Welding Technology AAS

Welding Technology is a participating organization of the American Welding Society’s SENSE (Schools Excelling through National Skill standards Education) Program. This program is designed to provide training in a sequential manner for various welding processes, starting with simple tasks and progressing through more complex assignments. Those processes include: shielded metal arc welding, gas metal arc welding, flux cored arc welding, gas tungsten arc welding, oxy-acetylene cutting, brazing and welding, and the use of plasma arc cutting equipment. Students receive practical and theoretical training in the weldability of metals and alloys, blueprint reading, mathematics, and metallurgy.

Students are trained to international standards using state-of-the-art equipment. All skills and lab assignments are performance-based using standards assigned by the prevailing industrial welding codes. Safety, care, use, and adjustment of the welding lab equipment is stressed in each of the classes. Included in each 30 hour week is study in welding theory and related practical science, and applying this knowledge in the laboratory.

All graduates are given the opportunity to take the unlimited thickness, all position, welder certification test at no cost to them.

Admission requirements 

All welding students must be core math ready and needs to complete a program application. Priority application deadlines are as follows:

Fall registration -- February 1
Spring registration -- October 1

Admission Checklist

  1. Complete general LC State admission requirements
  2. Submit Welding application form
  3. Schedule Assessment/Interview with program faculty

The welding program has limited space, and a waitlist is utilized if the program is full. Duration on the waitlist is one semester. If students do not move into program classes after one semester on the waitlist, they need to reapply for the welding program.

  • ALEKS score of 30 or higher in Math and Writing Placement Exam score of 2 or higher or qualify for MTHPT-137 and ENGL-101.

Upon completion of the Welding Technology program, the student will have basic skills to:

  • Understand basic power sources used in the industry
  • Identify and interpret welding symbols 
  • Demonstrate welding competency by performing and passing welding certification test
  • Knowledge of basic hand and machine tools, measuring devices, and appropriate shop and tool safety
  • Basic knowledge of drafting and blue print reading as it is used in welding
  • Knowledge of various welding and cutting processes
  • Understand properties and strengths of metals in fabrication and technology
  • Develop employable skills for the arc welder and combination line welder
  • Obtain a working knowledge of problems that occur as a result of heating and cooling processes
  • Interpret welding code requirements and inspect welds to critique weld quality
  • Ability to apply the correct method of distortion control in welded fabrications
  • Demonstrate and perform the safety requirements needed for welding
  • Recognize structural types and shapes and the metallurgical composition of different ferrous and non-ferrous metals and the outcome of heat treatments
  • Able to optimize the performance of various welding machines and how to operate welding shop equipment

General Education Requirements

Written Communication
ENGL-101WRITING AND RHETORIC I3.00
Oral Communication
Select one of the following:3.00
FUNDAMENTALS OF ORAL COMMUNICATION
SMALL GROUP COMMUNICATION
PUBLIC SPEAKING
Mathematical Ways of Knowing
MTHPT-137MATH FOR TECHNOLOGY4.00
Social & Behavioral Ways of Knowing
Select one of the following:3.00
CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
WORLD PREHISTORY
INTRODUCTION TO NATIVE AMERICAN STUDIES
PRINCIPLES OF MACROECONOMICS
PRINCIPLES OF MICROECONOMICS
INTRODUCTION TO GEOGRAPHY
WORLD HISTORY I
WORLD HISTORY II
UNITED STATES HISTORY I
UNITED STATES HISTORY II
DIVERSITY IN ORGANIZATIONS
HUMAN RELATIONS IN ORGANIZATIONS
AMERICAN NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT
INTRODUCTION TO GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY
LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
SOCIAL PROBLEMS
DIVERSITY IN ORGANIZATIONS
HUMAN RELATIONS IN ORGANIZATIONS
Additional General Education Core
Select one of the following:3.00-5.00
RACE AND ETHNICITY
INTRODUCTION TO ART
INTRODUCTION TO BIOINFORMATICS
CONCEPTS OF BIOLOGY
PLANTS AND PEOPLE
BIOLOGY IN FILM
HUMAN BIOLOGY
HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY I
CONCEPTS OF CHEMISTRY
GENERAL, ORGANIC AND BIOCHEMISTRY
PRINCIPLES OF CHEMISTRY I
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER SCIENCE
INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER SCIENCE
LITERATURE AND IDEAS
WORLD CLASSICS
INTERNATIONAL LITERATURE
NATIVE AMERICAN LITERATURE
MYTHOLOGIES
NATIVE AMERICAN WRITTEN LITERATURE
INTRODUCTION TO FORENSIC SCIENCE
PHYSICAL GEOLOGY
INTRODUCTION TO EARTH SYSTEMS
GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS
THE ART AND HISTORY OF THE MOTION PICTURE
INTRODUCTION TO THE ARTS
INTEGRATED SCIENCE II
ETHICS AND IDENTITY
HELLS CANYON INSTITUTE
SOCIAL-CULTURAL ASPECTS OF SPORTS
SURVEY OF MUSIC
MUSIC IN AMERICA
WORLD MUSIC
HISTORY OF MUSICAL THEATER
HISTORY OF JAZZ AND POPULAR MUSIC STYLES
NEZ PERCE LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
NEZ PERCE LANGUAGE AND HISTORY
INTEGRATED SCIENCE I
INTRODUCTION TO NATURAL SCIENCES
NATURAL SCIENCE FOR ELEMENTARY EDUCATOR
GENERAL PHYSICS I
GENERAL PHYSICS II
PHYS SCIENCES FOR ELEMENTARY EDUCATORS
DESCRIPTIVE ASTRONOMY
PHYSICS FOR SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS I
ELEMENTARY SPANISH I
ELEMENTARY SPANISH II
INTERMEDIATE SPANISH I
INTERMEDIATE SPANISH II
DIVERSITY IN ORGANIZATIONS
HUMAN RELATIONS IN ORGANIZATIONS
SURVEY OF THE THEATER
Total Credits16.00-18.00

