The Bakersfield College Industrial Automation Department held a webinar to give future students information about the four year degree program on March 25.

This webinar explained the program, such as what prospective students will learn and the program’s required courses. 

Panelists in this webinar were some of the professors in the engineering and systems department at BC; Maryam Farahani, who teaches transferable engineering courses at BC; and Roy Allard, who is also a professor in the engineering and systems department at BC.

Jason Dixon, the department chair for the engineering and system department and faculty leader for the industrial automation program, gave a presentation on the requirements for this program for students who plan to transfer to BC. 

The BC website defines industrial automation as “interconnected equipment, technology, and systems working together to maximize production, assure safety, use resources efficiently, and ensure product quality.”

To start, Dixon gave a brief overview of the skills a student acquires in this program. “There’s an equal balance of technical and management skills,” and added that these are skills a lot of companies look for when hiring. 

There are various career options for students after they graduate; some said in the presentation were project manager, field service engineer, safety & health engineer, etcetera. 

Dixon stated that there is a very active and involved industrial advisory board. There are guest speakers from companies like Target, Bolthouse Farms, Chevron, and even local companies like Kern Steel in some courses.

Students in the program can even get internships or jobs in said companies during or after they have graduated.  Dixon added that the engineering department is currently partnering with companies moving into the county to help create internships for students. 

Dixon discussed the courses students need to take in both lower and upper-division requirements to fulfill degree requirements.

There are prerequisites that students must take before applying to the program, such as English 1A. Courses like a communication course and technical writing are one of the many required courses. All the required courses and views of the degree plan are on the industrial automation site on BC’s website. 

A counselor would be available to help students figure out their course plan and make sure they are on the right track to graduate. Dixon also added that if students have not completed some of the lower division courses or prerequisites, they may complete those courses at BC.

Dixon also covered this program’s cost. Each unit in all California community courses is around 46.00$, and each class is around 128.00$. Dixon added that there is financial aid available for those who qualify to cover costs. 

The last day to register and submit an application for Upper Division is May 15.