Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians maps to BLS occupations averaging about $95,976, with roughly 50,440 workers nationwide in those roles. About 1,632 bachelor's completions in IPEDS 2023; median in-state published tuition is about $4,418.
Key Statistics
Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians: what the data shows
Common questions about drafting/design engineering technologies/technicians degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a drafting/design engineering technologies/technicians degree?
A Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians program is classified under NCES CIP 00.1513 in the Engineering Technology, General field family (00.15).
IPEDS counted 9,702 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of drafting/design engineering technologies/technicians degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 00.15 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians (CIP 00.1501)
- Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians (CIP 00.1502)
- Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians (CIP 00.1512)
- Construction Engineering Technologies (CIP 00.1510)
- Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians (CIP 00.1503)
- Electromechanical Instrumentation and Maintenance Technologies/Technicians (CIP 00.1504)
- Energy Systems Technologies/Technicians (CIP 00.1517)
- Engineering-Related Fields (CIP 00.1515)
- Engineering-Related Technologies (CIP 00.1511)
- Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians (CIP 00.1505)
- Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (CIP 00.1506)
- Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (CIP 00.1508)
- Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians (CIP 00.1509)
- Nanotechnology (CIP 00.1516)
- Nuclear Engineering Technologies/Technicians (CIP 00.1514)
- Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (CIP 00.1507)
How long does it take to get a drafting/design engineering technologies/technicians degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 00.1513 in our file:
- 1,632 Bachelor's (37.4% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 2,713 Master's (62.2% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
- 16 Doctorate (0.4% of IPEDS total)—varies by program
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What do you learn in drafting/design engineering technologies/technicians?
O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Equipment Maintenance, Repairing, Troubleshooting, Operations Monitoring, Quality Control Analysis, Complex Problem Solving, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.
What degree do you need?
For Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a drafting/design engineering technologies/technicians degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | 136,390 | $78,680 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 75,710 | $155,020 |
| Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | 43,640 | $39,270 |
| Brickmasons and Blockmasons | 53,520 | $60,800 |
| Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians | 36,880 | $52,080 |
| Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 31,510 | $41,600 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a drafting/design engineering technologies/technicians degree worth it?
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $4,418 and median net price is $7,461.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$4,418 Median In-State Public
$18,906 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians majors are, on average, $4,418 for in-state public colleges, and $18,906 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
9,702 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ivy Tech Community College | IN | 54,926 |
| 2 | Lone Star College System | TX | 47,486 |
| 3 | Dallas College | TX | 41,815 |
| 4 | Tarrant County College District | TX | 40,214 |
| 5 | Houston Community College | TX | 37,970 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute | NM | $1,095 |
| 2 | Antelope Valley Community College District | CA | $1,124 |
| 3 | Compton College | CA | $1,142 |
| 4 | El Camino Community College District | CA | $1,144 |
| 5 | College of the Redwoods | CA | $1,147 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $29 |
| 2 | Coastal Pines Technical College | GA | $124 |
| 3 | Cleveland Community College | NC | $414 |
| 4 | Henry Ford College | MI | $576 |
| 5 | Florence-Darlington Technical College | SC | $598 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians programs.
Graduation Rates
53.02% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)
54.24% Average Graduation Rate
140 Institutions Reporting
41.74% - 65.96% Interquartile Range
Graduation/completion rates for Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians programs across institutions.
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 00.15 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians CIP 00.1501
- Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians CIP 00.1502
- Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians CIP 00.1512
- Construction Engineering Technologies CIP 00.1510
- Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians CIP 00.1503
- Electromechanical Instrumentation and Maintenance Technologies/Technicians CIP 00.1504
- Energy Systems Technologies/Technicians CIP 00.1517
- Engineering-Related Fields CIP 00.1515
- Engineering-Related Technologies CIP 00.1511
- Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians CIP 00.1505
- Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians CIP 00.1506
- Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians CIP 00.1508
- Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians CIP 00.1509
- Nanotechnology CIP 00.1516
- Nuclear Engineering Technologies/Technicians CIP 00.1514
- Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians CIP 00.1507
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 00.1513 in the survey year used in our extract (4,361 total across levels below).
- 1,632 Bachelor's (37.4% of IPEDS total)
- 2,713 Master's (62.2% of IPEDS total)
- 16 Doctorate (0.4% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $95,976. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | $88,062 | 136,390 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | $188,333 | 75,710 |
| Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | $53,312 | 43,640 |
| Brickmasons and Blockmasons | $74,538 | 53,520 |
| Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians | $58,116 | 36,880 |
| Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | $48,139 | 31,510 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$128,232 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians majors is $128,232.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians majors.
Occupations by Share
50,440 2023 Workforce
The number of Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians.
Age distribution for Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Gender distribution data is not available for this degree program.
Gender distribution of Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Race and ethnicity distribution data is not available for this degree program.
Racial and ethnic distribution of Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians majors.
About
Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians
In 2023, 9,702 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians.
CIP Code
00.1513 - Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians
What the data shows
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $95,976. The largest mapped role by headcount is Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians (136,390 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $4,418 in-state at public colleges and $18,906 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.