undergradly.
Major · Engineering Technology

Drafting and supporting design for buildings, sites, and systems

Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians (CIP 15.0101) trains you to apply engineering principles and technical skills in support of architects, engineers, and planners — drafting, model building, structural-system testing, and building-site analysis. About 1,056 students complete it across 91 institutions; bachelor’s grads earn $74,083 and associate’s grads $64,154 — strong wages for a hands-on technician credential.

Schools offering
91
Annual completions
1,056
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$70k

About this major

Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians (CIP 15.0101) prepares you to apply engineering principles and technical skills in support of architects, engineers, and planners. The CIP definition covers design testing, building-site analysis, model building and computer graphics, engineering drawing, structural-systems testing, prototype mechanical and interior systems analysis, test-equipment operation, and report preparation. In practice, this is the drafting, BIM-modeling, and technician-support side of the architecture-and-construction supply chain — the people who produce the construction documents, run the calculations, and verify site and structural details that licensed designers sign and stamp.

The major fits students drawn to applied building design without committing to the four-to-six-year licensed-architect or licensed-engineer track. Comfort with CAD and BIM software (AutoCAD, Revit) matters heavily — most programs build production-ready proficiency over the associate’s sequence, and employers expect day-one fluency. The work rewards spatial reasoning, attention to dimensional and tolerance detail, and the discipline to produce drawings that other trades can build from. Construction-site exposure during co-ops or internships is the most reliable route into staff drafter or BIM-technician roles.

One grounded observation about scale and earnings: 1,056 students complete this CIP across 91 institutions, with bachelor’s grads earning $74,083 and associate’s grads $64,154 — both strong figures for a hands-on technician credential, well above many bachelor’s-level liberal-arts CIPs. The named SOCs (architectural and civil drafters $64,280, engineering technologists and technicians, all other $77,390, civil engineering technologists and technicians $64,200) all list associate’s as typical entry, which makes the associate’s a credible standalone credential rather than just a transfer step. Top producers — Purdue (160), Ferris State (61), Farmingdale (54), Indiana–Indianapolis (37), SUNY Alfred (34) — span major engineering-tech universities and technical colleges, signaling the field’s dual associate’s-and-bachelor’s structure. The licensed-engineer alternative, Architectural Engineering (CIP 14.0401, 901 completions), is the four-year ABET-accredited engineering track that leads to PE licensure and design responsibility — a different and more demanding credential.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Architectural and civil drafters $64k +4.1% Associate's degree
Engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters, all other $77k +1.5% Associate's degree
Civil engineering technologists and technicians $64k +2.1% Associate's degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$70k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$64k

Bachelor's

$74k

Who this major is for

Good signs this major fits: you want hands-on involvement in building design without the four-to-six-year licensed-architect or licensed-engineer commitment; you’re comfortable with CAD and BIM software and willing to push toward production-ready Revit and AutoCAD fluency before graduation; you like the technical side of construction documents — dimensions, tolerances, detail callouts — and the discipline of producing drawings that other trades can build from; you’re willing to do co-ops or internships during the program for the strongest job-placement outcomes; and you’re drawn to working alongside licensed architects and engineers on real building projects.

Reasons to pause: the named SOCs project modest growth (drafters 4.1%, civil eng techs 2.1%, broader eng-tech catchall 1.5%) and construction is cyclical — regional building activity and interest-rate-driven housing cycles move openings and wages on multi-year cycles. The technician credential doesn’t qualify you to design under your own seal; that requires Architectural Engineering (CIP 14.0401) or licensed architecture, both four-year ABET- or NAAB-accredited tracks ending in licensure exams. If you want design responsibility, this isn’t the right CIP. If you want the broader engineering-tech catchall, Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General (CIP 15.0000, 2,524 completions) is the larger umbrella; if you want the closely related civil-track, Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians (CIP 15.0201, 888 completions) overlaps heavily.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN 0 160 160
Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI 37 24 61
Farmingdale State College Farmingdale, NY 0 54 54
Indiana University-Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN 0 37 37
SUNY College of Technology at Alfred Alfred, NY 15 19 34
Ranken Technical College Saint Louis, MO 20 10 30
University of Hartford West Hartford, CT 0 30 30
University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg, MS 0 28 28
Community College of Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA 25 0 25
New England Institute of Technology East Greenwich, RI 11 14 25
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General

2,524 completions/yr

Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, Other

1,150 completions/yr

Architectural Engineering

901 completions/yr

Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians

888 completions/yr

Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Other

447 completions/yr

Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Other

409 completions/yr

Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians, Other

156 completions/yr

Applied Engineering Technologies/Technicians

69 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do Architectural Engineering Technologies students actually study?
Coursework includes design testing procedures, building-site analysis, model building and computer graphics (typically AutoCAD, Revit, and BIM workflows), engineering drawing and drafting, structural-systems testing, and analysis of mechanical and interior systems. Programs also cover test-equipment operation, prototype evaluation, and report preparation. The work supports licensed architects and engineers — drafters and technicians produce the construction documents, run the calculations, and run the site analyses that the licensed designer signs and stamps.
How is this different from Architectural Engineering (CIP 14.0401)?
Architectural Engineering (14.0401, 901 completions) is the licensed-engineer track — a four-year ABET-accredited engineering degree leading toward the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, the engineer-in-training credential, and ultimately Professional Engineer (PE) licensure. Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians (15.0101, 1,056 completions) is the applied-technician track — drafting, BIM modeling, and site/structural support work. The technology track is hands-on and faster to credential; the engineering track is theoretical-design and qualifies you for design responsibility.
Do I need a bachelor’s, or is the associate’s enough?
All three named SOC entries — architectural and civil drafters ($64,280), engineering technologists and technicians, all other ($77,390), and civil engineering technologists and technicians ($64,200) — list associate’s as typical entry. The associate’s pays $64,154 nationally; the bachelor’s pays $74,083. The bachelor’s adds about $10K and opens management, BIM-coordinator, and project-engineer roles, but it isn’t required for the named drafter and technician roles. Many employers in construction, civil engineering, and architecture firms hire directly from associate’s programs.
What kinds of employers hire architectural engineering technicians?
Architecture firms, civil and structural engineering consultancies, general contractors, construction-management firms, building-product manufacturers, and municipal planning departments. Strong BIM and Revit skills are increasingly the gating credential — employers expect production-ready proficiency on day one. Internships and co-ops during the program are the most reliable route into staff drafting or BIM-technician roles after graduation.
How is the construction sector hiring outlook?
The named SOCs project modest positive growth: architectural and civil drafters at 4.1%, civil engineering technologists and technicians at 2.1%, and the broader engineering technologists and technicians, all other at 1.5%. Construction activity is cyclical and regionally variable, so wages and openings move with regional building activity, infrastructure spending, and interest-rate-driven housing-start cycles. Major infrastructure programs (federal funding rounds, state DOT projects) tend to lift drafting and civil-tech demand on multi-year cycles.
What programs produce the most architectural engineering technicians?
Purdue University–Main Campus leads with 160 completions (a large four-year engineering-tech program), followed by Ferris State University (61, with strong associate’s and bachelor’s tracks), Farmingdale State College (54), Indiana University–Indianapolis (37), and SUNY College of Technology at Alfred (34). The producer list mixes major engineering-tech universities (Purdue, Ferris State, Farmingdale) with technical colleges and community colleges, reflecting the dual associate’s-and-bachelor’s structure of the field.