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Career options 
Prepare for a career in welding technology with this 60-credit-hour degree program. Welding and fabrication are fast-growing fields, and individuals with skills in these areas are in high demand among employers. When you graduate from this program, you’ll be prepared to secure full-time employment as a welder, fabricator or welder supervisor in the manufacturing or construction industry. Additionally, completion of this program allows you to become a certified welder.
Take classes in welding, prints and schematics, advanced blueprint reading, cutting processes, welding fabrication, applied welding theory, welding power sources and more. You’ll also complete a variety of technical elective courses. All classes are taught by knowledgeable instructors who are highly skilled in the welding and fabrication fields.
This 60 credit-hour program prepares students for employment in the high demand welding and fabrication sector of the economy. Graduates may find employment as welders, fabricators and welder supervisors in the manufacturing and construction industries.
All WLD courses are offered in an 8-week scheduling format.
| Number | Course Title | Credits | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENG 101 | Composition I | 3 | AAS General Education |
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Description: Emphasizes the writing of expository prose. Introduction to the critical reading of nonfiction prose. IAI C1 900 Prerequisite: ENG 096 with a grade of P or other placement options: english-placement-grid.php ESL students need one of the following options: ESL 073 and ESL 074 with grades of B or better; ESL 073 and ESL 086 with grades of B or better; ESL 073 and ESL 099 with grades of B or better; ESL 073 with required writing placement test score; or ESL 074 with required reading placement test score. Class Schedule: Spring 2025 | Summer 2025 |
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| MFT 134 | Print Reading for Industry | 3 | Program Requirement |
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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: Spring 2025 | Summer 2025 |
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| MTH 097 | Basic Technical Mathematics 1 | 3 | AAS General Education |
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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: Spring 2025 | Summer 2025 |
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| WLD 110 | Welding I | 3 | Program Requirement |
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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: Spring 2025 | Summer 2025 |
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| WLD 210 | Welding II | 3 | Program Requirement |
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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: Spring 2025 | Summer 2025 |
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All WLD courses are offered in an 8-week scheduling format.
| Number | Course Title | Credits | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAS General Education electives+ | 6 | AAS General Education | |
| WLD 211 | Welding III | 4 | Program Requirement |
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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: Spring 2025 | Summer 2025 |
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| WLD 212 | Welding IV | 4 | Program Requirement |
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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: Spring 2025 | Summer 2025 |
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| WLD 225 | Advanced Blueprint Reading | 2 | Program Requirement |
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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: Spring 2025 | Summer 2025 |
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All WLD courses are offered in an 8-week scheduling format.
| Number | Course Title | Credits | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technical electives2 | 6 | Program Requirement | |
| WLD 240 | Cutting Processes | 3 | Program Requirement |
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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: Spring 2025 | Summer 2025 |
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| WLD 249 | Applied Welding Theory | 3 | Program Requirement |
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Description: Provides both lab and classroom experience to cover the basic theory of all major welding processes. Covers shielded metal arc welding, gas tungsten arc welding, flux core arc welding, submerged arc welding, plasma arc welding and oxyacetylene welding. Prerequisite: WLD 210 with a grade of C or better. Class Schedule: Spring 2025 | Summer 2025 |
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| WLD 253 | Welding Power Sources | 3 | Program Requirement |
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Description: Familiarizes the student with the difference between types of welding power sources. The student will learn through lab experiences the proper set-up and fine-tuning techniques which will result in a quality weld. Covers selection, use, troubleshooting and maintenance of major welding equipment. Prerequisite: WLD 210 with a grade of C or better. Class Schedule: Spring 2025 | Summer 2025 |
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All WLD courses are offered in an 8-week scheduling format.
| Number | Course Title | Credits | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAS General Education elective+ | 3 | AAS General Education | |
| Technical elective2 | 3 | Program Requirement | |
| WLD 245 | Welding Fabrication I | 4 | Program Requirement |
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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: Spring 2025 | Summer 2025 |
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| WLD 250 | Welding Fabrication II | 4 | Program Requirement |
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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: Spring 2025 | Summer 2025 |
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1 - Students may take MTH 097, MTH 101, MTH 103 or higher.
+ - At least one of the AAS General Education electives must meet the World Cultures and Diversity graduation requirement. See full list of AAS General Education Electives.
2 - Technical electives: MFT 105, MFT 120, WLD 246, WLD 248, WLD 260, WLD 261, WLD 285.
Upon completion of the AAS in Welding Technology, students should:
Students interested in welding technology may also be interested in:
For more information about earning a welding degree at Harper College, contact Admission Outreach at 847.925.6700, or submit a request information form. You can also apply online.