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Design engineer/drafter education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a design engineer/drafter. Design engineers/drafter usually study drafting and design, mechanical engineering, or civil engineering. 43% of design engineers/drafter hold a bachelor's degree, and 42% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 484 real design engineer/drafter resumes to see exactly what design engineer/drafter education sections show.
The most common colleges for design engineers/drafter are the Wichita State University and the Wichita State University.
There are also many online design engineer/drafter courses to help get the education required to be a design engineer/drafter.
There are certain design engineer/drafter certifications that you should consider. These design engineer/drafter certifications include Engineer In Training Certification (EIT) and Certified Agile Developer (CAD).
What education do you need to become a design engineer/drafter?
What degree do you need to be a design engineer/drafter?
- Bachelor's, 43%
- Associate, 42%
- Master's, 6%
- High School Diploma, 4%
- Other Degrees, 5%
What should I major in to become a design engineer/drafter?
- Drafting And Design, 33%
- Engineering, 5%
- Other Majors, 37%
Most common colleges for design engineers/drafter
| Design engineer/drafter common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Wichita State University | 6.67% |
| Monroe College | 6.67% |
| City College of New York of the City University of New York, The | 6.67% |
| University of Kansas | 6.67% |
| Cleveland State University | 6.67% |
Best majors for design engineers/drafter
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Drafting And Design | 32.6% |
| 2 | Mechanical Engineering | 18.9% |
| 3 | Civil Engineering | 6.2% |
| 4 | Engineering | 5.5% |
| 5 | Electrical Engineering | 4.5% |
Best colleges for design engineers/drafter
The best colleges for design engineers/drafter are Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Johns Hopkins University.
A design engineer/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 design engineers/drafter. 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 design engineers/drafter.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
3. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
4. Michigan Technological University
Houghton, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,646
Enrollment
5,736
5. LeTourneau University
Longview, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$30,210
Enrollment
1,771
6. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
7. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
8. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
9. University of Dayton
Dayton, OH • Private
In-state tuition
$42,900
Enrollment
8,508
10. Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$12,960
Enrollment
16,157
20 best online courses for design engineers/drafter
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Top 10 most affordable universities for design engineers/drafter
The most affordable schools for design engineers/drafter are SUNY Farmingdale, brigham young university, and purdue university.
If the best universities for design engineers/drafter 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 design engineers/drafter.
1. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
2. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
3. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
4. SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Utica, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,238
Cost of attendance
21,567
5. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Pomona, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,353
Cost of attendance
21,302
6. Inter American University of Puerto Rico San German
San German, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,940
Cost of attendance
14,322
7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
8. Brigham Young University - Idaho
Rexburg, ID • Private
In-state tuition
$4,118
Cost of attendance
12,223
9. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
10. New Mexico State University
Las Cruces, NM • Private
In-state tuition
$6,686
Cost of attendance
17,885
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for design engineers/drafter
The hardest universities for design engineers/drafter to get into are Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Johns Hopkins University.
Some great schools for design engineers/drafter 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 design engineers/drafter 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
3. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
4. California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,566
5. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
6. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
7. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
8. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
9. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,465
10. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for design engineers/drafter
The easiest schools for design engineers/drafter to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, saint martin's university, and cleveland state university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a design engineer/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 design engineers/drafter.
1. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
2. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
3. Cleveland State University
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,111
4. Saint Francis University
Loretto, PA • Private
Admissions rate
75%
SAT average
1,146
5. Pennsylvania State University - Berks
Reading, PA • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,107
6. Purdue University Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne, IN • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,080
7. Ferris State University
Big Rapids, MI • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
1,070
8. South Dakota State University
Brookings, SD • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,149
9. Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis
Indianapolis, IN • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
1,111
10. Alabama A & M University
Normal, AL • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
957
Average design engineer/drafter salary by education level
| Design engineer/drafter education level | Design engineer/drafter salary |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or Less | $51,465 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $55,211 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $53,178 |
Design engineer/drafter education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025