Florida·Architecture and Engineering Occupations·SOC 17-3011

Best Architectural programs in Florida, ranked by enrollment

Prepare detailed drawings of architectural and structural features of buildings or drawings and topographical relief maps used in civil engineering projects, such as highways, bridges, and public works.

31 schools in Florida run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,491 people a year. The job pays a median of $62,640 in Florida across about 7,530 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledDraftsmanCivil DrafterArchitectural DrafterComputer-Aided Drafting Designer (CAD Designer)DrafterDesignerDetailerArchitect
Graduates / yr
1,491
in Florida
Median pay · Florida
$62,640
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
7,530
people employed
Schools
31
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
54%
across those schools
Median net price
$26,589
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Florida that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

6 programs in Florida that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Florida (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Florida page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 15.1302In Florida
888
59.6%
17$44,946$12,992
2
CIP 04.0902In Florida
461
30.9%
5$48,514$27,000
3
CIP 04.0901In Florida
61
4.1%
7$48,514$27,000
4
CIP 15.1301In Florida
51
3.4%
7$44,946$12,992
5
CIP 15.0101In Florida
17
1.1%
1$50,625$21,717
6
CIP 15.1303In Florida
13
0.9%
3$44,946$12,992

Top 25 schools in Florida

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 1 of the 31 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Miami Dade College
Miami, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
554CAD/CADD Drafting and/or Design Technology/Technician46%
2University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
155Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology84%$26,58919%
3Florida International University
Miami, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
153Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology74%55%
4Valencia College
Orlando, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
138CAD/CADD Drafting and/or Design Technology/Technician$45,70148%
5Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
Tallahassee, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
71Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology53%21%
6Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
64Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology63%66%
7Eastern Florida State College
Melbourne, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
60CAD/CADD Drafting and/or Design Technology/Technician52%
8Hillsborough College
Tampa, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
49CAD/CADD Drafting and/or Design Technology/Technician34%
9Seminole State College of Florida
Sanford, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
46CAD/CADD Drafting and/or Design Technology/Technician41%
10Florida SouthWestern State College
Fort Myers, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
20Architectural Technology/Technician39%
11St Petersburg College
St. Petersburg, FL Public · 3 feeder programs
20Architectural Drafting and Architectural CAD/CADD38%
12Suncoast Technical College
Sarasota, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
19CAD/CADD Drafting and/or Design Technology/Technician50%
13University of Florida
Gainesville, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
18Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology91%24%
14Lorenzo Walker Technical College
Naples, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
14Drafting and Design Technology/Technician, General99%
15Manatee Technical College
Bradenton, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
14CAD/CADD Drafting and/or Design Technology/Technician64%
16Atlantic Technical College
Coconut Creek, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
13Drafting and Design Technology/Technician, General65%
17Pensacola State College
Pensacola, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
11Architectural Technology/Technician36%
18Florida State College at Jacksonville
Jacksonville, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
10CAD/CADD Drafting and/or Design Technology/Technician37%
19William T McFatter Technical College
Davie, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
10Drafting and Design Technology/Technician, General66%
20Orange Technical College - South Campus
Orlando, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
9CAD/CADD Drafting and/or Design Technology/Technician35%
21Indian River State College
Fort Pierce, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
8Drafting and Design Technology/Technician, General45%
22Daytona State College
Daytona Beach, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
6CAD/CADD Drafting and/or Design Technology/Technician43%
23Tallahassee State College
Tallahassee, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
6CAD/CADD Drafting and/or Design Technology/Technician38%
24Palm Beach State College
Lake Worth, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
5CAD/CADD Drafting and/or Design Technology/Technician41%
25Erwin Technical College
Tampa, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
4Drafting and Design Technology/Technician, General80%

All 31 schools in Florida

Every school in Florida with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Florida that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Miami Dade CollegeMiamiPublic5542
University of MiamiCoral GablesPrivate not-for-profit1551
Florida International UniversityMiamiPublic1531
Valencia CollegeOrlandoPublic1381
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical UniversityTallahasseePublic711
Florida Atlantic UniversityBoca RatonPublic641
Eastern Florida State CollegeMelbournePublic601
Hillsborough CollegeTampaPublic492
Seminole State College of FloridaSanfordPublic462
Florida SouthWestern State CollegeFort MyersPublic201
St Petersburg CollegeSt. PetersburgPublic203
Suncoast Technical CollegeSarasotaPublic191
University of FloridaGainesvillePublic181
Lorenzo Walker Technical CollegeNaplesPublic141
Manatee Technical CollegeBradentonPublic141

What architectural and civil drafters earn in Florida

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Florida
$62,640
Mean annual
$65,550
Jobs in state
7,530
What the range looks like
10th pct$43,680Median$62,64090th pct$95,150
Versus the national median
-5.3%

U.S. median $66,150. Florida pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
1.14×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Florida

Jacksonville, FL
$62,180median
530 jobs
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
$63,120median
1,320 jobs
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
$65,160median
1,270 jobs
North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL
$63,450median
270 jobs
Naples-Marco Island, FL
$65,470median
90 jobs
Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL
$63,120median
90 jobs
Port St. Lucie, FL
$63,170median
100 jobs
Punta Gorda, FL
$64,200median
30 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+4.1%
About as fast as average
Openings per year
10,000
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
4,600
110,500 → 115,100
Typical entry education
Associate's degree

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Architectural and Civil Drafters page.

How to become a Architectural

Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0
Typical entry education
Associate's degree

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Top skills

Reading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingActive LearningWritingMathematicsMonitoring

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Florida

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 9 majors mapped to Architectural and Civil Drafters9 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 04.0901Architectural Technology/Technician
  • 04.0902Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology
  • 04.0999Architectural Sciences and Technology, Other
  • 15.0101Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians
  • 15.1301Drafting and Design Technology/Technician, General
  • 15.1302CAD/CADD Drafting and/or Design Technology/Technician
  • 15.1303Architectural Drafting and Architectural CAD/CADD
  • 15.1304Civil Drafting and Civil Engineering CAD/CADD
  • 15.13073-D Modeling and Design Technology/Technician

Common questions

Answers for people weighing architectural and civil drafters programs in Florida.

What degree do you need to become an Architectural?+

Associate's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is CAD/CADD Drafting and/or Design Technology/Technician, which awarded 888 degrees in Florida in 2024-25, 59.6% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming an Architectural?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 6 programs to this occupation. The largest are Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Architectural Sciences and Technology, Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians. Together they graduate about 1,491 people a year in Florida.

How much do architectural and civil drafters earn in Florida?+

The median is $62,640 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 5.3% below the U.S. median of $66,150. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for architectural and civil drafters growing?+

BLS projects a +4.1% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 10,000 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Florida?+

31 institutions in Florida reported graduates from at least one of the 6 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do architectural and civil drafters work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Draftsman, Civil Drafter, Architectural Drafter, Computer-Aided Drafting Designer (CAD Designer) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 17-3011.

Architectural and Civil Drafters in other statesCaliforniaTexasNew YorkGeorgiaIllinoisMassachusettsPennsylvaniaIndiana

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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