(CIP: 48.0508)

The Welding Technology program is designed to prepare individuals with advanced welding skills that make them ideal candidates for employment for a wide range of industrial settings. Students in the program will weld plate and pipe in various processes in all positions to American Welding Society (AWS) standards. All technical courses in the program provide extensive hands-on experiences. Students will have a broad based foundation in welding that includes Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW), TIG welding and MIG welding. Safety, selection of proper equipment, selection of appropriate filler materials, and proper weld techniques are stressed throughout the curriculum. In addition, students will be trained in reading prints with welding symbols and will have a basic understanding of metallurgy and layout and fabrication.

The Welding Technology program has been designed as an integrated program of study with secondary (high school) programs in the College’s service area in West Virginia. Students completing a secondary program may be eligible for advanced standing and should confer with program faculty and/or advisors about processes to obtain advanced standing.

In addition to General Education Outcomes, upon completion of this program, graduates will be able to:

• Demonstrate knowledge of the disciplines in the social sciences and relevant historical, political, and sociological events.
• Demonstrate a readiness to enter a bachelor’s degree program with appropriate commitment to attendance, initiative, organization, and interest in the concentration field.
• Demonstrate safe practices in all welding activities.
• Demonstrate ability to read and apply welding prints and symbols.
• Perform basic processes of oxyacetylene welding including cutting and brazing.
• Demonstrate ability to weld Fillet welds in all positions and pipe in all positions using SMAW to AWS and ASME standards.
• Demonstrate ability to weld Fillet welds in all positions and pipe in all positions to AWS standards.
• Demonstrate ability to weld Fillet welds in all positions and pipe in all positions using GTAW to AWS and ASME standards.
• Perform an API 1104 Butt and Branch test for Downhill welding.
• Perform flux core welding.
• Apply basic understanding of metallurgy in performing welds and selecting appropriate processes and materials.
• Understand all aspects of a project, bidding on jobs, writing quotes, ordering material, budgeting labor and consumables, quality control and customer satisfaction.

The employment outlook is currently above average at the regional, state, and national levels. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report an average annual salary of $30,000 to $80,000 for welder and $55,000 to $120,000 for Welding supervisors. Career opportunities are available in a number of industries including manufacturing, fabrication, oil and gas, construction, and equipment maintenance and repair.