Effective Fall 2024
- School of Engineering Technologies
- Associate of Applied Science Degree (A.A.S.)
- More Information about Welding Technology
The Welding Technology associate’s degree offers a high level of welding, but also focuses on increasing students’ mathematic and communication competencies. This degree is designed for welders that want to continue their education after mastering the fundamentals and techniques of the common manual welding processes. This degree allows for seamless transition into the bachelor’s degree of Welding and Fabrication Engineering Technology. Students graduating from this program will be prepared for entry-level welding to foreman positions. They will be able to perform basic fabrication as well as set up, weld and troubleshoot most manual and automated operations at a high level.
Career Opportunities
Penn College has partnered with some of today’s leading companies in the welding industry to provide an education in welding technology that is second to none. With the only electron beam welding (EBW) machine at an educational institution in the U.S. and a vast array of robotic and welding power supply equipment, Penn College provides more technological and industrial diversity than other institutions. Regardless of whether students are interested in automotive, aerospace, nuclear, or heavy fabrication, the Penn College welding department prepares graduates to work on equipment that is used every day in the field of welding. Possible job titles include: entry level welder, welder, apprentice, journeyman, CNC operator, robotic technician, and many more.
Welding Technology graduates find work in the following industries: aerospace, automotive, aviation, construction/fabrication, entrepreneurship, non-destructive evaluation and inspection, nuclear and power generation, and oil and gas.
Recommended High School Subjects
Welding degree students would benefit from industrial or vocational welding or metalworking courses, blueprint reading or drafting, technical math or descriptive geometry.
Special Equipment Needs
See program Tool List for major.
Laptop Computer Required
- Windows 11 or higher (recommended).
- 64-bit, 3.0 GHz or greater, 4 or more cores (Intel or AMD) (required).
- 250+ GB Solid State Disk (SSD) drive (recommended).
- 16+ GB RAM (required); 32+ GB RAM (recommended).
- GB GPU minimum Graphics Card (required); 4 GB GPU (recommended).
- Laptop must include a webcam and microphone (required).
- Laptop must include a wireless network card (required).
- Broadband Internet connection when working off campus (required).
- Additional plug-ins may be required (Information Technology Services Service Desk available for assistance).
- Chromebooks and other devices running Chrome OS are prohibited.
Remediation Strategies
All incoming students must meet placement requirements in math. Students are expected to remediate any deficiencies as explained in the College Catalog (see https://www.pct.edu/catalog/admissions-policy).
Transfer Procedures
This major is subject to the transfer standards established by the College (see http://www.pct.edu/catalog/TransferringCredits). Exceptions must be approved by the school dean.
Program Goals
A graduate of this major should be able to- apply knowledge of industrial safety standards to both field and factory environments.
- apply knowledge, techniques, and skills of an entry-level welder using common welding processes from various levels of automation and sources of energy while distinguishing between the different types of welding power source technology and their characteristics, uses, and limitations.
- apply knowledge, techniques, skills and modern tools of mathematics, science, engineering, and technology to solve well-defined engineering problems appropriate to the welding discipline.
- conduct visual, destructive, and non-destructive testing methods in order to determine weld integrity and physical and mechanical properties of metals as related to weldability, while ensuring conformance to industry established codes and customer requirements.
- design solutions for well-defined technical problems and assist the engineering design of systems, components, or processes appropriate to the welding discipline.
- construct weldments from sketches, blueprints, or oral instructions and conduct standard tests, measurements, and experiments to analyze and interpret results.
- apply written, oral, and graphical communication in well-defined technical and non-technical environments, and an ability to identify and use appropriate literature.
Curriculum
| First Semester | Credits | Notes | Lecture | Lab/Clinical | M/S | Type | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FYE101 | First Year Experience | 1 | .50 | 1.50 | S | REQ | |
| WEL119 | Shielded Metal Arc Welding | 4 | 1 | 9 | M | REQ | |
| WEL133 | Flux Cored Arc Welding | 4 | 1 | 9 | M | REQ | |
| CSC124 | Information, Technology & Society | 3 | 3 | S | REQ | ||
| MTH181 | College Algebra & Trigonometry I | 3 | 2.50 | 1.50 | S | REQ | |
| TOTAL CREDITS | 15 | ||||||
| Second Semester | Credits | Notes | Lecture | Lab/Clinical | M/S | Type | |
| WEL142 | Gas Metal Arc Welding | 4 | 1 | 9 | M | REQ | |
| WEL146 | Gas Tungsten Arc Welding | 4 | 1 | 9 | M | REQ | |
| WEL102 | Welding Blueprint & Layout | 3 | 2 | 3 | M | REQ | |
| ENL111 | English Composition I | 3 | 3 | S | REQ | ||
| ARP | Core Arts Perspective | 3 | S | ARP | |||
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| AAP | Core Applied Arts Perspective | 3 | S | AAP | |||
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| CDP | Core Global & Cultural Diversity Perspective | 3 | S | CDP | |||
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| HIP | Core Historical Perspective | 3 | S | HIP | |||
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| SSP | Core Social Science Perspective | 3 | S | SSP | |||
| TOTAL CREDITS | 17 | ||||||
| Third Semester | Credits | Notes | Lecture | Lab/Clinical | M/S | Type | |
| WEL209 | Advanced Semi-Automatic Processes | 4 | 1 | 9 | M | REQ | |
| WEL216 | Advanced Shielded Metal Arc Welding | 4 | 1 | 9 | M | REQ | |
| WEL240 | Basic CNC Programming | 3 | 2 | 3 | M | REQ | |
| ENL201 | Technical & Professional Communication | 3 | 3 | S | REQ | ||
| MSC106 | Introduction to Metallurgy | 4 | 3 | 3 | S | REQ | |
| TOTAL CREDITS | 18 | ||||||
| Fourth Semester | Credits | Notes | Lecture | Lab/Clinical | M/S | Type | |
| WEL244 | Gas Tungsten Arc Pipe Welding | 4 | 1 | 9 | M | REQ | |
| WEL264 | Advanced Shielded Metal Arc Pipe Welding | 4 | 1 | 9 | M | REQ | |
| WEL249 | Robotic Welding | 3 | 1 | 6 | M | REQ | |
| QAL241 | Non-Destructive Testing I | 3 | 2 | 3 | M | REQ | |
| WEL252 | Welding Blueprint & Layout II | 3 | 2 | 3 | M | REQ | |
| TOTAL CREDITS | 17 | ||||||
Welding core courses are taught in eight-week formats.
Additional Information
American Welding Society (AWS) Accredited Test Facility (ATF) and Sustaining Company Member
Accreditation
Accredited by the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org , under the commission’s General Criteria with no applicable Program Criteria.