Civil drafting technician education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a civil drafting technician. Civil drafting technicians usually study drafting and design, business, or civil engineering. 69% of civil drafting technicians hold a associate degree, and 22% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 59 real civil drafting technician resumes to see exactly what civil drafting technician education sections show.

The most common colleges for civil drafting technicians are the Florida Technical College and the Florida Technical College.

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

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

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

The most common degree for civil drafting technicians is associate degree, with 69% of civil drafting technicians earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 22% and bachelor's degree degree at 6%.

Associate, 69%

Bachelor's, 22%

Master's, 6%

High School Diploma, 3%

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

You should major in drafting and design to become a civil drafting technician. 34% of civil drafting technicians major in drafting and design. Other common majors for a civil drafting technician include business and civil engineering.

Drafting And Design, 34%

Business, 8%

Civil Engineering, 8%

Computer Science, 8%

Other Majors, 42%

Most common colleges for civil drafting technicians

Civil drafting technicians often get their degrees at Florida Technical College, Idaho State University, and Colorado Technical University. Here are the most common colleges for civil drafting technicians in the US based on their resumes.

Civil drafting technician common college	Percentages
Florida Technical College	11.76%
Idaho State University	11.76%
Colorado Technical University	11.76%
Western Washington University	5.88%
University of Alaska Anchorage	5.88%

Show more common civil drafting technician colleges

Best majors for civil drafting technicians

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Drafting And Design	34.2%
2	Business	7.9%
3	Civil Engineering	7.9%
4	Computer Science	7.9%
5	Computer Applications	2.6%

Show more common civil drafting technician majors

Best colleges for civil drafting technicians

The best colleges for civil drafting technicians are Carnegie Mellon University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and University of Southern California.

A civil drafting 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 drafting 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 drafting 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. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$9,816

Enrollment

21,047

4. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

5. Wentworth Institute of Technology

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$33,950

Enrollment

4,254

6. Texas A&M University

College Station, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$11,870

Enrollment

53,194

7. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

8. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

10. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

20 best online courses for civil drafting technicians

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Top 10 most affordable universities for civil drafting technicians

The most affordable schools for civil drafting technicians are University of Florida, california state university - long beach, and florida international university.

If the best universities for civil drafting 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 drafting 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. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

4. 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

5. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

6. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,353

Cost of attendance

21,302

7. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

8. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

9. California State University - Northridge

Northridge, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,893

Cost of attendance

18,870

10. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for civil drafting technicians

The hardest universities for civil drafting technicians to get into are Carnegie Mellon University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for civil drafting 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 drafting 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. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,545

5. Tufts University

Medford, MA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,461

6. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

7. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

Admissions rate

30%

SAT average

1,339

8. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,465

9. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

10. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

Admissions rate

26%

SAT average

1,427

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

The easiest schools for civil drafting technicians to get into are Ferris State University, south dakota state university, and portland state university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a civil drafting 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 drafting 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. Portland State University

Portland, OR • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,111

4. Washington State University

Pullman, WA • Private

Admissions rate

77%

SAT average

1,123

5. Purdue University Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, IN • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,080

6. Eastern Michigan University

Ypsilanti, MI • Private

Admissions rate

76%

SAT average

1,025

7. California State University - Chico

Chico, CA • Private

Admissions rate

65%

SAT average

1,092

8. Indiana State University

Terre Haute, IN • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,019

9. Prairie View A & M University

Prairie View, TX • Private

Admissions rate

74%

SAT average

980

10. Brigham Young University - Idaho

Rexburg, ID • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,140

Average civil drafting technician salary by education level

According to our data, civil drafting technicians with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $59,482 annually. Civil drafting technicians with a Associate degree earn an average annual salary of $57,190.

Civil drafting technician education level	Civil drafting technician salary
Master's Degree	$59,482
High School Diploma or Less	$54,143
Bachelor's Degree	$56,432
Some College/ Associate Degree	$57,190

Civil drafting technician education FAQs

What is the best college for Civil Drafting 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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