Program Description

The U.S. Department of Labor has identified computer-aided drafting (CAD) as one of the fastest-growing employment fields in the United States. The demand for trained operators has increased steadily as engineering offices make the transition from traditional drafting techniques to CAD. Computers have taken over production drawing and are now being used in a variety of related fields; virtually all technical and scientific disciplines use technical drawings and are adopting computer-aided drawing and modeling.

The associate of applied science in computer-aided drafting (AASCAD) includes general education courses and is designed to improve analytic and communication skills. The core of the program consists of CAD courses with a heavy emphasis on lab work. Drafting conventions are covered in the architectural and technical drafting courses.

Career and Educational Advancement Opportunities

Upon completion of the AASCAD program, students are prepared for entry-level positions as CAD operators. Graduates of the program have been successfully placed, and many have already advanced to technician and project management positions.

The AASCAD degree, while occupational in nature, can be transferred to the UNM–Albuquerque Campus and applied toward a bachelor’s in organizational learning and instructional technologies in the College of Education. However, technical courses (those with a “T” after the course’s number) are not guaranteed to transfer as credit. Additionally, grades earned in technical courses are not to be included in the grade point average at the UNM–Albuquerque Campus and may not be included in the GPA at other four-year institutions.

Program Requirements

Total credit hours required: 65 (32 hours of general education courses and 33 hours of program-specific courses). Please refer to the University of New Mexico Core Curriculum on pages 72-73 for a list of allowed courses for Social & Behavioral Sciences, Humanities, Fine Arts, and Foreign Languages.

Please Note: Semester loads can be reduced by taking summer courses.

Contact and Advising Information

Information about the AASCAD degree program is available from:

Advisement & Counseling (505) 925-8560 vcadvise@unm.edu,

The program’s lead faculty, Alex Sánchez, (505) 925-8716 alexs@unm.edu,

Chair of Business & Technology Division, Cindy Chávez, (505) 925-8706 c2chavez@unm.edu, or

Dean of Instruction, Reinaldo A. Z. García, (505) 925-8601 rgarcia@unm.edu.