Drafting engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a drafting engineer. Drafting engineers usually study drafting and design, mechanical engineering, or civil engineering. 45% of drafting engineers hold a associate degree, and 39% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 879 real drafting engineer resumes to see exactly what drafting engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for drafting engineers are the Rochester Institute of Technology and the Rochester Institute of Technology.

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

There are certain drafting engineer certifications that you should consider. These drafting engineer certifications include Engineer In Training Certification (EIT) and Drafter Certification.

What education do you need to become a drafting engineer?

What degree do you need to be a drafting engineer?

The most common degree for drafting engineers is associate degree, with 45% of drafting engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 39% and bachelor's degree degree at 6%.

Associate, 45%

Bachelor's, 39%

High School Diploma, 6%

Diploma, 4%

Other Degrees, 6%

What should I major in to become a drafting engineer?

You should major in drafting and design to become a drafting engineer. 37% of drafting engineers major in drafting and design. Other common majors for a drafting engineer include mechanical engineering and civil engineering.

Drafting And Design, 37%

Mechanical Engineering, 16%

Civil Engineering, 5%

Mechanical Engineering Technology, 5%

Other Majors, 37%

Most common colleges for drafting engineers

Drafting engineers often get their degrees at Rochester Institute of Technology, The University of Texas at Arlington, and Purdue University. Here are the most common colleges for drafting engineers in the US based on their resumes.

Drafting engineer common college	Percentages
Rochester Institute of Technology	8.93%
The University of Texas at Arlington	8.93%
Purdue University	7.14%
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	7.14%
Arizona State University	5.36%

Show more common drafting engineer colleges

Best majors for drafting engineers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Drafting And Design	37.1%
2	Mechanical Engineering	15.8%
3	Civil Engineering	5.5%
4	Mechanical Engineering Technology	5.3%
5	Engineering	4.2%

Show more common drafting engineer majors

Best colleges for drafting engineers

The best colleges for drafting engineers are Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Johns Hopkins University.

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

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 drafting engineers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for drafting engineers

The most affordable schools for drafting engineers are SUNY Farmingdale, brigham young university, and purdue university.

If the best universities for drafting engineers 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 drafting engineers.

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 drafting engineers

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

Some great schools for drafting engineers 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 drafting engineers 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

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 drafting engineers

The easiest schools for drafting engineers 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 drafting engineer 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 drafting engineers.

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 drafting engineer salary by education level

According to our data, drafting engineers with a Bachelor's degree earn the highest average salary, at $54,191 annually. Drafting engineers with a Associate degree earn an average annual salary of $52,366.

Drafting engineer education level	Drafting engineer salary
High School Diploma or Less	$50,824
Bachelor's Degree	$54,191
Some College/ Associate Degree	$52,366

Drafting engineer education FAQs

What is the best college for Drafting Engineers?

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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