Computer-Aided Design Technology Program

The Computer-Aided Design Technology Program at Kishwaukee College is best known for its reputation where more jobs are posted to the college than the college produces graduates to fill them. Graduates are sought for their comprehensive knowledge base that includes contemporary CAD methods reinforced with traditional manual fundamentals. CAD management skills are increasingly being emphasized.

The program commonly finds employment for students before graduation. Quality research reveals course retention rates in the program average over 90%.

The program offers instruction in the most current releases of AutoCAD, Microstation and Solidworks CAD software. Additionally, the program was the first in Illinois to utilize AutoCAD's "dwf" file format for on-line viewing of 2-D CAD drawings on the Internet.

Currently, Kishwaukee's CAD Technology Program is experimenting in Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) whereby 3-D CAD models are exported in "wrl" format for Internet viewing by commands such as global orbiting whereby the viewer can reposition themself anywhere around the model.

The Kishwaukee College CAD Technology Program has an outstanding curriculum with articulation agreements with most major state universities. Students should download syllabi from the departmental web site's Courses page and ask the intended university of transfer for an evaluation BEFORE taking the course at Kishwaukee College. Kishwaukee College faculty will supply additional course materials to transfer institutions upon their request.

Program graduates in this geographic area are finding entry level employment opportunities with starting salaries between $28,000-38,000 per year which is close to predictions by www.Salary.com.

Students are increasingly being encouraged to look at a future as technolgy instructors in secondary and post-secondary educational institutions due to a current teacher shortage that is getting worse in time.