Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians programs
CIP 1513 · Engineering Technologies · ranked by median earnings four years after completion
59 institutions report graduate earnings for Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians programs (College Scorecard, 2024-25). Across them the median is $59,402 four years after completion, with a typical debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.25× and 85% of graduates earning above the federal earnings threshold. Indicatively, 2 of the 68 programs with both earnings and a benchmark fall below the earnings-premium benchmark used by the 2025 federal test (effective July 1, 2026); the rest clear it.
| # | Institution | Earn 4yr | % > threshold | Median debt | Debt/earn | Earnings premium | 2 of 3 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western Michigan UniversityMI · Bachelor's | $84,622 n=29 | 100% 5yr | $29,875 | 0.35× | Above +141% | Clears 2/2 |
| 2 | Central Michigan UniversityMI · Bachelor's | $84,064 n=23 | 90% 1yr | $28,500 | 0.34× | Above +140% | – |
| 3 | Trine UniversityIN · Bachelor's | $77,517 n=92 | 98% 5yr | $27,000 | 0.35× | Above +107% | Clears 2/2 |
| 4 | Trine University-Regional/Non-Traditional CampusesIN · Bachelor's | $77,517 n=92 | 98% 5yr | $27,000 | 0.35× | Above +107% | Clears 2/2 |
| 5 | SUNY College of Technology at DelhiNY · Associate | $72,530 n=28 | 95% 5yr | $11,195 | 0.15× | Above +91% | Clears 2/2 |
| 6 | CUNY New York City College of TechnologyNY · Associate | $71,749 n=22 | 85% 5yr | – | – | Above +89% | Clears 2/2 |
| 7 | Academy of Art UniversityCA · Master's | $71,613 n=76 | 68% 1yr | $84,794 | 1.18× | Below -5% | – |
| 8 | University of Central MissouriMO · Bachelor's | $71,326 n=43 | 97% 5yr | $20,972 | 0.29× | Above +99% | Clears 2/2 |
| 9 | SUNY College of Technology at DelhiNY · UG cert | $69,705 n=25 | – | $6,125 | 0.09× | Above +83% | – |
| 10 | Pennsylvania College of TechnologyPA · Bachelor's | $68,755 n=41 | 91% 1yr | $27,000 | 0.39× | Above +82% | – |
| 11 | Cincinnati State Technical and Community CollegeOH · UG cert | $68,291 n=18 | – | – | – | Above +86% | – |
| 12 | Ferris State UniversityMI · Associate | $67,913 n=17 | – | $12,000 | 0.18× | Above +94% | – |
| 13 | Century CollegeMN · Associate | $67,478 n=21 | – | – | – | Above +69% | – |
| 14 | Spokane Community CollegeWA · Associate | $66,859 n=16 | – | – | – | Above +57% | – |
| 15 | Academy of Art UniversityCA · Bachelor's | $66,783 n=76 | 64% 1yr | $40,171 | 0.60× | Above +74% | – |
| 16 | Austin Community College DistrictTX · Associate | $65,475 n=36 | 74% 5yr | $8,250 | 0.13× | Above +83% | Clears 2/2 |
| 17 | Dunwoody College of TechnologyMN · Associate | $64,719 n=53 | 88% 5yr | $16,000 | 0.25× | Above +62% | Clears 2/2 |
| 18 | Madison Area Technical CollegeWI · Associate | $64,565 n=16 | – | – | – | Above +66% | – |
| 19 | Northeast Community CollegeNE · Associate | $63,776 n=19 | – | – | – | Above +71% | – |
| 20 | Mississippi Gulf Coast Community CollegeMS · Associate | $63,498 n=36 | 68% 1yr | $11,000 | 0.17× | Above +93% | – |
| 21 | Northcentral Technical CollegeWI · Associate | $63,412 n=19 | 86% 5yr | $7,877 | 0.12× | Above +63% | Clears 2/2 |
| 22 | San Jacinto Community CollegeTX · Associate | $63,403 n=17 | 79% 5yr | – | – | Above +77% | Clears 2/2 |
| 23 | Hennepin Technical CollegeMN · Associate | $63,030 n=44 | 91% 5yr | $18,835 | 0.30× | Above +58% | Clears 2/2 |
| 24 | Valencia CollegeFL · Associate | $62,497 n=19 | – | – | – | Above +85% | – |
| 25 | Dakota County Technical CollegeMN · Associate | $62,459 n=16 | – | – | – | Above +56% | – |
| 26 | Northcentral Technical CollegeWI · UG cert | $62,126 n=36 | – | $6,114 | 0.10× | Above +59% | – |
