Computer Aided Design (CAD)

You Can Help Bring Ideas to Life

Computer-aided designers create, alter, analyze and optimize designs to help make the concepts of engineers and architects a reality. The buildings, cars and roads we take for granted daily all started as ideas. Successfully going from concept to reality requires drawings with technical details, commonly called blueprints, which is the responsibility of drafters.

American Design Drafting Association Certified

SWIC is the only college in Illinois and the St. Louis Metro area that the American Design Drafting Association has certified to teach CAD. This certification provides recognition in the areas of design drafting and signifies to employers that the SWIC CAD program meets the standards established and approved by the international organization for designers, drafters, architects, illustrators and technical artists.

CAD Certificate and Degree

SWIC Computer Aided Design instructors are experts in the field. Under their guidance and instruction, you work toward a certificate and/or an Associate in Applied Science Degree. You will also prepare for the national certification exam.

General CAD Specialization Courses

Basic Drafting
Advanced CAD
Assembly Drawings
Structures Drafting
Civil Engineer Architectural Drafting
Electrical and Instrumentation Drafting
Pipe Drafting
Manufacturing Drafting
HVAC, Electrical and Plumbing Drafting
Machine CAD
MicroStation CAD
3D Architectural CAD
Supervised Internship
Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerance

Architecture/Structural Detail CAD Specialization Courses

Architecture
Construction Blueprints & Specifications
Construction Materials & Methods

Machine Specialization Courses

Intro to Electricity and Electronics
Digital Electronic Circuits
Mechanical Blueprint Reading
Robotics

Career Opportunities

More than 90 percent of the SWIC Computer Aided Design graduates find drafting technology jobs with careers such as:

Junior Drafter as an entry level position
Drafting Technician with education and experience
Design Drafter with advanced education and experience

You will be prepared to work in a range of drafting fields including manufacturing, architectural, civil engineering, Electrical & Instrumentation, pipe, structural and surveying. Companies and agencies, such as Anheuser-Busch, GE-Power, Monsanto, Sverdrup Corporation, Illinois Department of Transportation and Ameren, employ graduates of the SWIC program.

Certified Drafter Exam

Your coursework will prepare you to pass the American Design Drafting Association Certified Drafter exam. This national certification enhances credibility as a professional and gives a competitive edge in the workforce.