Pennsylvania College of Technology
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Diesel Technology*
The Diesel Technology program offered at the Pennsylvania College of Technology is designed to help students develop the skills needed to service, repair, and maintain diesel-powered highway, industrial, and oceanic vehicles and heavy equipment. The curriculum of the Diesel Technology program is certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) and accredited by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF), taking students through all facets of the diesel industry with emphasis on problem solving and skills transfer.
In the classroom, students learn diesel theory and the fundamentals of the diesel engine, as well as technological advances in the diesel technology industry. Each student will develop critical thinking, writing, and mathematical skills, through class lectures, detailed textbooks, discussions, and assignments. Diesel service management will also be taught and discussed, including safety procedures, service reports, and customer service protocol.
In the lab, students acquire the hands-on training needed to properly inspect, troubleshoot, and repair diesel engines, electronic fuel systems, hydraulic systems, diesel electrical and electronic systems, truck tractor chassis, alignment systems, heavy duty brake systems, powertrains, commercial truck powertrains, Allison transmissions, automated drive systems, hybrid drive systems, and diesel equipment air conditioning systems. Students will also gain hands-on experience in welding processes for diesel mechanics.
By disassembling, inspecting, diagnosing, repairing, and reassembling various diesel engines and their integrated auxiliary systems using sophisticated diagnostic equipment, hand tools, machine tools, precision measuring instruments, lab scopes, lathes, welding and torch cutting tools, shop manuals, wiring schematics, electronic circuit testers, and pneumatic wrenches, students learn, hands-on, how to properly perform diesel engine overhauls and diesel engine tune-ups.
Students will learn how to properly handle and dispose of hazardous materials according to OSHA standards. Students will be expected to work both independently and as a team to successfully complete each task assigned to them by their instructors in an efficient and speedy manner by managing their time effectively. Effective communication skills, professionalism, and a positive workplace attitude will also be stressed throughout the Diesel Technology program at the Pennsylvania College of Technology.
The Diesel Technology Curriculum
The Diesel Technology program consists of the following career-focused courses:
- Diesel Engine Technology
- Diesel Engines Laboratory
- Fuel Systems
- Introduction to Hydraulics
- Basic Electricity
- Truck Tractor Chassis and Alignment
- Heavy Duty Brake Systems
- Powertrain and Brake Systems Lab
- Commercial Truck Power Train and State Inspection
- Diesel Electronic Fuels: Systems, Operation and Diagnostics
- Diesel Equipment Air Conditioning Systems
- Allison Transmissions
- Vehicle Electronics/Diagnostic Procedures
- Truck and Trailer Refrigeration Systems
- Automated and Hybrid Drive Systems
- Introduction to Welding Processes
Students are also required to take First year Experience, Information Technology and Society, either Technical Algebra and Trigonometry I or College Algebra and Trigonometry I, Fitness and Lifetime Sports Elective, English Composition I, either Physics Survey or Physics with Technological Applications, Technical and Professional Communication, and either Humanities Elective or Social Science Elective or Art Elective or Foreign Language Elective or Applied Arts Elective or International Field Experience Elective in order to meet the 70 credit hour requirements of the Associate in Applied Science Degree program. To be eligible to graduate, students are required to complete each course and maintain at least a 2.0 GPA, the equivalent of a “C” grade.
What to Expect After College
Students who successfully complete the Diesel Technology program offered at the Pennsylvania College of Technology will be prepared to take the ASE Certification exams, the Pennsylvania Safety Inspection License exam, as well as the Stationary Refrigeration exam (608), Motor Vehicle Air-conditioning exam (609), Allison Transmission certification, and Level I Eaton Hybrid certification. Graduates can be confident that they possess the education and training necessary to secure an entry-level position as a qualified heavy truck mechanic, technical service representative, service writer, warranty writer, parts manager, service manager, transport refrigeration technician, automated drive line specialist, or fuel systems specialist.
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 Pennsylvania was $42,770 yearly and $20.56 hourly, just 6% lower than the national average.
The Associate in Applied Science Degree and Undergraduate Certificate
The Pennsylvania College of Technology offers a two-year Associate in Applied Science Degree in Diesel Technology as well as a two-year Associate in Applied Science Degree in Diesel Technology with an On-Site Power Generation concentration. The Pennsylvania College of Technology also offers a two-year Undergraduate Certificate in Diesel Technology. All three programs are 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)