| 27 | Indiana University-IndianapolisIN · Bachelor's | $61,420 n=32 | 87% 5yr | $26,000 | 0.42× | Above +64% | Clears 2/2 |
| 28 | Minneapolis Community and Technical CollegeMN · UG cert | $60,853 n=18 | – | – | – | Above +52% | – |
| 29 | Northeast Community CollegeNE · UG cert | $60,605 n=25 | – | – | – | Above +63% | – |
| 30 | Front Range Community CollegeCO · Associate | $60,510 n=19 | – | – | – | Above +45% | Clears 2/2 |
| 31 | Houston Community CollegeTX · Associate | $60,458 n=36 | 79% 5yr | $10,500 | 0.17× | Above +69% | Clears 2/2 |
| 32 | St Cloud Technical and Community CollegeMN · Associate | $60,100 n=28 | 83% 1yr | $8,008 | 0.13× | Above +50% | Clears 2/2 |
| 33 | Des Moines Area Community CollegeIA · Associate | $59,996 n=20 | 79% 1yr | – | – | Above +56% | – |
| 34 | Waukesha County Technical CollegeWI · Associate | $59,490 n=24 | 93% 5yr | $18,500 | 0.31× | Above +53% | Clears 2/2 |
| 35 | Mott Community CollegeMI · Associate | $59,314 n=16 | – | $13,500 | 0.23× | Above +69% | Clears 2/2 |
| 36 | Hillsborough Community CollegeFL · UG cert | $59,299 n=18 | – | $9,500 | 0.16× | Above +76% | – |
| 37 | Murray State UniversityKY · Bachelor's | $58,862 n=31 | 90% 5yr | $22,500 | 0.38× | Above +70% | Clears 2/2 |
| 38 | Austin Community College DistrictTX · UG cert | $58,775 n=48 | 76% 1yr | $12,000 | 0.20× | Above +64% | – |
| 39 | College of Western IdahoID · UG cert | $58,283 n=33 | 94% 1yr | $7,375 | 0.13× | Above +64% | – |
| 40 | Minnesota State College SoutheastMN · Associate | $58,135 n=21 | – | – | – | Above +45% | – |
| 41 | Porter & Chester InstituteCT · UG cert | $57,849 n=71 | 54% | $13,880 | 0.24× | Above +37% | Clears 2/2 |
| 42 | Macomb Community CollegeMI · Associate | $56,351 n=22 | 83% 1yr | – | – | Above +61% | – |
| 43 | ITI Technical CollegeLA · Associate | $55,773 n=42 | 82% 5yr | $15,613 | 0.28× | Above +60% | Clears 2/2 |
| 44 | Dallas CollegeTX · UG cert | $55,406 n=66 | – | – | – | Above +55% | Clears 2/2 |
| 45 | Houston Community CollegeTX · UG cert | $55,262 n=16 | – | $6,251 | 0.11× | Above +55% | – |
| 46 | Anoka Technical CollegeMN · Associate | $55,198 n=20 | 94% 5yr | – | – | Above +38% | – |
| 47 | SOWELA Technical Community CollegeLA · Associate | $55,019 n=17 | – | – | – | Above +58% | – |
| 48 | Thaddeus Stevens College of TechnologyPA · Associate | $54,615 n=18 | 67% 5yr | $11,940 | 0.22× | Above +45% | Clears 2/2 |
| 49 | Tidewater Community CollegeVA · Associate | $54,518 n=26 | – | – | – | Above +43% | – |
| 50 | Minnesota State Community and Technical CollegeMN · Associate | $54,350 n=25 | 95% 1yr | $11,341 | 0.21× | Above +36% | – |
| 51 | Southeast Community College AreaNE · Associate | $54,148 n=33 | 100% 5yr | $13,482 | 0.25× | Above +46% | Clears 2/2 |
| 52 | Miami Dade CollegeFL · UG cert | $53,652 n=39 | – | – | – | Above +59% | Clears 2/2 |
| 53 | Ivy Tech Community CollegeIN · Associate | $53,556 n=53 | 100% | $10,990 | 0.20× | Above +43% | Clears 2/2 |
| 54 | College of Western IdahoID · Associate | $52,926 n=16 | 95% 1yr | – | – | Above +49% | – |
| 55 | Pennsylvania College of TechnologyPA · Associate | $52,616 n=21 | 85% 1yr | $15,251 | 0.29× | Above +40% | – |
| 56 | Texas State Technical CollegeTX · Associate | $52,041 n=59 | 82% 5yr | $12,650 | 0.24× | Above +46% | Clears 2/2 |
| 57 | State Technical College of MissouriMO · Associate | $50,606 n=25 | 90% 5yr | $11,700 | 0.23× | Above +41% | Clears 2/2 |
| 58 | Vincennes UniversityIN · Associate | $48,459 n=16 | – | $12,000 | 0.25× | Above +29% | – |
| 59 | YTI Career Institute-YorkPA · Associate | $48,420 n=23 | 85% 5yr | $15,940 | 0.33× | Above +28% | Clears 2/2 |
| 60 | Central New Mexico Community CollegeNM · Associate | $44,483 n=20 | – | – | – | Above +37% | Clears 2/2 |
