CA • Private

Admissions rate

65%

SAT average

1,092

Average civil design technician salary by education level

According to our data, civil design technicians with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $57,678 annually. Civil design technicians with a Associate degree earn an average annual salary of $55,281.

Civil design technician education level	Civil design technician salary
Master's Degree	$57,678
High School Diploma or Less	$52,108
Bachelor's Degree	$54,491
Some College/ Associate Degree	$55,281

Civil design technician education FAQs

What is the best college for Civil Design Technicians?

Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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