Your Career in Quality Engineering Technology

Quality is paramount in manufacturing today. Poor quality costs companies money and customers. As a Quality Engineering Technology graduate, you’ll be in a position to apply the principles and practices of quality engineering, precision metrology and other tools to ensure that your employer provides top-notch products and services.  More importantly, you’ll help your company keep its customer list, and reputation, intact. You’ll learn to plan, implement and maintain practices that result in quality. They include quality systems, project management, inspection, data analysis, statistical process control, experimental design, metrology, and calibration of measuring and test equipment. Then you’ll be qualified for jobs such as Quality Engineer, Quality Coordinator, Quality Technician, Precision Metrology Technician, Calibration Technician, Quality Facilitator, and Quality Auditor.

 

Career outlook

Manufacturing ebbs and flows with the national and global economies. So do engineering jobs. As the economy strengthens, Quality Engineering Techs will see more opportunities. Engineering in general was expected to grow 3 to 9 percent between 2000 and 2010. But for newcomers to the field, job opportunities were expected to be good through 2010 because the number of engineering degrees granted is not expected to increase significantly during the period. 

 

Quality Assurance Engineer I, $43,614 - $51,976

Calibration Technician I, $26,315 - $34,048

Quality Control Supervisor I, $34,837 - $42,571

Production Control Manager, $58,613 - $77,090

(These figures represent the “middle range” wages for these careers. About 25% of employees earn more.  Source: salary.com)

Contact: Thomas Clark, Faculty, at (815) 921-3057 or T.Clark@RockValleyCollege.edu

2-Year Plan of Study Manufacturing Technology Option

Fall Semester - Year 1

QLT 101 Principles of Quality Engineering and TQM 3
AMT 110 Manufacturing Processes I 3

CHM 100 Intro to Inorganic Chemistry or CHM 101 General Inorganic Chemistry 3
CDT 108 Computer Drafting - AutoCAD or Computer Drafting I 3
MTH 125 Plane Trigonometry or MTH 132 Precalculus Mathematics or MTH 100 Technical Mathematics 3 or 5

Total credits: 16 or 18

 

Spring Semester - Year 1

QLT 102 Fundamental Methods of SPC 4

CDT 103 Materials of Industry 4

AMT 180 Manufacturing Processes II 4

ENG 101 Composition I 3
PCI See catalog or advisor for options 3

Total 17

 

Summer Semester - Year 1

SPH 131 Fundamentals of Communication 3

Total 3

 

Fall Semester - Year 2

QLT 106 Metrology I 3
AMT 247 Manufacturing Methods/Plan or QLT 288 Special Topics in Quality Engineering 3
PHY 112 Applied Elec, Sound and Light 4
EET 131 Introduction to DC/AC Networks 4
GEN ED Elective 3

Total 17

 

Spring Semester - Year 2

QLT 220 Metrology Systems: Calibration 3

QLT 237 Design of Experiments or QLT 288 Special Topics Quality Engineering  4 or 3
MTH 220 Elements of Statistics (3) and QLT 201 Advanced Statistical Applications (2)

EET 132 Electronic Devices and Circuits I 4

Total 16 or 15