College Scorecard · field of study · all U.S. colleges

Is a Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians degree worth the debt?

The figures below lead with the Bachelor's, aggregated across 14 colleges (14 of 14 programs report earnings). Other credential levels are in the table further down.

Median pay · 1 yr after

$48,536

Graduates only, early career.$54,154 two years out.

Median federal debt

$27,000

Federal loans only — not private or Parent PLUS.

Debt vs a year's pay

0.46×

46% of a first year's earnings.

Typical debt is well under a single year's early-career pay.

The college you pick moves this a lot

The middle 50% of Bachelor's programs in Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians report early-career pay between $37,568 and $58,625 — a spread of $21,057 that depends on the program and who attends it, not the major alone.

25th pct $37,568 median $48,536 75th pct $58,625

By degree level

Each level is a separate decision — more schooling usually means more pay and more debt.

LevelPay · 1yrDebtDebt/pay

Certificate 3 colleges $36,153 $13,880 0.38×

Associate's 37 colleges $40,678 $12,295 0.32×

Bachelor's 14 colleges $48,536 $27,000 0.46×

Where a Bachelor's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

The 14 programs with the highest reported pay one year after completion. This reflects who enrolls and where they live as much as the program itself — it is not a causal quality ranking.

Central Michigan University MI $74,597 $28,500 debt

Western Michigan University MI $68,647 $29,875 debt

Eastern Michigan University MI $64,898 —

Trine University IN $58,625 $27,000 debt

Trine University-Regional/Non-Traditional Campuses IN $58,625 $27,000 debt

University of Central Missouri MO $53,266 $20,972 debt

Weber State University UT $50,966 —

Pennsylvania College of Technology PA $46,106 $27,000 debt

Academy of Art University CA $44,238 $40,171 debt

Murray State University KY $43,114 $22,500 debt

Indiana University-Indianapolis IN $35,720 $26,000 debt

The Art Institute of Houston $35,146 —

The Art Institute of Austin $35,146 —

The Art Institute of San Antonio $35,146 —

What these numbers are — and are not

Every figure here is a median across college programs in Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians, from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. It is not a prediction of what you would earn (your college, effort, and local job market vary enormously — see the spread above), not lifetime earnings (it is measured 1–2 years after completion, early career), not proof the major caused the outcome (who enters a field differs by field — selection, not causation), and not a "best majors" ranking: earnings are one dimension of worth, not the whole of it. Teaching and social work pay far less than the fields at the top of this list and matter enormously. Earnings cover federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report.

Also available: structured data (JSON-LD) · plain text · JSON. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release). · explore this field on the official Scorecard