Associate-8% vs national median241 grads tracked
Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians at Kirkwood Community College
Ranked 114th of 159 associate programs in Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$41,596
middle 50%: $31,284 – $49,684
Median · 5 years out
$52,939
middle 50%: $42,641 – $63,610
Median · 10 years out
$66,918
middle 50%: $50,881 – $77,524
Salary trajectory
Median earnings vs the national median for Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians (associate) graduates.
This program (median)National median, same major & degreeMiddle 50% of graduates
Drafting and Design Engineering Technologies graduates earn a median of $42k initially. Ten-year earnings climb to $67k.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau PSEO, release V4.13.0 2025Q4. Earnings are for graduates working in covered states; figures are medians in nominal dollars.
Will the degree pay for itself?
Drag the sliders — payback uses this program's actual salary curve.
Assumes a 6.5% APR loan and this program's median salary trajectory (interpolated between years 1, 5 and 10).
Paid off in
7.7 yrs
≈ $8,736 total interest
Same major at other universities
Central Ohio Technical College
$53,397 · 5 yrs out
Queensborough Community College-CUNY
$53,343 · 5 yrs out
Hawkeye Community College
$53,243 · 5 yrs out
Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana
$53,219 · 5 yrs out
Western Dakota Technical College
$53,202 · 5 yrs out
Texas State Technical College
$53,181 · 5 yrs out
Mountain View College
$52,745 · 5 yrs out
Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana - Region 12
$52,636 · 5 yrs out
Central Carolina Technical College
$52,508 · 5 yrs out
Des Moines Area Community College
$52,387 · 5 yrs out
Lake Land College
$51,537 · 5 yrs out
Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana- Region 3
$51,223 · 5 yrs out
Other majors at Kirkwood Community College
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services (Certificate)
$85,664 · 5 yrs out
Fire Protection (Certificate)
$83,557 · 5 yrs out
Computer Programming (Certificate)
$76,958 · 5 yrs out
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Associate)
$67,675 · 5 yrs out
Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians (Associate)
$67,570 · 5 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate)
$67,528 · 5 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Certificate)
$65,511 · 5 yrs out
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies (Associate)
$65,458 · 5 yrs out
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Associate)
$65,458 · 5 yrs out
Computer Programming (Associate)
$65,062 · 5 yrs out
Fire Protection (Associate)
$65,062 · 5 yrs out
Engineering (Associate)
$64,578 · 5 yrs out
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