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Design technician education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a design technician. Design technicians usually study drafting and design, graphic design, or architecture. 46% of design technicians hold a associate degree, and 41% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 10,543 real design technician resumes to see exactly what design technician education sections show.
The most common colleges for design technicians are the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Fashion Institute of Technology.
There are also many online design technician courses to help get the education required to be a design technician.
There are certain design technician certifications that you should consider. These design technician certifications include Certified Agile Developer (CAD) and Certified Survey Technician (CST).
What education do you need to become a design technician?
What degree do you need to be a design technician?
- Associate, 46%
- Bachelor's, 41%
- Master's, 4%
- High School Diploma, 4%
- Other Degrees, 5%
What should I major in to become a design technician?
- Drafting And Design, 33%
- Graphic Design, 16%
- Architecture, 6%
- Business, 5%
- Other Majors, 40%
Most common colleges for design technicians
| Design technician common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Fashion Institute of Technology | 27.98% |
| Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising-San Francisco | 7.40% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 5.23% |
| Purdue University | 5.23% |
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro | 4.69% |
Best majors for design technicians
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Drafting And Design | 32.7% |
| 2 | Graphic Design | 16.1% |
| 3 | Architecture | 5.5% |
| 4 | Business | 5.3% |
| 5 | Mechanical Engineering | 4.7% |
Best colleges for design technicians
The best colleges for design technicians are Carnegie Mellon University, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
A 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 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 design technicians.
1. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
4. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Enrollment
33,495
5. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
6. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred
Alfred, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,570
Enrollment
3,721
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
8. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
9. Wentworth Institute of Technology
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$33,950
Enrollment
4,254
10. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
20 best online courses for design technicians
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Top 10 most affordable universities for design technicians
The most affordable schools for design technicians are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - long beach, and university of florida.
If the best universities for 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 design technicians.
1. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
4. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
5. California State University - Sacramento
Sacramento, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,310
Cost of attendance
19,807
6. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
7. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Pomona, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,353
Cost of attendance
21,302
8. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
9. California State University - Northridge
Northridge, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,893
Cost of attendance
18,870
10. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Cost of attendance
22,990
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for design technicians
The hardest universities for design technicians to get into are Carnegie Mellon University, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for 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 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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
4. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
Admissions rate
58%
SAT average
1,309
5. University of Rochester
Rochester, NY • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,422
6. Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,465
7. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
Admissions rate
39%
SAT average
1,362
8. Tufts University
Medford, MA • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,461
9. Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester, NY • Private
Admissions rate
66%
SAT average
1,319
10. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
Admissions rate
52%
SAT average
1,336
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for design technicians
The easiest schools for design technicians to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, california university of pennsylvania, and lim college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a 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 design technicians.
1. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
2. California University of Pennsylvania
California, PA • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,007
3. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
4. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
5. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
6. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
7. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
8. Ferris State University
Big Rapids, MI • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
1,070
9. California State University - Sacramento
Sacramento, CA • Private
Admissions rate
64%
SAT average
1,030
10. Sam Houston State University
Huntsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
79%
SAT average
1,075
Average design technician salary by education level
| Design technician education level | Design technician salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $72,466 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $61,729 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $66,245 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $67,769 |
Design technician 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