Engineering Technology
The Engineering Technology program is designed to prepare a graduate to apply basic engineering principles and technical skills in support of engineers engaged in a wide variety of projects. The program includes instruction in various engineering support functions for research, production, operations, and applications to specific engineering specialties.
Engineering Technology
About the Program
Wallace State Community College’s Engineering Technology program provides a pathway
to give you opportunities to see exactly where you fit in the engineering world. There
are many career options for those interested in a degree in engineering technology.
There are careers where your office is the site of a new road, bridge, building, utility
installation, or other major infrastructure projects. There are careers where you
work in the comfort of an air-conditioned office.
Engineering technicians prepare technical drawings and plans used by production and
construction workers to build everything from manufactured products such as toys,
toasters, industrial machinery, and spacecraft to structures such as houses, office
buildings, and oil and gas pipelines. Engineering technicians’ drawings provide visual
guidelines, show the technical details of the products and structures, and specify
dimensions, materials, and procedures. Most engineering technicians use computer-aided
design (CAD) systems to prepare drawings.
Many engineering technicians work for architectural, engineering, and related services
firms that design construction projects or do other engineering work on a contract
basis for other industries. Jobs are also found in manufacturing industries such as
machinery, fabricated metal, computer and electronics, and transportation equipment,
including aerospace products and parts manufacturing, ship and boat building. Others
are employed in construction, government, wholesale trade, and utilities, or are self-employed.
Opportunities are best for individuals with at least two years of postsecondary training
in engineering technology and considerable skill and experience using CAD systems,
along with well-developed drafting and mechanical drawing skills, knowledge of drafting
standards, mathematics, science, and engineering technology.
Industrial growth and increasingly complex design problems associated with new products
and manufacturing processes will increase the demand for engineering technician’s
services. Engineering technicians with CAD expertise have broken out of the traditional
drafting role and increasingly do work traditionally performed by engineers and architects,
thus also increasing demand for engineering technicians.
Awards offered include:
- Associate in Applied Science in Engineering Technology
- Associate in Applied Science in Advanced Engineering Technoloy
- Associate in Applied Science in Digital Fabrication
- Associate in Applied Science in Construction Management Technology
- Short-Term Certificate in Mechanical Engineering Technology
- Short-Term Certificate in Construction Science
- Short-Term Certificate in Construction Basics
- Short-Term Certificate in Advanced Design
- Short-Term Certificate in Basic AutoCAD
Career Outlook
Earnings for engineering technicians vary by specialty and level of responsibility. Annual earnings of architectural and civil technicians reached more than $86,670 in 2022, with similar numbers of mechanical engineering technicians earning more than $100,820, and electrical and electronics technicians earning more than $114,050. (Source: U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Program Overview
Engineering Technology
- Todd Hardman
- 256.352.8146
- todd.hardman@wallacestate.edu
Degrees/Awards Offered
AAS, C, STC
Availability
- Day
- Hybrid
Engineering Technology
Curriculum: Program of Study
Pathway Maps: Associate in Applied Science, Short Term Certificates, Digital Fabrication, Advanced Engineering Technology
Career Outlook
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