Die designer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a die designer. Die designers usually study drafting and design, mechanical engineering, or precision metal working. 57% of die designers hold a associate degree, and 31% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 229 real die designer resumes to see exactly what die designer education sections show.

The most common colleges for die designers are the Ferris State University and the Ferris State University.

There are also many online die designer courses to help get the education required to be a die designer.

What education do you need to become a die designer?

What degree do you need to be a die designer?

The most common degree for die designers is associate degree, with 57% of die designers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 31% and bachelor's degree degree at 5%.

Associate, 57%

Bachelor's, 31%

High School Diploma, 5%

Master's, 4%

Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a die designer?

You should major in drafting and design to become a die designer. 31% of die designers major in drafting and design. Other common majors for a die designer include mechanical engineering and precision metal working.

Drafting And Design, 31%

Mechanical Engineering, 14%

Precision Metal Working, 12%

Engineering, 7%

Other Majors, 36%

Most common colleges for die designers

Die designers often get their degrees at Ferris State University, Henry Ford College, and Michigan Technological University. Here are the most common colleges for die designers in the US based on their resumes.

Die designer common college	Percentages
Ferris State University	16.13%
Henry Ford College	9.68%
Michigan Technological University	6.45%
Ohio State University	6.45%
Oregon Institute of Technology	6.45%

Show more common die designer colleges

Best majors for die designers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Drafting And Design	31.0%
2	Mechanical Engineering	14.0%
3	Precision Metal Working	12.0%
4	Engineering	7.0%
5	Graphic Design	5.0%

Show more common die designer majors

Best colleges for die designers

The best colleges for die designers are Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Johns Hopkins University.

A die designer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for die designers. 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 die designers.

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. Rochester Institute of Technology

Rochester, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$42,345

Enrollment

12,886

4. New Mexico State University

Las Cruces, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$6,686

Enrollment

11,139

5. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

6. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

7. Montana State University - Bozeman

Bozeman, MT • Private

In-state tuition

$7,277

Enrollment

14,566

8. Baker College

Owosso, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$9,800

Enrollment

8,319

9. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

10. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

20 best online courses for die designers

Advertising disclosure

1. Siemens NX Unigraphics (UG) Fundamental 3D Modelling Course

4.5

(985)

Learn Unigraphics From Scratch including part design, drawing,assembly, surface modeling...

2. Software Architecture (SOLID) & Design Patterns in Java

4.5

(2,884)

A guide to Create Smart, Reusable Softwares with SOLID Principles and Design Patterns...

3. Solid Principles (2023) for Software Design & Architecture

4.5

(338)

Master SOLID Principles of software design and software Architecture and write clean code in C# object oriented design...

4. SOLID Principles: Introducing Software Architecture & Design

4.5

(15,349)

Gain mastery over SOLID Principles and write clean and well-designed code in Object Oriented Languages like Java etc...

5. Catia V5 Electrical Harness Design - Automotive & Industrial

4.6

(676)

Learn Catia V5 from a design engineer with more la 18 years experience in automotive, racing and industrial design...

6. Software Architecture & System Design Practical Case Studies

4.7

(250)

Design Real-life Large Scale Systems, Practice Modern Software Architecture & Prepare for a System Design Interview...

7. Pro Engineer Creo Fundamental 3D design course

4.3

(1,044)

Learn fundamentals of creo parametric from scratch including part design,drawing,assembly...

8. CATIA V5 3D Design & Modeling Course for Beginner

(386)

Learn CATIA V5 from an industry expert like a Pro and become an expert in Sketch & Part Module...

9. Master Graphic Design & Software with Practical Projects

4.5

(737)

Conquer Popular Graphic Design Projects: Logo, Package, Magazine, Book Cover Design, Branding, Digital Graphics & More!...

10. Automotive product design using CATIA V5

4.4

(624)

Automotive domain design using CATIA, interior and exterior trims on CATIA, Plastic product design in Automotive sector...

11. Java Design Patterns & SOLID Design Principles

4.6

(4,424)

A master guide to gang of four design patterns & SOLID design principles using Java...

12. Catia V5 Beginner to Advanced - Automotive and Industrial

4.6

(2,645)

Learn Catia V5 from a design engineer with more than 18 years experience in automotive, racing and industrial design...

13. Complete Siemens NX course-Aerospace, Automotive, Industrial

4.4

(608)

Learn Siemens NX with this perfectly designed course created after live interaction with 1000s of students in classroom...

14. Jewellery Design in Rhino

4.2

(391)

Fundamental Jewellery Designing Techniques in Rhino 3D...

15. Graphic Design Mastery: The FULL Branding & Design Process

4.7

(1,014)

Follows the FULL Graphic Design Process for A Company: Logo, Ad, Social Media, T-Shirt, Package, Website Design & More!...

16. Software Architecture & Design of Modern Large Scale Systems

4.7

(4,499)

Become a Software Architect or Technical Lead by Mastering Software Architecture, System Design & Big Data Processing...

17. Complete CATIA V5 course - Aerospace, Automotive, Industrial

4.5

(1,945)

Learn CATIA V5 with this perfectly designed course created after live interaction with 1000s of students in classroom...

18. Siemens NX 10 Essential Training

4.5

(1,207)

Learn Siemens NX from scratch and be Pro...

19. Complete Course in CATIA

4.4

(674)

For Students, Engineers, and Designers...

20. System Design Interview Guide for Software Architecture

4.6

(2,010)

Mastering High Level System Design Interview Software Architecture case studies Design patterns Microservices...

Top 10 most affordable universities for die designers

The most affordable schools for die designers are SUNY Farmingdale, brigham young university - idaho, and abraham baldwin agricultural college.

If the best universities for die designers 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 die designers.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. Brigham Young University - Idaho

Rexburg, ID • Private

In-state tuition

$4,118

Cost of attendance

12,223

3. Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College

Tifton, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$3,503

Cost of attendance

12,843

4. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

7. Inter American University of Puerto Rico San German

San German, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,940

Cost of attendance

14,322

8. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

9. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,353

Cost of attendance

21,302

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 die designers

The hardest universities for die designers to get into are Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for die designers 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 die designers 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

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

SAT average

1,566

5. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

6. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

7. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

10. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,465

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for die designers

The easiest schools for die designers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, ferris state university, and cleveland state university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a die designer 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 die designers.

1. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

2. Ferris State University

Big Rapids, MI • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

1,070

3. Cleveland State University

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,111

4. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

5. Saint Francis University

Loretto, PA • Private

Admissions rate

75%

SAT average

1,146

6. Montana Technological University

Butte, MT • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,199

7. Pennsylvania State University - Berks

Reading, PA • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,107

8. Purdue University Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, IN • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,080

9. Brigham Young University - Idaho

Rexburg, ID • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,140

10. South Dakota State University

Brookings, SD • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,149

Average die designer salary by education level

According to our data, die designers with a Bachelor's degree earn the highest average salary, at $80,061 annually. Die designers with a Associate degree earn an average annual salary of $76,883.

Die designer education level	Die designer salary
High School Diploma or Less	$74,212
Bachelor's Degree	$80,061
Some College/ Associate Degree	$76,883

Die designer education FAQs

What is the best college for Die Designers?

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

Search for die designer jobs

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

Browse architecture and engineering jobs