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Drafting student working on computer

Engineering Technology: Computer Aided Drafting

Earn an Associate Degree in Computer Aided Drafting 

Are you interested in art, design and technology and how they intersect to make many of the things we use every day? Take your curiosity about architectural and structural drawing, construction planning or project design and start your career with a computer aided drafting associate degree from Aims. Computer aided drafting (CAD) uses technology to draft drawings used to create everything from buildings to products to roads.

The Aims CAD degree program offers a hands-on and high-tech learning experience. Start by studying blueprint reading and learning the basics of CAD drafting techniques. Next, you’ll choose a specific pathway, including architecture, construction or mechanical engineering. Gain practice in the latest technology and state-of-the-art equipment at the Aims Applied Technology and Trades Center on the Greeley campus. Learn the aspects of drafting projects that extend beyond the computer and get hands-on experience using top-of-the-line surveying and CNC equipment, 3D printers and laser cutters.

If you’re interested in using technology to help solve problems related to designing things in the fields of engineering, architecture or manufacturing, earn your CAD associate degree at Aims and start your career. 

Gain Necessary Skills for a Job in Computer Aided Drafting

The Aims CAD associate degree program combines hands-on learning with training in computer aided drafting technology. Each CAD degree course builds your knowledge and skills to prepare you for work in the industry. 

Gain technology skills by learning CAD software commonly used today, including:

  • AutoCAD
  • Chief Architect
  • Revit Architecture
  • Inventor
  • SolidWorks

The Aims CAD degree program also teaches soft skills that transfer to many areas of employment, including attention to detail, teamwork, professionalism and effective verbal and written communication.

Turn Your Passion for Design and Technology Into a Career

Aims Degree Video - Engineering Technology - Computer Aided Drafting

Instructor John Sowder talks about the exciting ways that design and engineering intersect in the Aims CAD associate degree program.

Earn a CAD Certificate 

Earning a certificate lets you explore a specific subject area or strengthen certain skills in less time than it takes to earn a two-year degree. At Aims, you can either pursue a computer aided drafting degree or earn stand-alone CAD certificates focused on a specific area such as architecture or civil engineering.

Aims CAD certificate courses can also apply toward earning a computer aided drafting associate degree.

  • Introduction to CAD Certificate
  • Basic CAD Certificate
  • Advanced CAD Certificate
  • Additive Manufacturing Certificate
  • Civil CAD Certificate
  • Mechanical CAD Certificate
  • Residential/Commercial Architectural CAD Certificate
  • CAD/GIS Certificate
  • GIS Certificate

Launch Your Career in Computer Aided Drafting

If you want to learn to use design and technology to generate documents that bring precision and clarity to projects, the Aims CAD degree program can help you start or advance your career. 

Get the training you’ll need to launch your career working to support teams in various fields that rely on drafting, including:

  • Mechanical engineering
  • Architecture
  • Civil engineering
  • Construction
  • Manufacturing
$61,275 Median salary w/associate Source: salary.com

Building a Dream: Aims CAD Student Develops a Community-Based Project

Aims CAD student and military veteran Jack Brewer combined his passion for design and architecture to help design a veterans’ memorial for a local historical society.
In the CAD program at Aims, you will be able to imagine what it would be like to put a bay window in your home, make a part on a machine or see how a road would curve differently. You'll use mathematics, you'll use a computer and you're going to pay attention to detail to the point where somebody else can pick up that drawing and they’d know exactly what you were thinking.
--John Sowder, Instructor

Computer Aided Drafting Faculty and Staff

Learn from instructors who care about you as a student and are eager to support you while earning your CAD associate degree. The CAD faculty at Aims have experience in a variety of fields, which helps you see how the skills you’re learning apply in different settings.

  • John Mangin headshot

    John Mangin

    Professor, Building Construction Site Management
  • Portrait of Tram Phong

    Phong Tram

    Program Coordinator II, AET
  • John Sowder headshot

    Johnny Sowder

    Professor, Computer Aid Drafting
  • Howard Hoar headshot

    Howard Hoar

    Part-Time: Lab Coordinator I, Construction & Engineering Technology
  • Mindy Allmer headshot

    Mindy Allmer

    Staff Associate, Business & Technology