Mechanical design drafter education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a mechanical design drafter. Mechanical design drafters usually study drafting and design, mechanical engineering, or mechanical engineering technology. 56% of mechanical design drafters hold a associate degree, and 28% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 2,127 real mechanical design drafter resumes to see exactly what mechanical design drafter education sections show.

The most common colleges for mechanical design drafters are the San Jose State University and the San Jose State University.

There are also many online mechanical design drafter courses to help get the education required to be a mechanical design drafter.

There are certain mechanical design drafter certifications that you should consider. These mechanical design drafter certifications include Mechanical Certified Drafter (CD) and Master Engine Machinist.

What education do you need to become a mechanical design drafter?

What degree do you need to be a mechanical design drafter?

The most common degree for mechanical design drafters is associate degree, with 56% of mechanical design drafters earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 28% and bachelor's degree degree at 6%.

Associate, 56%

Bachelor's, 28%

Diploma, 6%

High School Diploma, 4%

Other Degrees, 6%

What should I major in to become a mechanical design drafter?

You should major in drafting and design to become a mechanical design drafter. 49% of mechanical design drafters major in drafting and design. Other common majors for a mechanical design drafter include mechanical engineering and mechanical engineering technology.

Drafting And Design, 49%

Mechanical Engineering, 16%

Mechanical Engineering Technology, 6%

Engineering, 4%

Other Majors, 25%

Most common colleges for mechanical design drafters

Mechanical design drafters often get their degrees at San Jose State University, Dunwoody College of Technology, and University of Houston. Here are the most common colleges for mechanical design drafters in the US based on their resumes.

Mechanical design drafter common college	Percentages
San Jose State University	9.80%
Dunwoody College of Technology	7.84%
University of Houston	7.84%
Arizona State University	5.88%
New England Institute of Technology	5.88%

Show more common mechanical design drafter colleges

Best majors for mechanical design drafters

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Drafting And Design	49.1%
2	Mechanical Engineering	15.8%
3	Mechanical Engineering Technology	5.9%
4	Engineering	3.6%
5	Graphic Design	3.4%

Show more common mechanical design drafter majors

Best colleges for mechanical design drafters

The best colleges for mechanical design drafters are Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Johns Hopkins University.

A mechanical design 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 mechanical design drafters. 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 mechanical design drafters.

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 mechanical design drafters

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3. Mechanical design and Product development process

4.2

(604)

Learn the basic ideas and concepts behind developing mechanical products related to mechanical engineering...

4. Basics of Material selection for mechanical design engineers

4.4

(542)

Learn about the fundamentals of materials and their selection for mechanical engineering design for design engineers...

5. Quantum Mechanics for Engineers

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6. Mechanics / Statics - Introduction to Mechanical Engineering

4.5

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Engineering Solid Mechanics / Engineering Statics...

7. Basics of Sheet metal design for Mechanical design engineers

4.3

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Learn Sheet metal design, processes and practical design considerations along with Design projects...

8. The Complete Engineering Mechanics Course

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Auto CAD Mechanical Engineering/ Drawing / Drafting / Design in 2D and 3D...

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13. Manufacturing process selection and Design for manufacturing

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14. Data Center Essentials: Mechanical & Cooling

4.5

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The mechanical cooling systems that support data centers and the internet...

15. HVAC (PART2) with Revit MEP & Practical Projects

4.1

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your Practical Guide in the Heating Ventilation & Air Conditioning with Programs & Layouts (A Complete Project Included)...

16. Basics of Tolerance Stack-up Analysis and Fits with GD & T

4.4

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Learn About Tolerances Stack-up Analysis and about fits in engineering with multiple examples with GD & T for mechanical...

17. Learn AutoCAD 2023- 21 Mechanical 2D and 3D Complete Course

4.3

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Autodesk Auto CAD 2023- 21 for Mechanical Engineer, Beginner to Advanced Auto CAD Course for 2D, 3D and advanced commands...

18. Autodesk Inventor 2020 Complete Beginners Course

4.3

(289)

Learn to use this great software for mechanical design and 3D printing...

19. Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD & T) : Basics

4.3

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Learn the essential concepts of GD & T , for mechanical and manufacturing engineers with practice exercises...

20. HVAC (PART1) with HAPExcelAutoCADManual Calculations

4.5

(1,349)

A Practical Guide in the Heating Ventilation & Air Conditioning with Programs & Layouts (Including 4 Practical Projects)...

Top 10 most affordable universities for mechanical design drafters

The most affordable schools for mechanical design drafters are SUNY Farmingdale, brigham young university, and purdue university.

If the best universities for mechanical design drafters 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 mechanical design drafters.

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 mechanical design drafters

The hardest universities for mechanical design drafters to get into are Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for mechanical design drafters 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 mechanical design drafters 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 mechanical design drafters

The easiest schools for mechanical design drafters 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 mechanical design 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 mechanical design drafters.

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 mechanical design drafter salary by education level

Mechanical design drafters with a Bachelor's degree earn more than those without, at $61,285 annually. With a Associate degree, mechanical design drafters earn a median annual income of $59,689 compared to $58,329 for mechanical design drafters with an High School Diploma degree.

Mechanical design drafter education level	Mechanical design drafter salary
High School Diploma or Less	$58,329
Bachelor's Degree	$61,285
Some College/ Associate Degree	$59,689

Mechanical design drafter education FAQs

What is the best college for Mechanical Design Drafters?

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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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