AutoCAD Certificates Minneapolis, MN

The industry-standard computer-aided design software since 1982, AutoCAD made history that year by making CAD accessible to anyone with a personal computer for the first time. Today, the subscription-based application continues to offer annual updates and consistent customer support, ensuring that it will remain the most popular CAD software in workplaces around the globe for years to come.

While several competitors have followed in AutoCAD’s footsteps and together make up a sizeable amount of the market today, AutoCAD’s powerful tools for crafting precise 2D and 3D drawings continue to create loyal users today. Some other CAD software is specialized to specific industries, but AutoCAD remains flexible enough to be found in offices across sectors today. A staple in the architectural industry, AutoCAD is one of the most used applications on the computers of Product Designers, Mechanical Drafters, Civil Engineers, Interior Designers, Landscapers, and countless other professionals today.

Why Become Certified in AutoCAD?

You can become certified in AutoCAD by earning either a certificate or a certification in the application. Both are exceptional qualifications to include in your resume and your LinkedIn profile while searching for a job, planning a career pivot, or looking to expand your opportunities in your current workplace. AutoCAD proficiency is a highly sought-after skill in various industries, including architecture and construction, manufacturing, landscaping, civil engineering, and many other exciting sectors that require 2D or 3D drafting and design.

While some may be interested in training themselves in the software, an AutoCAD certificate or certification is the verification hiring managers look for to ensure you are proficient in the application. A certification exam can help you turn preexisting knowledge of AutoCAD into a verifiable certification, but if you don’t already know the application, an AutoCAD certificate program offers extensive benefits. By attending a certificate program, you’ll learn the application faster and more thoroughly than you would otherwise with the help of an expert instructor and a tested curriculum. Also, the certificate you earn will communicate to your future employers that you have both a robust AutoCAD skill set as well as the work ethic and dedication required to complete an educational program.

What You’ll Learn While Becoming AutoCAD Certified

While most AutoCAD certificate programs will offer their own unique curricula, all of them will cover the essential tools and techniques a user needs to know to create a drawing within the application. A few topics you can count on any AutoCAD certificate program covering are drawing and editing commands, working with objects and blocks, managing layers, annotating and dimensioning, and data tables.

Drawing and Editing Commands

AutoCAD’s extensive menu of drawing and editing commands are some of the most essential tools of the program, as they are vital to the creation of any drawing. Commands range from simple and self-explanatory ones like Line and Erase to advanced options like Chamfer and Fillet that may be more difficult to learn but significantly extend the functionality of AutoCAD. Students in an AutoCAD certificate program will typically have ample time to practice using these commands throughout their program, as they are vital to creating any project.

Working with Objects and Blocks

Objects are AutoCAD’s term for any feature a user may include in their drawing, from simple lines to lengthy annotations. Blocks are groups of objects that can be replicated, making the AutoCAD user’s job significantly easier. AutoCAD students will learn where to find premade AutoCAD blocks and how to create their own to simplify their work and increase their precision.

Managing Layers

Layers are AutoCAD’s feature that allows objects to be grouped and segregated to control their visibility and manage plotting when creating a drawing. Each project in AutoCAD begins with an undeletable layer 0, and users are allowed to create an unlimited number of additional layers featuring colors, annotations, or any other feature of their drawing they may wish to be able to isolate. This layer system is an integral tool for organizing any AutoCAD project, as students will quickly realize when creating practice drawings in their AutoCAD certificate programs.

Annotating and Dimensioning

Annotation in AutoCAD is the embedding of text, symbols, dimensions, or other information into a drawing. Dimensioning is a form of annotation that is semi-automatic, a helpful feature when precision is a vital component of a design. With dimensioning annotations, you can add angles, sizes, and distances between objects, ensuring your drawings feature accurate numbers every time.

Creating Data Tables

In an AutoCAD certificate program, students will learn how to organize and store essential information in AutoCAD data tables. AutoCAD tables are helpful for designers and drafters juggling excessive amounts of data that aren’t easily added to a drawing otherwise. AutoCAD users can create these mini spreadsheets within the program from scratch or with data imported from Excel.

AutoCAD Industries in Minneapolis

AutoCAD's powerful 2D and 3D drawing capabilities are flexible enough to make it a favorite CAD application across countless industries. It’s most commonly associated with the architecture and construction industry, a thriving sector in the Minneapolis region. The combined 2022 architectural billings for the top five firms in Minneapolis alone totaled nearly $540,000,000. Drafters and CAD Drafters are among the entry-level positions in the industry, with many eventually pursuing promotions to Architect positions later in their careers.

You can also find jobs using AutoCAD within the advanced manufacturing industry, a key one for Minneapolis and all of Minnesota. Product Designers and Mechanical Engineers are among the several positions in the field that use AutoCAD to craft designs vital to the manufacturing process. As Minnesota ranks second in the U.S. for professionals employed in electromedical and electrotherapeutic apparatus manufacturing, the precision made possible by AutoCAD in these designs is pivotal to improving and saving lives.

