UNDERGRADUATE CERTIFICATE OR DIPLOMA · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a undergraduate certificate or diploma in Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 19 college programs with reportable data.
Personal baseline needed
$55,406 in median year-4 earnings
A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.
$55,406Median year-4 earnings
$12,595Average institution net-price context
$12,965Median federal debt
Start with your decision
What do you need to compare?
Outcomes at a glance
$55,406Typical earnings four years after completion
$50,422Average earnings five years after completion
$12,965Typical federal student debt
57thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
233Degrees awarded in 2024–25
19College programs reporting earnings
Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 12 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.
Four useful answers about Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians
How much do Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians undergraduate certificate or diploma graduates earn?
The national median is $55,406 four years after completion across reportable undergraduate certificate or diploma programs in this federal field.
How much federal debt do graduates have?
The median reported federal debt is $12,965. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.
Does the college matter for Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $44,179 to $59,299 in observed year-4 earnings.
What careers are related to Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians?
DegreeVerdict links this field to 4 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.
More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.
Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.
CURRENT VIEW
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma
- Year-4 earnings
- $55,406
- Federal debt
- $12,965
- Programs in the comparison
- 19
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $59,496
- Federal debt
- $13,250
- Programs in the comparison
- 43
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $71,326
- Federal debt
- $27,000
- Programs in the comparison
- 9
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $71,613
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 1
Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)
- Year-4 earnings
- $48,453
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 1
Where the middle half of programs lands
Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.
Median
25th percentile$44,179National median$55,40675th percentile$59,299
19 programs report year‑4 earnings.BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Compare price, debt and earnings together
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION
Three useful places to start
Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.
Highest observed earnings
SUNY College of Technology at Delhi
$69,705 four years after completionDelhi, NY · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debtAustin Community College District
$10,500 among completer borrowersAustin, TX · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating classDallas College
40 reported awards in 2024–25Dallas, TX · inspect the full program →PRICE × EARNINGS MAP
Where colleges sit for this exact degree
Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.
$68,291Observed year-4 earnings$31,238
SUNY College of Technology at Delhi$17,225 price · $69,705 earningsCincinnati State Technical and Community College$4,968 price · $68,291 earningsNorthcentral Technical College$10,303 price · $62,126 earningsMinneapolis Community and Technical College$13,812 price · $60,853 earningsNortheast Community College$8,544 price · $60,605 earningsHillsborough College$3,861 price · $59,299 earningsAustin Community College District$6,390 price · $58,775 earningsCollege of Western Idaho$8,500 price · $58,283 earningsPorter & Chester Institute$18,348 price · $57,849 earningsDallas College$3,214 price · $55,406 earningsHouston City College$5,737 price · $55,262 earningsMiami Dade College$5,463 price · $53,652 earningsRemington College-Dallas Campus$29,805 price · $44,179 earningsRemington College-Mobile Campus$26,120 price · $44,179 earningsRemington College-Fort Worth Campus$25,913 price · $44,179 earningsRemington College-Memphis Campus$26,572 price · $44,179 earningsDelgado Community College$9,747 price · $43,653 earningsFront Range Community College$13,031 price · $42,277 earningsSouth Texas College$1,751 price · $31,238 earnings
$1,751Annual college-wide average net price$26,572
Choose colleges offering this exact degree
Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.
19 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 19 shown
Search every reporting program →
See the spread, not just the national number.
1SUNY College of Technology at Delhi$69,7052Cincinnati State Technical and Community College$68,2913Northcentral Technical College$62,1264Minneapolis Community and Technical College$60,8535Northeast Community College$60,6056Hillsborough College$59,2997Austin Community College District$58,7758College of Western Idaho$58,2839Porter & Chester Institute$57,84910Dallas College$55,406Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Jobs this degree may lead to
Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.
Pay and projected demand
Related careers do not share one outlook
Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection
Higher median wage ↑
-9%Projected employment growth →12%
Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.
Architectural and Civil Drafters$66,150 median wage103,700 jobs nationwide+5.2% projected growth through 2035 · 9,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Associate's degree$46,260–$99,710 typical wage rangeElectrical and Electronics Drafters$76,870 median wage17,920 jobs nationwide-3.4% projected growth through 2035 · 1,400 openings a yearTypical entry education: Associate's degree$50,040–$120,290 typical wage rangeMechanical Drafters$71,550 median wage39,960 jobs nationwide-6.0% projected growth through 2035 · 2,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Associate's degree$48,360–$106,580 typical wage rangeDrafters, All Other$63,520 median wage14,470 jobs nationwide-7.3% projected growth through 2035 · 1,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Associate's degree$43,420–$99,380 typical wage range
BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.
Where this degree has enough data to compare
State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.
This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.