Regional College will offer applied science degree

Northern Pennsylvania Regional College has been approved by its board of trustees to offer a two-year associate degree of applied science in applied technology.

This program has a specialization in industrial maintenance technology and will begin in the fall.

Application to the program is open with enrollment for all students beginning April 13.

NPRC now offers six associate degrees.

The applied technology program will prepare students for entrance or advancement in advanced manufacturing environments. NPRC’s mechatronics-based curriculum, hands-on laboratory experience, and field experiences give students the opportunity to integrate the skills gained through the program with a capstone project at the conclusion. NPRC’s curriculum has been vetted by industry leaders and technical experts and emphasizes the importance of effective communications, positive work ethic, quality assurance, and testing. Some additional topics covered by these courses are programmable logic controls, robotics, hydraulics, pneumatics, high voltage industrial systems, and safety.

The industrial maintenance focus was designed to provide a deep, rich experience for students who become familiar with a wide variety of applications, such as automation, biotechnology, injection molding, powder metal, ceramics, plastics manufacturing and other related industries.

“As we worked with our regional industries to help inform the development of this program, the number one challenge that we consistently saw was the need for exposure to technology, professionalism, and basic maintenance skills,” said Frank O’Connell, NPRC instructor of manufacturing technology. “With this program, we hope to solve some of the challenges of our regional workforce and assist employers by providing a trained and qualified workforce,” he said.