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Harper College

Welding Fabrication Certificate

Spark a path forward to a career in welding

Program facts Manufacturing and Construction icon


  • Credit hours: 33
  • Stackable to degree: Yes
  • Potential job outcomes: Welder, fabricator

Gain entry-level skills in welding fabrication with this 33-credit-hour certificate program. This program focuses on advanced welding theory, extensive practice in the major arc welding process and out-of- position and multi-pass arc welding including GMAW, SMAW and GTAW. You’ll work directly from blueprints and develop the welding skills necessary to construct quality fabricated metal weldments.

Take classes in prints and schematics, basic technical mathematics, welding, advanced blueprint reading, cutting processes and welding fabrication. All classes are taught by knowledgeable instructors who are highly skilled in the welding fabrication field.

Credit earned for this program can be applied to the Welding Technology AAS Degree.

Certificate program requirements

This 33 credit-hour certificate program is designed to give students entry-level skills in welding fabrication. The program of study will emphasize advanced welding theory, extensive practice in the major arc welding process, and out-of-position and multi-pass arc welding including GMAW, SMAW and GTAW. Students will work from blueprints and develop the welding skills necessary to construct quality fabricated metal weldments.

All WLD courses are offered in an 8-week scheduling format.

Required:

Number Course Title Credits
MFT 134 3

Description:  Provides students in the machine trades the basic skills required for visualizing and interpreting industrial prints. Emphasizes orthographic projection techniques of top, front, side, and section views, tolerancing, geometric dimensioning and the impact of computer drafting as related to the machine trades.

Class Schedule:  Fall 2024 | Spring 2025

MTH 097 1 3

Description:  Reviews arithmetic, introduces basic algebraic and right triangle trigonometric techniques. Includes arithmetic, elementary algebra, geometry, ratio and proportions, measurements, right triangle trigonometry and their application to solve a variety of career and technical problems. Draws practical problems the student’s career area, including emergency services, graphic communications, building trades, culinary arts and information technology. Intended for students pursuing Harper degrees and certificates in career program fields. This course: is not transferable, does not satisfy the prerequisite for any other mathematics course, and does not satisfy any general education requirements.

Class Schedule:  Fall 2024 | Spring 2025

WLD 110 3

Description:  Covers fundamentals of oxyacetylene welding theory and practices and beginning electric welding. Includes arc welding and gas welding, brazing and cutting in the horizontal position.

Class Schedule:  Fall 2024 | Spring 2025

WLD 210 3

Description:  Covers advanced welding theory and practice in arc welding. Provides experience in MIG and TIG (Heliarc) techniques. Includes an introduction to strength of weld testing.

Prerequisite: WLD 110 with a grade of C or better, or consent of instructor.

Class Schedule:  Fall 2024 | Spring 2025

WLD 211 4

Description:  Covers advanced welding theory and extensive practice in major arc welding process. Provides experience in advanced GMAW (gas metal arc welding), FCAW (flux cored arc welding), GTAW (gas tungsten arc welding) and other arc welding techniques. Plasma arc and air carbon arc cutting will be included.

Prerequisite: WLD 210 with a grade of C or better, or consent of program coordinator.

Class Schedule:  Fall 2024 | Spring 2025

WLD 212 4

Description:  Covers advanced out-of-position and multi-pass arc welding including GMAW (gas metal arc welding), SMAW (shielded metal arc welding) and GTAW (gas tungsten arc welding). Emphasizes working from blueprints and development of welding skills necessary to pass welder qualification tests. Students must pass guided bend tests to become “certified welders” in accordance with the AWS (American Welding Society) D1.1 Structural Welding Code.

Prerequisite: WLD 211 with a grade of C or better, or consent of program coordinator.

Class Schedule:  Fall 2024 | Spring 2025

WLD 225 2

Description:  Teaches the student to become proficient in reading more complex welding blueprints. The student will learn the symbols specific to welding blueprints. Emphasizes developing the ability to transfer the two-dimensional print to the actual three-dimensional object.

Prerequisite: MFT 134 and WLD 210 with grades of C or better.

Class Schedule:  Fall 2024 | Spring 2025

WLD 240 3

Description:  Allows the student an opportunity to gain proficiency in all major industrial arc, oxy-fuel, and mechanical cutting processes-manual, semi-automatic and automatic. Processes include Plasma Arc, Air Carbon Arc, Shielded Metal Arc, Exothermic, and Oxy-Fuel cutting; optical tracers; and CNC controls.

Prerequisite: WLD 210 with a grade of C or better.

Class Schedule:  Fall 2024 | Spring 2025

WLD 245 4

Description:  Provides hands-on experience constructing welding projects employing arc, oxy-acetylene, gas metal arc (mig), gas tungsten arc (tig), or a combination of these welding processes using a welding blueprint as a guide.

Prerequisite: WLD 211 and WLD 240 with grades of C or better.

Class Schedule:  Fall 2024 | Spring 2025

WLD 250 4

Description:  Prepares the student to construct welding projects employing arc, oxyacetylene, gas metal arc (MIG), gas tungsten arc (TIG), or any combination of these welding processes using a welding blueprint as a guide. Covers advanced fabrication techniques including rolling, forming and bending.

Prerequisite: WLD 211 and WLD 245 with grades of C or better.

Class Schedule:  Fall 2024 | Spring 2025

1 - Students may take MTH 097, MTH 101, MTH 103, or higher.

Related programs

Students interested in welding technology may also be interested in:

Next steps

For more information about welding training at Harper College, contact Admission Outreach at 847.925.6700, or submit a request information form. You can also apply online.

Last Updated: 12/19/24