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

• 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

Admissions application and assessment testing in Reading, Math, and Sentence Skills are required. Your score on the test and/or your previous transcripts will determine where you begin your course sequence. Contact Admissions at 360.752.8345 or at admissions@btc.edu for assistance with academic planning.

Additional Requirements

Completion of Intermediate Algebra (MATH 099) or placement into Pre-Calculus (MATH& 141 Precalculus I ) is a required prerequisite for enrollment in this program.

Degree and Certificate Requirements

Instrumentation & Control Technology AAS Degree and Certificate completion requires a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher, a minimum grade of C/2.0 for MATH& 141 Precalculus I , and a minimum grade of C-/1.7 for all other required courses. AAS-T Degree requires a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher and minimum grade of C-/1.7 for all required program courses and minimum grade of C/2.0 for all General Education courses.

Programs

• Instrumentation & Control Technology, AAS

• Instrumentation & Control Technology, AAS-T

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