Automotive Technology
School of Transportation Technology
Parkes Automotive Technology Center, Room 126 · (570) 327-4516
The Automotive Technology programs at Pennsylvania College of Technology prepare students for a variety of careers in the field of automotive service. Students in all of these programs receive the same automotive technical instruction including:
- applying automotive operating principles
- diagnosing automotive system malfunctions
- developing skills in service, repair, and test procedures
The Automotive Service Technician certificate offers instruction and hands-on experience to prepare students for careers in the maintenance, diagnosis, and repair on all systems of the popular makes of automobiles.
The Automotive Technology associate's degree likewise prepares students to work in the field of automotive service, but includes some more rigorous general education courses. These graduates are thus better positioned to enter into a bachelor's program, should they choose to do so.
Automotive Technology News
Automotive Department Taking Appointments for Campus-Supplied Lab Work
October 2008
The Automotive Department at Penn College offers limited, low-cost automotive maintenance, diagnosis and repair services to the college community as a part of its courses. A new engine performance and computer controls class has begun, and the department is scheduling appointments on and after Oct. 27 for these services.
Research Vehicles Spark Attention at NACAT Conference
July 2008
The automobile industry's future, of keen interest to the automotive teachers mentoring tomorrow's vehicle technicians, is today's reality at Penn College. The North American Council of Automotive Instructors, holding its 35th annual conference on campus, heard presentations Tuesday on vehicles that use technology to reduce petroleum dependency and greenhouse-gas emissions. Toyota brought along a prototype fuel-cell vehicle, which attracted considerable attention (and some willing test-drivers) from attendees and the media alike. Also on hand was The Pennsylvania State University's EcoCAR research vehicle, which gives engineering students the opportunity to design and build cars that demonstrate leading-edge technologies, with the goal of minimizing the environmental impact of personal transportation. Among the visitors was WNEP's Norm Jones, whose report on the Toyota vehicle aired at 5:30 Tuesday evening. Additional coverage, including his interviews with conference organizers and attendees, tentatively was to broadcast later in the day. The Williamsport Sun-Gazette also published an article about the car on the front page of Wednesday's editions.Keynoter Kicks Off Automotive Conference
July 2008
Technology and straight-from-the-headlines topicality combine with socializing and sightseeing at this week's
35th annual conference of the North American Council of Automotive Teachers being hosted at Penn College. More than 200 instructors registered for the event, which began Monday morning with elections and a keynote address in the college's Klump Academic Center. David Ganss, a technology adviser specializing in advanced vehicle propulsion technologies in the Transportation and Climate Division of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality, offered the opening speech, "The Future Is Here: Trends in Transportation Technology, Energy and the Environment." Outlining the push for research spurred by $4-a-gallon gasoline and efficiency standards, Ganss detailed a three-pronged solution of technology, alternative fuels and changes in motorists' habits: "In short," he said, "better cars, better fuels and better drivers." The presentation was attended by Williamsport Sun-Gazette reporter Heather Gach and photographer Craig McKibben, whose front-page coverage appeared in Tuesday's editions. WBRE-TV's Jeremy Deebel also visited campus in conjunction with the NACAT conference; his report aired Monday evening.Penn College to Host International Event for Automotive Teachers
July 2008
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'Fuel Cell Challenge' Grows in Popularity
May 2008
Students from 12 high schools – triple the number on hand for last year's inaugural event – gathered on campus Tuesday for the second annual Fuel Cell Challenge, piloting vehicles powered by the separation of water into hydrogen and oxygen. Students took a written exam, then put their fuel-cell-powered vehicles through a battery of seven performance tests in the college’s Field House: engineering design, artistic design, fastest car, hill climb, load pull, fuel management and longest distance. A crosscurricular assortment of faculty judged the various competitions, which attracted students from Easton Area, Hamburg Area, Liberty, Middletown, New Oxford, Northern Lebanon, Plum, Pottsville Area, Wallenpaupack Area and Williamson high schools, as well as the Warren County Career Center and the Jefferson County-DuBois Area Vocational-Technical School.