Wake Technical Community College
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Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technology
The Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technology program at Wake Technical Community College is fully accredited by the Association of Equipment Distributors. The course curriculum is designed to prepare individuals to properly repair, service, and maintain today’s diesel engines. The program covers heavy duty trucks above the one ton classification, as well as buses, ships, locomotives, heavy equipment, as well as the diesel engines found in stationary power generators and related equipment.
Students learn diesel theory in the classroom while they gain valuable hands-on technical experience inspecting, testing, and servicing diesel engines, medium and heavy duty brake systems, mechanical fuel injection systems, hydraulic and hydrostatic systems, electrical systems, power trains, suspension and steering systems, and transportation climate control systems. Students also learn PC skills for transportation and proper preventive maintenance for medium and heavy duty vehicles and equipment.
Using shop manuals, hand tools, computerized diagnostic machines, wiring diagrams, and specialized instruments, students learn how to perform diesel engine overhaul and tune-up as they disassemble, diagnose, repair, and reassemble various diesel engines and their integrated system components.
Each student will also develop important interpersonal communication and teamwork skills, as well as analytical, technical, and mechanical skills with every task they are assigned to complete, both independently, and in groups. Integrity, shop safety, effective time management, and workplace professionalism are also stressed throughout the course of the program.
The Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technology A.A.S. Degree*
The Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technology Associates Degree program contains the following industry-relevant courses:
- PC Skills for Transportation
- Basic Transportation Electricity
- Basic Transportation Electricity Lab
- Transportation Climate Control
- Introduction to Transportation Technology
- Major Elective 1
- Diesel Engines
- Suspension and Steering
- Applied Physics I
- Major Elective 2
- Major Elective 3
- Power Trains
- Hydraulics/Hydrostatic Construction
- Medium/Heavy Duty Brake Systems
- Medium/Heavy Duty Brake Systems Lab
- Mechanical Fuel Injection
- Adv Equipment Repair
- Preventative Maintenance
In order to fulfill the 69 credit hour requirements of the Associate of Applied Science Degree program, students are also required to take Freshman Composition, Intro to Interpersonal Communication, Interpersonal Psychology, and The Nature of America. In order to graduate, students must finish each course and maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA, the equivalent of a “C” grade.
The Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technology Diploma*
The Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technology Diploma program is comprised of the following career-focused classes:
- PC Skills for Transportation
- Basic Transportation Electricity
- Basic Transportation Electricity Lab
- Transportation Climate Control
- Introduction to Transportation Technology
- Diesel Engines
- Major Elective 1
- Power Trains
- Hydraulics/Hydrostatic Construction
- Medium/Heavy Duty Brake Systems
- Medium/Heavy Duty Brake Systems Lab
- Mechanical Fuel Injection
- Preventative Maintenance
- Major Elective 2
Students are also required to take Freshman Composition and Interpersonal Psychology in order to meet the 47 credit requirements of the Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technology Diploma program. In order to graduate, students must finish each course and maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA, the equivalent of a “C” grade.
Graduation and Beyond
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 North Carolina was $42,510 yearly and $20.44 hourly, just 5% lower than the national average.
Graduates of the Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technology program at Wake Technical Community College will be well-equipped to qualify for entry-level employment opportunities at businesses and government municipalities that service and repair medium and heavy duty trucks and equipment, such as commercial trucking companies, construction companies, shipyards, rail yards, independent repair shops, and factories equipped with stationary power generators.
The Associate of Applied Science Degree and Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technology Diploma
Wake Technical Community College offers a two-year Associate of Applied Science Degree in Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technology as well as a one-year Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technology Diploma. Both programs are Pell Grant eligible.
*Program is accredited by the Association of Equipment Distributors (AED).