History of the Program

The Architectural and Engineering Design Drawing and CADD Programs at Rio Hondo College (RHC) began in 1966. At that time, the program was called Drafting Technology. A graduate of RHC’s Drafting Technology Department in the ‘60s would get a job as a Draftsperson, who would have little or no input into the problem solving process. A student of the time was trained to manually produce “mechanical drawings” of buildings and machines from a designer’s sketches and written specifications. Thanks to the explosion of computer technology, the graduate of today’s Architectural and Engineering Design Drawing and CADD Programs can expect to land a job as a CADD Technician, and be intimately involved in the problem solving process.

Since 1982, the program has featured Computer Assisted Drawing & Design (CADD) as an important part of both Certificate and A.S. Degree Programs. Today, Rio Hondo offers Certificate and Associate of Science (A.S.) degrees in both Architectural Design and Drawing & CADD and Engineering Design Drawing. Job titles are changing to reflect the changing role of the person who produces the drawings. The title “Draftsperson” or “Drafter” is fading out and the title “CADD Technician” is emerging. The CADD Technician produces something more than a static drawing on paper. Through CADD, the technician produces an intelligent computer model, to which engineers, architects and designers may apply software made for them: CAE, (Computer Assisted Engineering), CAM, (Computer Assisted Manufacturing), CIM, (Computer Integrated Manufacturing) and CAMM (Computer Assisted Construction Management and Mondeling).

The Architecture and Engineering Design - CAD & GIS program works closely with an advisory committee of managers, architects, engineers and designers to ensure that its programs prepare graduates for today’s jobs. New software packages recently added to the curriculum emphasize 3D parametric modeling and animation. Graduates of RHC’s Drawing and CADD programs are prepared for careers in the fields of architecture, engineering, product design, manufacturing and computer graphics for entertainment and animation. The job placement outlook for students in Architectural and Engineering Design Drawing and CADD Program continues to be excellent.

The value of RHC’s Drawing and CADD programs can be measured by the enrollment and the success of its students. Throughout a typical week of instruction it is not uncommon to observe nearly 250 students in eight different courses during a single night of instruction. Rio Hondo Students have been recognized for outstanding accomplishments in various academic and professional associations competitions at the regional, state and national levels. Over the past ten years the program has averaged better than 500 students enrolled per semester with 22 technical design drawing and CADD courses offered.