Electrical design technician education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an electrical design technician. Electrical design technicians usually study drafting and design, electrical engineering, or electrical engineering technology. 62% of electrical design technicians hold a associate degree, and 24% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 262 real electrical design technician resumes to see exactly what electrical design technician education sections show.

The most common colleges for electrical design technicians are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online electrical design technician courses to help get the education required to be an electrical design technician.

What education do you need to become an electrical design technician?

What degree do you need to be an electrical design technician?

The most common degree for electrical design technicians is associate degree, with 62% of electrical design technicians earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 24% and bachelor's degree degree at 5%.

Associate, 62%

Bachelor's, 24%

Diploma, 5%

High School Diploma, 5%

Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become an electrical design technician?

You should major in drafting and design to become an electrical design technician. 25% of electrical design technicians major in drafting and design. Other common majors for an electrical design technician include electrical engineering and electrical engineering technology.

Drafting And Design, 25%

Electrical Engineering, 23%

Electrical Engineering Technology, 16%

Engineering Technology, 4%

Other Majors, 32%

Most common colleges for electrical design technicians

Electrical design technicians often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, University of the Sciences, and Bluefield State College. Here are the most common colleges for electrical design technicians in the US based on their resumes.

Electrical design technician common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	11.11%
University of the Sciences	7.41%
Bluefield State College	7.41%
Ranken Technical College	7.41%
Georgia Gwinnett College	7.41%

Show more common electrical design technician colleges

Best majors for electrical design technicians

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Drafting And Design	25.4%
2	Electrical Engineering	23.1%
3	Electrical Engineering Technology	15.7%
4	Engineering Technology	4.5%
5	Mechanical Engineering	3.7%

Show more common electrical design technician majors

Best colleges for electrical design technicians

The best colleges for electrical design technicians are Carnegie Mellon University, Tufts University, and Northwestern University.

An electrical 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 electrical 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 electrical design technicians.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

2. New Mexico State University

Las Cruces, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$6,686

Enrollment

11,139

3. Central Connecticut State University

New Britain, CT • Private

In-state tuition

$10,616

Enrollment

9,325

4. Rochester Institute of Technology

Rochester, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$42,345

Enrollment

12,886

5. Wayne State University

Detroit, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$13,097

Enrollment

17,114

6. Michigan Technological University

Houghton, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,646

Enrollment

5,736

7. LeTourneau University

Longview, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$30,210

Enrollment

1,771

8. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

9. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Alfred, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,570

Enrollment

3,721

10. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

20 best online courses for electrical design technicians

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Learn How to Wire Power Sockets, Light Bulb to Switches also How to Read Electrical Plans (House Wiring)...

20. Electricity for Electronics, Electrical Engineering A-Z 2023

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Top 10 most affordable universities for electrical design technicians

The most affordable schools for electrical design technicians are California State University - Long Beach, suny farmingdale, and california state university - los angeles.

If the best universities for electrical 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 electrical design technicians.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

4. West Virginia University Institute of Technology

Beckley, WV • Private

In-state tuition

$7,464

Cost of attendance

17,166

5. New York City College of Technology of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,120

Cost of attendance

13,997

6. 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

7. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

8. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon

Bayamon, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,940

Cost of attendance

13,508

9. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

10. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for electrical design technicians

The hardest universities for electrical design technicians to get into are Carnegie Mellon University, Tufts University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for electrical 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 electrical 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. Tufts University

Medford, MA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,461

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

4. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

5. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

8. Rochester Institute of Technology

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

66%

SAT average

1,319

9. Southern Methodist University

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

51%

SAT average

1,395

10. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

Admissions rate

58%

SAT average

1,309

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for electrical design technicians

The easiest schools for electrical design technicians to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, california university of pennsylvania, and capitol technology university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an electrical 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 electrical design technicians.

1. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

2. California University of Pennsylvania

California, PA • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,007

3. Capitol Technology University

Laurel, MD • Private

Admissions rate

69%

SAT average

1,070

4. Indiana State University

Terre Haute, IN • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,019

5. South Dakota State University

Brookings, SD • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,149

6. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

7. Central Washington University

Ellensburg, WA • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,062

8. Pennsylvania State University - DuBois

DuBois, PA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,079

9. Purdue University Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, IN • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,080

10. Eastern Michigan University

Ypsilanti, MI • Private

Admissions rate

76%

SAT average

1,025

Average electrical design technician salary by education level

According to our data, electrical design technicians with a Associate degree earn the highest average salary, at $50,715 annually. Electrical design technicians with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $50,157.

Electrical design technician education level	Electrical design technician salary
High School Diploma or Less	$48,933
Bachelor's Degree	$50,157
Some College/ Associate Degree	$50,715

Electrical design technician education FAQs

What is the best college for Electrical Design Technicians?

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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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