Engineering services is another industry employing many AutoCAD experts in Minneapolis. This broad field includes mechanical, civil, environmental, landscape, and construction engineering, among other areas of specialization. Drafters and engineers in all these fields are in-demand in Minneapolis and throughout Minnesota.

AutoCAD Careers in Minneapolis

Drafters and designers following a myriad of different career paths use AutoCAD every day, making an AutoCAD certificate an ideal launchpad for a fulfilling professional journey in various industries. Drafters and CAD Drafters are commonly associated with the architectural industry, but they also have roles in civil, mechanical, and environmental engineering, landscaping, product design, and other industries. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Minneapolis metropolitan area was home to 1,280 Architectural and Civil Drafters in 2022. Meanwhile, nearby Mankato ranks fourth in the U.S. when it comes to the highest concentration of jobs in the field. Indeed’s salaries for Drafters in Minneapolis range between $62,000 and $93,000.

Product Designer is another career path for AutoCAD certificate holders. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the Minneapolis metropolitan region boasts the sixth-highest employment of Commercial and Industrial Designers, with 800 calling the area home in 2022. Indeed’s numbers reflect that Product Designers in Minneapolis may anticipate salaries ranging from $65,000 to $169,000.

Should You Pursue a Certificate or Certification

An AutoCAD certificate and an AutoCAD certification can both be excellent qualifications to have on your resume as a Drafter or Designer. Understanding the difference between the two can help you determine which is the best option for you to pursue in the current stage of your career. AutoCAD certificates are akin to diplomas or college degrees, as students earn them by completing an educational program. A certificate verifies that an individual has the discipline and dedication to their professional growth to complete a training program along with the skill set that the graduate learned in that program. Certifications differ from certificates in that software companies and professional institutions issue them to individuals who pass an exam, and they are not attached to any educational program.

As AutoCAD certificates come with a thorough education in the application, they are typically best for beginners to the software just getting ready to launch their design or drafting career. Mid-career designers and drafters often find this training unnecessary, as they are likely to have a solid knowledge of AutoCAD already. A certification allows such an individual to easily turn their AutoCAD skills into a verifiable qualification that can pave the way to new job opportunities and better working conditions. However, some seasoned professionals planning a career pivot or hoping to take on new responsibilities in their current career may appreciate the AutoCAD training they would receive in a certificate program. People in all stages of their careers may also use an AutoCAD certificate program to prepare to ace their certification exam.

Top AutoCAD Certificate Programs in Minneapolis

Attending an AutoCAD certificate program can help you quickly and thoroughly learn the robust application that is among the top skills needed in many desirable drafting and design careers. The certificate you earn in the program verifies your commitment to your professional development and proficiency in the program to hiring managers so you can land the job of your dreams. Certificate programs can also help you prepare to earn an AutoCAD certification, another valuable qualification that can open doors in your career.

AutoCAD Bootcamp

Noble Desktop is a top design and coding school that offers career-focused training in NYC and online. Their AutoCAD Bootcamp is available in-person in Manhattan and live online for students in Minneapolis. The tuition of $949 covers 30 hours of hands-on training, all required curricula and supplemental materials, and the option to retake the program for free within one year. Students will also receive a verified digital certificate of completion for no additional fee. Students should be comfortable using a computer, but AutoCAD or drafting experience is required.

As a student in Noble’s AutoCAD Bootcamp, you will attend the tech school’s AutoCAD Level I and AutoCAD Level II courses. You can complete the two bootcamp units in five weekdays as a full-time student or in five weeks of evening classes as a part-time student. In the first module of the bootcamp, you will master AutoCAD’s basic drawing and editing tools, advanced object types, blocks, and layers. You will also learn about annotations, layouts, and printing your drawings. In the second module of this AutoCAD bootcamp, you will explore advanced tools and skills like tracking points, construction lines, external references, and data tables.

AutoCAD for Novice Users

ONLC Training Centers offers an AutoCAD for Novice Users certification-prep program. This course is available live online or in-person at their San Diego location. Tuition for this five-day AutoCAD program is $2,495, or it can be bundled with AutoCAD Level 2: Intermediate as the $2,995 ACU Certification Bundle. An optional package of exam prep software and an exam voucher is available for an additional $135. Students with no experience are welcome to this beginner-friendly program. A working knowledge of Windows is required, and students will need a wheeled mouse to do the required coursework for this program if attending live online.

In ONLC’s AutoCAD for Novice Users, students will gain confidence in the basic skills and tools of the program, laying the foundation for passing their certification exam. ONLC provides practice lab opportunities and review sessions, so students will have time to practice drawing and editing commands, working with blocks and layers, and other elements of AutoCAD they learn in the program.

AutoCAD—Combo (Essentials and Advanced) Course

The AutoCAD—Combo (Essentials and Advanced) Course is Certstaffix Training’s convenient bundle of their AutoCAD Essentials and AutoCAD Advanced classes. Students may take these classes separately, or they can take them together in this combo for $3,150. The bundled courses are a full-time, six-day live online program that will prepare students to pass their AutoCAD certification exams. Participants should have a working knowledge of basic drafting and design before enrolling in this AutoCAD certificate program. Note that this course covers AutoCAD for Windows rather than Macintosh.

