2010-2011 Catalog
Automotive Service Technology

The Associate of Applied Science Degree in Automotive Service Technology and related certificate programs are NATEF certified and taught by ASE certified Instructors.

The two-year Automotive A.A.S. and certificate programs train and prepare students for employment in the automotive service industry as professional technicians and prepare students for the ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) certification examinations. This program includes ASE certification or manufacturer-specific training. Each class in the program requires5 credits-45 additional hours of hands-on and/or web based training (under supervision of the Instructor) in addition to scheduled class hours.

The automotive training program at ACC is organized into five outstanding “Tracks:”

• ASEP – General Motors-specific program called GM Automotive Service Educational Program
• CAP – Chrysler-specific program called the Chrysler College Apprenticeship Program
• Nissan – Nissan-specific Nissan Denver Technician Apprenticeship Program
• ATEC – The general apprenticeship program for professional automotive technicians
• PACT – Honda-specific apprenticeship program

The corporate sponsored apprenticeship programs (ASEP, CAP, PACT and Nissan) require the student to obtain and maintain an apprenticeship position at a manufacturer dealership for the duration of the program. Program faculty will assist the student in finding suitable placement. Additionally, students will take web-based manufacturer technician training courses; their sponsoring dealership will receive training credit for that student upon his or her graduation with the A.A.S. degree.

The ATEC program allows students to obtain an apprenticeship position with any dealership or independent automotive repair facility. Incoming freshmen can begin in the fall or spring semester. This track also requires students to maintain an apprenticeship position in automotive repair for the duration of the program, and is a degree program only.

All tracks are filled on a first-come first-served basis, dependent upon satisfactory MVR, criminal background checks and drug screening.

Students wishing to pursue the two-year degree must be signed into courses by the Program Director at the beginning of each semester to ensure that they are on track academically to graduate in the prescribed two-year period. Classes for the corporate tracks will be filled with dealer sponsored students first; general program students may be allowed to fill any remaining seats. All students, regardless of their chosen track, should be aware of automotive repair industry expectations, specifically: Technicians must drive customers’ vehicles as part of the repair process; thus, the technician and the student must have a clean motor vehicle record and valid driver’s license. The hiring process at reputable repair shops and dealerships will include a drug screen and a thorough background investigation. To be eligible for acceptance into the program, students must pass an industry standard MVR, criminal, background, and urinalysis, and take a department administered mechanical assessment test. Please access the American Data Bank Web site at http://accautotechscreening.com.