Other degree levels for this field: Certificates and diplomas
This page shows what graduates with an associate degree in Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians earn four years after graduating, what they typically owe, the schools that report these figures (listed alphabetically), and the occupations linked to this field by the federal CIP-to-SOC crosswalk. It covers 40 reporting units (schools, or groups of campuses that report together) with these figures.
In context: across the 47 associate-degree fields with earnings reported by at least 30 schools or school groups, the typical field's median is $48,733; this field's median of $55,895 is 15% above that. The middle half of its graduates differ by $27,957 (25th to 75th percentile), narrower than the typical field's $33,656, so earnings within this field are more tightly grouped than usual. Typical federal debt of $13,500 is about 24% of one year of that median (debt and earnings cover different graduating years). These are group figures, not predictions for any graduate.
Schools reporting earnings for Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians graduates
Listed alphabetically to start; MajorPays does not rank schools. Click a column heading to sort; shift-click more headings to sort by several columns as a group. Median earnings four years after graduation, associate degree, for programs with at least 30 graduates measured (10 reporting units; campuses that share one federal school ID report together and appear once). Schools with fewer graduates in the major, or whose figure the Department of Education withholds, are not listed.
| School | State | Median earnings, 4 years after | Graduates measured |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Community College District | TX | $65,475 | 36 |
| Dunwoody College of Technology | MN | $64,719 | 53 |
| Hennepin Technical College | MN | $63,030 | 44 |
| Houston Community College | TX | $60,458 | 36 |
| ITI Technical College | LA | $55,773 | 42 |
| Ivy Tech Community College | IN | $53,556 | 53 |
| Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College | MS | $63,498 | 36 |
| Pittsburgh Technical College | PA | $59,501 | 62 |
| Southeast Community College Area | NE | $54,148 | 33 |
| Texas State Technical College | TX | $52,041 | 59 |
See every school that awarded associate degrees in Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians in 2023-24, including schools that do not report earnings, with the number of degrees awarded (IPEDS Completions).
Occupations O*NET associates with this field
Occupations that U.S. Department of Labor O*NET data links to Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians programs, with each occupation's national median pay, projected job growth and yearly openings. They are listed in the order O*NET links them to this field; click a column heading to sort. This is a classification crosswalk, not evidence that graduates enter these jobs, and many of these occupations require more education, a license or experience beyond this credential. The figures describe the occupation, not the graduates of this major.
| Career | Median pay, 2025 | Projected growth, 2025–2035 | Openings per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Architectural and Civil Drafters | $66,150 | +5.2% | 9,100 |
| Electrical and Electronics Drafters | $76,870 | -3.4% | 1,400 |
| Mechanical Drafters | $71,550 | -6.0% | 2,900 |
| Drafters, All Other | $63,520 | -7.3% | 1,000 |
Frequently asked questions
Does an associate degree in Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians pay off?
Graduates with an associate degree in Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians earn a median of $55,895 four years after graduating, and typically owe about $13,500 in federal loans. Earnings four years out are early-career pay, and they vary widely by school, job and place. Compare the pay with the cost of your own school on its graduate earnings page.
How much do college graduates earn overall?
See earnings by education level and by state.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study data (June 2026 release), licensed under Creative Commons Attribution; careers from O*NET 31.0 by the U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Career pay, growth and openings: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025) and Employment Projections (2025-2035). MajorPays has selected and reorganized these figures; neither agency has approved or endorsed them. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. MajorPays has modified all or some of the O*NET information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Earnings are for graduates who received federal financial aid and were working and not enrolled four years after finishing (graduates of academic years 2014-15 and 2015-16, in 2021 dollars; the debt figures are for graduates of 2018-19 and 2019-20); the data says nothing about how much a school added to its graduates' earnings.