Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians programs in California

110 schools in California teach this, at certificate or associate level. The Department of Education publishes earnings for none of them, so the figures below are what the occupation itself pays.

What this work pays in California

Architectural and Civil Drafters in California earn a median of $76,520 a year across 11,400 jobs. That is what the occupation pays everyone in it — not what graduates of any one program below earned.

Also leads to	Median	Jobs in California
Mechanical Drafters	$82,510	3,640
Electrical and Electronics Drafters	$78,310	2,730
Drafters, All Other	$73,390	1,750

Occupation wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

Schools

School	Credential	Median debt	Graduate earnings, 2 yrs	Graduates
Academy of Art University San Francisco	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	0
Academy of Art University San Francisco	Associate's degree	—	not published	17
Allan Hancock College Santa Maria	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	2
Allan Hancock College Santa Maria	Associate's degree	—	not published	2
American River College Sacramento	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	3
American River College Sacramento	Associate's degree	—	not published	4
Antelope Valley Community College District Lancaster	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	1
Antelope Valley Community College District Lancaster	Associate's degree	—	not published	0
Bakersfield College Bakersfield	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	4
Bakersfield College Bakersfield	Associate's degree	—	not published	7
Butte College Oroville	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	11
Butte College Oroville	Associate's degree	—	not published	1
Cabrillo College Aptos	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	10
Cerritos College Norwalk	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	21
Cerritos College Norwalk	Associate's degree	—	not published	19
Chaffey College Rancho Cucamonga	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	7
Chaffey College Rancho Cucamonga	Associate's degree	—	not published	5
Citrus College Glendora	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	10
Citrus College Glendora	Associate's degree	—	not published	7
City College of San Francisco San Francisco	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	2
College of San Mateo San Mateo	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	0
College of San Mateo San Mateo	Associate's degree	—	not published	2
College of the Canyons Santa Clarita	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	8
College of the Canyons Santa Clarita	Associate's degree	—	not published	14
College of the Desert Palm Desert	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	0
College of the Desert Palm Desert	Associate's degree	—	not published	1
College of the Redwoods Eureka	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	1
College of the Redwoods Eureka	Associate's degree	—	not published	1
College of the Sequoias Visalia	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	1
College of the Sequoias Visalia	Associate's degree	—	not published	1
Copper Mountain Community College Joshua Tree	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	—
Cosumnes River College Sacramento	Associate's degree	—	not published	0
Cuyamaca College El Cajon	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	9
Cuyamaca College El Cajon	Associate's degree	—	not published	8
De Anza College Cupertino	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	4
De Anza College Cupertino	Associate's degree	—	not published	0
Diablo Valley College Pleasant Hill	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	6
Diablo Valley College Pleasant Hill	Associate's degree	—	not published	2
East Los Angeles College Monterey Park	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	12
East Los Angeles College Monterey Park	Associate's degree	—	not published	0
El Camino Community College District Torrance	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	8
El Camino Community College District Torrance	Associate's degree	—	not published	5
Evergreen Valley College San Jose	Associate's degree	—	not published	2
Fresno City College Fresno	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	7
Fresno City College Fresno	Associate's degree	—	not published	11
Fullerton College Fullerton	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	4
Fullerton College Fullerton	Associate's degree	—	not published	9
Gavilan College Gilroy	Associate's degree	—	not published	0
Glendale Community College Glendale	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	8
Glendale Community College Glendale	Associate's degree	—	not published	2
Golden West College Huntington Beach	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	2
Golden West College Huntington Beach	Associate's degree	—	not published	1
Irvine Valley College Irvine	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	17
Irvine Valley College Irvine	Associate's degree	—	not published	3
Laney College Oakland	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	0
Laney College Oakland	Associate's degree	—	not published	0
Las Positas College Livermore	Associate's degree	—	not published	0
Long Beach City College Long Beach	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	4
Long Beach City College Long Beach	Associate's degree	—	not published	3
Los Angeles Mission College Sylmar	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	—
Los Angeles Pierce College Woodland Hills	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	0
Los Angeles Pierce College Woodland Hills	Associate's degree	—	not published	0
Los Angeles Valley College Valley Glen	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	0
Los Angeles Valley College Valley Glen	Associate's degree	—	not published	0
Los Medanos College Pittsburg	Associate's degree	—	not published	—
Merced College Merced	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	4
Merced College Merced	Associate's degree	—	not published	2
MiraCosta College Oceanside	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	6
MiraCosta College Oceanside	Associate's degree	—	not published	3
Mission College Santa Clara	Associate's degree	—	not published	0
Mt San Antonio College Walnut	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	18
Mt San Antonio College Walnut	Associate's degree	—	not published	6
Mt San Jacinto Community College District San Jacinto	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	1
Mt San Jacinto Community College District San Jacinto	Associate's degree	—	not published	5
Napa Valley College Napa	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	1
Napa Valley College Napa	Associate's degree	—	not published	5
Norco College Norco	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	16
Norco College Norco	Associate's degree	—	not published	1
Orange Coast College Costa Mesa	Associate's degree	—	not published	0
Palomar College San Marcos	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	35
Palomar College San Marcos	Associate's degree	—	not published	16
Pasadena City College Pasadena	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	6
Pasadena City College Pasadena	Associate's degree	—	not published	2
Rio Hondo College Whittier	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	48
Rio Hondo College Whittier	Associate's degree	—	not published	7
Riverside City College Riverside	Associate's degree	—	not published	0
Sacramento City College Sacramento	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	7
Sacramento City College Sacramento	Associate's degree	—	not published	6
Saddleback College Mission Viejo	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	1
Saddleback College Mission Viejo	Associate's degree	—	not published	0
San Diego City College San Diego	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	0
San Joaquin Delta College Stockton	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	13
San Joaquin Delta College Stockton	Associate's degree	—	not published	14
Santa Ana College Santa Ana	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	22
Santa Ana College Santa Ana	Associate's degree	—	not published	5
Santa Barbara City College Santa Barbara	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	0
Santa Barbara City College Santa Barbara	Associate's degree	—	not published	3
Sierra College Rocklin	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	5
Sierra College Rocklin	Associate's degree	—	not published	8
Solano Community College Fairfield	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	6
Solano Community College Fairfield	Associate's degree	—	not published	1
Southwestern College Chula Vista	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	3
Southwestern College Chula Vista	Associate's degree	—	not published	8
The Fab School Rancho Cucamonga	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	35
Ventura Adult and Continuing Education Ventura	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	3
Ventura College Ventura	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	30
Ventura College Ventura	Associate's degree	—	not published	27
Victor Valley College Victorville	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	8
Victor Valley College Victorville	Associate's degree	—	not published	4
West Valley College Saratoga	Undergraduate certificate	—	not published	5

A dash under earnings or debt means the U.S. Department of Education has not published a figure for that program — it withholds any median computed from too few graduates, which covers about four of every five programs. It never means zero, and it says nothing about whether the program is any good. Where a figure is shown, the number of graduates behind it is shown with it.

Email me when these figures change

The U.S. Department of Education publishes new cost, debt and earnings figures once a year, and every number on this page changes at once. One email when that happens for Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians — nothing else, and nothing in between.

Program and outcome figures: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, released 2026-06-10.