Program Requirements

Technical Core
WLDTC-150WELDING POWER SOURCES2.00
WLDTC-151WELDING CODES FOR CERTIFICATIONS2.00
WLDTC-152QUALITY CONTROL FOR WELDING INSPECTION2.00
WLDTC-155BASIC WELDING PROCESSES LAB (or WLDTC-155A and WLDTC-155B)7.00
WLDTC-161WELDING PROCESSES AND APPLICATIONS2.00
WLDTC-162METALLURGY2.00
WLDTC-165ADVANCED WELDING PROCESSES7.00
WLDTC-250DRAFTING AND PIPEFITTING2.00
WLDTC-251BLUEPRINT READING2.00
WLDTC-252HEAT TREATMENT2.00
WLDTC-254PIPE WELDING:SMAW LAB7.00
WLDTC-261BENCHWORK FOR WELDERS2.00
WLDTC-262DISTORTION CONTROL2.00
WLDTC-264PIPE WELDING GTAW LAB7.00
Electives
Select 12 credits from WLDTC12.00
Total Credits60.00

Sequential Plan of Study

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
FallCredits
MTHPT-137 MATH FOR TECHNOLOGY 4.00
WLDTC-150 WELDING POWER SOURCES 2.00
WLDTC-155
BASIC WELDING PROCESSES LAB
or SMAW PRACTICAL and BASIC OXYACETYLENE AND GMAW
7.00
WLDTC-261 BENCHWORK FOR WELDERS 2.00
Program RequirementSelect WLDTC Elective course 4.00
 Credits19.00
Spring
ENGL-101 WRITING AND RHETORIC I 3.00
WLDTC-165 ADVANCED WELDING PROCESSES 7.00
WLDTC-251 BLUEPRINT READING 2.00
WLDTC-262 DISTORTION CONTROL 2.00
Program RequirementSelect WLDTC Elective course 4.00
 Credits18.00
Second Year
Fall
COREOral Communication 3.00
WLDTC-161 WELDING PROCESSES AND APPLICATIONS 2.00
WLDTC-162 METALLURGY 2.00
WLDTC-250 DRAFTING AND PIPEFITTING 2.00
WLDTC-254 PIPE WELDING:SMAW LAB 7.00
Program RequirementSelect WLDTC Elective course 4.00
 Credits20.00
Spring
WLDTC-252 HEAT TREATMENT 2.00
WLDTC-151 WELDING CODES FOR CERTIFICATIONS 2.00
WLDTC-152 QUALITY CONTROL FOR WELDING INSPECTION 2.00
WLDTC-264 PIPE WELDING GTAW LAB 7.00
CORESocial & Behavioral Ways of Knowing 3.00
COREAdditional General Education Course 3.00
 Credits19.00
 Total Credits76.00

Graduates from Welding Technology programs go on to obtain careers in a variety of fields:

  • Underwater Welder
  • Fabricator
  • Braze operator
  • Aluminum Welder
  • Boat Manufacturer
  • Fitter Welder
  • Machine Operator
  • Spot Welder
  • Finishing Technician
  • Iron Worker
  • Boilermaker