In the AutoCAD Essentials course, participants will learn basic drawing and editing commands along with other essential tools for creating and modifying 2D drawings. Students will also practice organizing objects with layers, working with blocks, and adding features such as dimensions, hatching, and text. Students in Certstaffix Training’s AutoCAD Advanced course will master more advanced techniques and tools, including dynamic blocks and attributes, data tables, text objects, collaboration and automation tools, and publishing files for review. Participants will earn a certificate of completion at the end of the program.

Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) Technologies—Certificate

Minnesota State College Southeast offers a live online Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) Technologies—Certificate program. The estimated tuition for the program is $2,086, not including expenses for books and other materials. Students can complete the nine-credit certificate program in one semester if they begin in the spring, or they may take as many as three semesters if they wish to take only one course per semester.

This computer-aided drafting certificate program features three courses: AutoCAD, SolidWorks, and Print Reading for CAD Design. In these three courses, students will learn to use industry-standard applications to create 2D and 3D drawings in careers such as Mechanical Designer, Mechanical Drafter, Plant Designer, and CAD Technician. Upon graduation from this program, students will earn a certificate, verifying they have learned how to turn product conception ideas into physical work plans.

Introduction to AutoCAD Skills and Civil Plan Development

The University of Minnesota offers an instructor-led online Introduction to AutoCAD Skills and Civil Plan Development course. While this is not a certificate program, it provides 1.0 Roads Scholar Program Civil Tech Level I Certificate credit, 2.0 CEUs, and meets the continuing education requirements for 20.0 Professional Development Hours (PDHs). Tuition is $150 for this workshop presented by the Minnesota Local Technical Assistance Program at the Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota. Anyone interested in learning to use AutoCAD to draft or design civil projects is welcome to this AutoCAD program.

Students will have nine weeks to complete the course, which features both live and prerecorded components, allowing them to complete much of the classwork on a self-paced schedule. Through weekly lessons and discussion sessions, students will learn the basic elements of AutoCAD necessary to create 2D drawings. Assignments featuring themes of civil and mechanical engineering, architecture, and site development allow students to practice drawing, modifying dimensions, inserting blocks, and other skills within AutoCAD.

Architectural Technology Certificate

For students looking for an in-person AutoCAD certificate program in Minneapolis, Minneapolis College offers an Architectural Technology Certificate featuring courses offered on campus. The 25-credit certificate program may be stacked with additional classes to earn an Architectural Technology Diploma if desired. Tuition is $4,386, not including student fees or materials.

The Architectural Technology Certificate requires a total of eight courses, which students may complete in two semesters. These include a course on AutoCAD, another on Revit, architectural labs, and other architecture and construction topics. Students work in a lab designed to feel like a real Architect’s office while learning residential and commercial architecture skills. Upon graduation, participants will earn a certificate communicating their career readiness.

Self-guided AutoCAD Programs

Students who are looking to make a career out of using AutoCAD might also be interested in their options for career focused, self-guided classes. These courses allow students to learn at their own pace (with guidance and assistance from a professional mentor) and they provide students with career-focused training and job placement support. While many students find it desirable to learn from a live instructor, these self-paced classes are the perfect fit for self-motivated students looking to make a career out of their AutoCAD training.

AutoCAD Certificate Program

The Visual Design and Construction Institute (VDCI) offers an immersive AutoCAD certificate program that aims to help students become career ready within only a few weeks of training. This program provides students with hands-on, job-focused training in the use of AutoCAD and the course is designed with new students in mind, meaning that you’ll move from your first construction draft to a capstone project to add to your professional portfolio over the course of the certificate program. This program also offers students the opportunity to take up to 80 hours of electives to help them specialize in subjects including Revit, SketchUp and Civil 3D Pro. With this option for specialization and the focus on career development training, this certificate program is an ideal entry point for aspiring designers, architects and engineers looking to learn how to use AutoCAD in a professional capacity.

AutoCAD Fundamentals

Students looking for an accelerated introduction to AutoCAD and computer-aided design generally may be interested in taking this introductory course offered by VDCI. Students will learn the basics of using AutoCAD and practical skills that they can bring back to their current jobs or use as the baseline for future CAD training (including some of the other advanced classes offered through VDCI). In this class, students will get live, hands-on instruction in the use of AutoCAD, including exercises in which they create drafting symbols, kitchens and bath fixtures, a floor plan, and deliverable file sheets. While you’ll need more training if you want to make a career out of your AutoCAD skills, this course is an excellent introduction to the kinds of projects that AutoCAD professionals will need to utilize.

AutoCAD Professional

If you have already taken the AutoCAD fundamentals program or you have experience with AutoCAD from another source, you may be interested in moving towards professional level training in this advanced AutoCAD program. In this program, students will learn how to create 2D designs for construction documents that meet all of the necessary and legal standards that they are expected to follow. This course offers practical skills training and is designed to ensure that experienced AutoCAD users are able to get the accelerated training that they need to start using the application in more complex professional capacities. This course is built to help students learn at their own pace and class scheduling is incredibly flexible for professionals looking to develop new skills while still working.