| 61 | Wichita State University-Campus of Applied Sciences and TechnologyKS · Associate | $44,422 n=23 | 84% 1yr | $16,168 | 0.36× | Above +22% | – |
| 62 | Remington College-Dallas CampusTX · UG cert | $44,179 n=27 | 51% 1yr | $12,965 | 0.29× | Above +24% | Below 1/2 |
| 63 | Remington College-Fort Worth CampusTX · UG cert | $44,179 n=27 | 51% 1yr | $12,965 | 0.29× | Above +24% | Below 1/2 |
| 64 | Remington College-Memphis CampusTN · UG cert | $44,179 n=27 | 51% 1yr | $12,965 | 0.29× | Above +26% | Below 1/2 |
| 65 | Remington College-Mobile CampusAL · UG cert | $44,179 n=27 | 51% 1yr | $12,965 | 0.29× | Above +28% | Below 1/2 |
| 66 | Delgado Community CollegeLA · UG cert | $43,653 n=18 | 78% 5yr | – | – | Above +25% | Clears 2/2 |
| 67 | Front Range Community CollegeCO · UG cert | $42,277 n=24 | 64% 1yr | $10,750 | 0.25× | Above +2% | – |
| 68 | South Texas CollegeTX · UG cert | $31,238 n=25 | – | – | – | Below -13% | – |
% > threshold is ED's own share of graduates earning above the federal earnings threshold, taken from the best available measurement window (4-, 5- or 1-year) pooled across all nine College Scorecard Field-of-Study releases; a chip marks any figure not on the 4-year window. Earnings premium compares median earnings four years out to the U.S. Census ACS median for a high-school graduate (undergraduate credentials) or bachelor's-degree holder (graduate credentials) in the institution's state. 2 of 3 yrs flags programs below that benchmark in two of the latest three reported cohort-years, the statutory trigger under the 2025 federal earnings-premium test (effective July 1, 2026). Indicative estimates; the Department of Education's official determination may differ. Figures lag the current year by 2–3 years.
| State | Median earn 4yr | Programs |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $71,749 | 3 |
| Michigan | $67,913 | 5 |
| Wisconsin | $62,769 | 4 |
| Indiana | $61,420 | 5 |
| Minnesota | $60,853 | 9 |
| Nebraska | $60,605 | 3 |
| Florida | $59,299 | 3 |
| Texas | $55,334 | 10 |
| Louisiana | $55,019 | 3 |
| Pennsylvania | $53,616 | 4 |
States with at least 3 reporting Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians programs, by median graduate earnings.
Which colleges have the highest-paying Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians programs?
By median earnings four years after completion, the highest-paying Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians programs in this dataset are Western Michigan University ($84,622), Central Michigan University ($84,064), Trine University ($77,517). Earnings reflect College Scorecard field-of-study data (2024-25) and vary by credential level and location.
Are Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians programs at risk under the federal earnings-premium test?
Indicatively, 2 of the 68 Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians programs with both earnings and a state/national benchmark have median graduate earnings below the earnings-premium benchmark used by the 2025 federal test (effective July 1, 2026), under which a program can lose Title IV eligibility if its graduates earn less than a typical worker without the credential for 2 of 3 years. This estimate uses College Scorecard earnings vs U.S. Census ACS medians; the Department of Education's official determination uses its own cohort definition and may differ.
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Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard Field of Study, 2014–15 through 2022–23 cohorts plus the most-recent snapshot (2024-25); threshold pass-rates pooled across all nine releases. Earnings-premium benchmarks from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS). Compiled by Ibex Insights. See the methodology.