Instrumentation & Control Technology

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Overview

Instrumentation and process control technicians install, maintain, repair, and adjust the measuring and controlling instruments that make plants run safely. Bellingham Technical College’s Instrumentation & Control program will give you training for a career as an instrumentation technician for high-tech industries such as power generation plants, water treatment facilities, chemical manufacturing plants, canneries, aerospace plants, bio-pharmaceutical plants, semiconductor manufacturing plants, and pulp and paper mills.

BTC’s classes in the Instrumentation & Control program will train you to maintain, repair, and troubleshoot instruments and control systems in industries that increasingly rely on automation. Instrumentation & Control is a great program choice if you’re looking for a high-wage career with employment potential across the nation and beyond.

Program Outcomes

After successfully completing the AAS or AAS-T degree, students will be able to:

• Communication - Communicates and expresses thoughts across a variety of mediums (verbal, written, visually) to effectively persuade, inform, and clarify ideas with colleagues.
• Time Management - Arrives on time and prepared to work; budgets time and meets deadlines when performing technical tasks and projects.
• Safety - Complies with national, state, and local safety regulations when repairing, calibrating, and installing instruments.
• Diagnose and Repair Existing Instruments - Assesses, diagnoses, and repairs faulty instruments in measurement and control systems using logical procedures and appropriate test equipment.
• Install and Configure New Instruments - Builds, configures, and installs new instrument systems according to plans, applying industry construction standards, and ensuring correct system operation when complete.
• Process Control Optimization - Improve system functions by evaluating control system performance; implements strategies to tune and stabilize control systems.
• Instrument Calibration - Assesses instrument accuracy and correct inaccuracies using appropriate calibration procedures and test equipment.
• Documents Instrument Systems - Interprets and creates technical documents (electronic schematics, loop diagrams, and P&IDs) according to industry (EIA, ISA) standards.
• Self-Directing Learning - Selects and researches relevant information sources to learn new principles, technologies, and techniques.
• Career Development - Researches and seeks opportunities for promotion and job advancements in work and career settings.

Placement Requirements

A completed college admissions application and placement in English and math. BTC uses a Guided Self-Placement process to help you choose the best starting point for your English and math courses. Your selections will determine whether you begin with program coursework or complete prerequisites classes first.

To get started or for help determining your English and math placement, contact the Outreach department at Outreach@btc.edu.

Degree Requirements

The Instrumentation & Control Technology AAS and AAS-T degree require a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher, a minimum grade of D/1.0 for all required program courses, and a minimum grade of C/2.0 for General Education courses.

Programs

• Instrumentation & Control Technology, AAS

• Instrumentation & Control Technology, AAS-T

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