Elizabethtown Community & Technical College
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Diesel Technology
The Diesel Technology program at Elizabethtown Community & Technical College is accredited by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) and provides students with the knowledge and training necessary to pursue a career as a qualified diesel mechanic repairing and servicing medium and heavy duty trucks.
Students receive specialized classroom instruction from ASE Master Certified instructors and advance their mechanical and technical skills in the laboratory as they acquire valuable hands-on experience testing, repairing, and overhauling late model medium and heavy duty diesel trucks.
Students also learn about the different components of the diesel truck including diesel engines, fuel injection systems, undercarriage, steering and suspension, hydraulics, heavy duty drive trains, electrical systems, electronic systems, mobile air conditioning systems, heavy duty brakes, and preventive maintenance.
Graduates of the Diesel Technology program at Elizabethtown Community & Technical College will highly qualified to find and hold employment in new truck dealerships, fleets, independent repair facilities, municipalities, specialty repair shops, and agriculture equipment repair shops.
The Diesel Technology A.A.S. Degree with Medium and Heavy Truck Technician Track*
The Medium and Heavy Truck Technician Diesel Technology A.A.S. Degree program consists of the following technical core classes:
- Computer/Digital Literacy
- Basic Electricity for Non-Majors and
- Basic Electricity Lab for Non-Majors or
- Basic Automotive Electricity and
- Basic Automotive Electricity Lab or
- Circuits I
- Climate Control
- Climate Control Lab
- Preventive Maintenance Lab
- Introduction to Diesel Engines and
- Introduction to Diesel Engines Lab or
- Engine Repair and
- Engine Repair Lab
- Diesel Engine Repair
- Diesel Engine Repair Lab
- Hydraulics and
- Hydraulics Lab or
- Fluid Power and
- Fluid Power Lab
- Power Trains
- Power Trains Lab
- Electrical Systems for Diesel Equipment and
- Electrical Systems for Diesel Equipment Lab or
- Electrical Systems and
- Electrical Systems Lab
- Brakes
- Brakes Lab
- Steering and Suspension
- Steering and Suspension Lab
Students are also required to take Written Communication, Quantitative Reasoning, Natural Sciences, Social/Behavioral Sciences, and Heritage/Humanities in order to meet the 64 credit requirements of the Associate in Applied Science Degree program. In order to graduate, students must complete every class and maintain at least a 2.0 GPA, the equivalent of a “C” grade.
The Medium and Heavy Truck Technician Diploma*
The curriculum of the Medium and Heavy Truck Technician Diploma program contains the following courses:
- Computer/Digital Literacy course or
- Demonstrated Competency
- Climate Control
- Climate Control Lab
- Basic Electricity for Non-Majors and
- Basic Electricity Lab for Non-Majors or
- Basic Automotive Electricity and
- Basic Automotive Electricity Lab or
- Circuits I
- Preventive Maintenance Lab
- Introduction to Diesel Engines and
- Introduction to Diesel Engines Lab or
- Engine Repair and
- Engine Repair Lab
- Diesel Engine Repair
- Diesel Engine Repair Lab
- Hydraulics and
- Hydraulics Lab or
- Fluid Power and
- Fluid Power Lab
- Power Trains
- Power Trains Lab
- Steering and Suspension
- Steering and Suspension Lab
- Brakes
- Brakes
- Electrical Systems for Diesel Equipment and
- Electrical Systems for Diesel Equipment Lab or
- Electrical Systems and
- Electrical Systems Lab
Students are also required to take Written Communication, either Oral Communication or Humanities/Heritage, Social/Behavioral Science, and either Natural Sciences or Quantitative Reasoning in order to meet the 55 credit hour requirements of the Diploma program. Students must finish each course and maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0, the equivalent of a “C” grade, in order to graduate.
Employment Opportunities
As the diesel industry continues to grow rapidly, job opportunities for qualified diesel mechanics is expected to increase 11% by the year 2020, as fast as average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The mean annual wage for bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists working in the United States in 2014 was $45,160, while the mean salary for bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists employed in the state of Kentucky was $40,650 yearly and $19.54 hourly, just 10% lower than the national average.
The Associate in Applied Science Degree, Diesel Technology Diploma, and Undergraduate Certificate
Elizabethtown Community & Technical College offers a two-year Associate in Applied Science Degree in Diesel Technology as well as an Associate of Arts Degree in Technology Management that can be transferred to Western Kentucky University as part of their Bachelor of Science Degree in Technology Management. Elizabethtown Community & Technical College also offers a Diesel Technology Diploma. Finally, Elizabethtown Community & Technical College offers eleven different Undergraduate Certificates with various specializations in Diesel Technology. The Associate in Applied Science Degree program, the Associate of Arts Degree program, the Diesel Technology Diploma program, and the 48-week and 38-week Undergraduate Certificate programs are all Pell Grant eligible.
*Program is certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) and accredited by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF).