Automotive Service Technology, AAS

CIP 470604 (ATC)

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 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 requires 5-45 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 the following "Tracks:"

• ATEC - The general apprenticeship program for professional automotive technicians
• ASEP - General Motors-specific program called GM Automotive Service Educational Program
• CAP - Chrysler-specific program called the Chrysler College Apprenticeship Program
• NTTA - Nissan-specific program called the Nissan Technical Training Academy
• Subaru University

The ATEC program allows students to obtain an apprenticeship position with any dealership or independent automotive repair facility. Incoming freshmen can begin in the summer, 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-seeking program only.

The corporate sponsored apprenticeship programs (ASEP, CAP, Nissan, and Subaru University) 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 corporate programs are degree-seeking programs 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 or the certificate programs 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 that 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.