When it comes to toilet paper, plastic gift wrap, or the machine-engineered fasteners that hold your new lawn mower together, most people never give it a second thought. But the truth is that practically every consumer product manufactured and marketed a century ago would have been a mechanical wonder.
Many of our most well-known consumer items were created by well-known innovators and entrepreneurs, but they wouldn’t exist without the contributions of millions of ordinary people. Many of these people are employed in the field of industrial technology.
Individuals with degrees in industrial technology are prepared to work in jobs that improve the manufacturing process. Working, enhancing, and creating gadgets and processes that assist in the production of commodities can all fall under this category.
Any time you see a contemporary warehouse or assembly line in an advertisement, you’ve seen some of the work done by industrial technologists.
Industrial technologists are primarily concerned with three goals, one of which is to increase production:
- Faster
- Simpler
- More Efficient
There are many people who work in industrial technology who started their careers by acquiring an industrial technology degree.
The following are some of the most frequently asked questions regarding industrial technology degrees!
What Degrees in Industrial Technology Are Available?
At the bachelor’s level, there are a large variety of programs in industrial technology, with the most options at the associates level. There are a variety of degrees available to students, and we’ll go through each one here to explain the distinctions, prerequisites, and specialities they can pursue.
Degrees in industrial technology at the associate’s level often concentrate on preparing students for further study at the bachelor’s degree level as well as practical use of industrial technology frameworks and tools.
To get an industrial technology associate’s degree, students typically need 60 semester hours and 1.5 to 3 years of full-time study. It takes an average of two years of full-time study to earn an associate’s degree. GenEd (general education) requirements are common entry points for students.
Students must meet these standards in order to be considered well-rounded individuals who are able to think critically, communicate well, engage in rational debate, and have a solid grasp of mathematics and facts.
The following types of courses often count toward fulfilling general education requirements:
- Courses in the social sciences
- Courses in the Humanities
- Courses in the Natural Sciences
- Courses in mathematics
- Ethical or religious studies courses
- Courses in the Arts and Humanities
- Courses in Data Literacy
- Among other things, physical education
Some of the following are likely to be taken by students once they’ve completed their major course of study:
- Computer-Aided Manufacturing
- Industrial Robotics
- Technical Illustration
- Production Planning and Control
- Among Others
Having said that, many industrial technology degree programs may cater to the specific demands of a specific location or sector. This may preclude you from enrolling in some of the courses listed above (though is likely a good thing for getting an industrial technology job within your city or region).
Furthermore, certain associates in industrial technology provide concentrations. The following are some of the most prevalent concentrations within the subject of study:
- Engineering and Design in Construction
- Technology Draft Industrial
- Technology Supervision and Management
- Occupational Safety and Health
Students may begin to really future-proof themselves at the bachelor’s level by gaining an in-depth grasp of both the management and computer ideas and practices that underlie current industrial technologies.
Students pursuing bachelor’s degrees in industrial technology should anticipate to complete general education requirements identical to those outlined in the associate’s-degree section above.
The fundamental distinction between a bachelor’s degree and an associate’s degree in industrial technology is that bachelor’s degrees are the entry-level degree for various managerial roles, and bachelor’s degrees normally take about twice as long to get.
Most bachelor’s degree programs are 120 credit hours in length and typically require 4 years of full-time study to finish.
- Supply Chain Management
- Lean Manufacturing
- Six Sigma Management
- Engineering of Automated Systems
- Database Design for Engineering
- Safety Engineering Developments
- Project Management
- Robotics
- Among Others
Students at the bachelor’s level can begin to prepare themselves for the corporate ladder and may conduct some original research in industrial technology.
A higher number of master’s degrees in industrial technology than other degree levels are offered in formats designed for full-time workers.
Master’s degrees in industrial technology typically take 1.5-2 years to complete. Despite the fact that many enable students to enroll in accelerated or part-time programmes of study.
Industrial technology degrees can also be obtained at the master’s level through programs focused on computing, management, and human resources. Some of the following courses are frequently accessible inside master’s degree programs in industrial technology:
- Engineering Economics
- Operations Management
- Design and Methodology of Engineering and Management Research
- Network Managerial Marketing Theory
- Manufacturing Robotics Case Studies
- Human Capital
- Management of Projects, Production, and Inventory
- Material Properties in Manufacturing Logistics Management
- A Master’s Thesis A Master’s Applied Project
Students at the PhD level can study one of the following subjects:
- A Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Industrial Technology
- A Doctor of Industrial Technology (D.I.T)
- Or a Doctor of Technology (D.T.) in Industrial Technology
A fundamental distinction between the three degrees is that one is a research doctorate, while the other two are either applied or applied-research doctorates, depending on the circumstances.
You may be perplexed as to the significance of this. Isn’t it true that they’re all doctoral candidates?
Ph.D. (and occasionally the Doctor of Technology degree) research doctorates are designed to train the next generation of researchers and educators in a certain discipline. As a result, a significant amount of the course of study is devoted to original research that will be presented as a dissertation.
There are a number of different types of dissertations, each of which consists of a substantial amount of original research.
Additionally, research papers are meant to train the future generation of academics in a given subject area. Students must teach undergraduate courses while enrolled in their doctoral program, which is why many of them are offered only on-campus.
Applied doctorates, on the other hand, are designed to help students find work in a field related to their academic specialty. This does not mean that students who are seeking an applied doctorate do not do their own research, but rather that it is not as fundamental a component of the degree program.
A capstone project or internship may be substituted for a doctoral thesis in an applied doctorate. However, in many circumstances, applied doctorates are equally as good as research doctorates at preparing students for academic jobs.
It is possible to specialize in many different areas while pursuing a PhD. Individuals may also do unique research on a single industry vertical that leverages industrial technology, such as:
- Textiles
- Petroleum
- Construction
- Engineering
- Pharmaceutical
- Chemicals
- Aeronautical
- Consumer Goods
Can I Get a Degree in Industrial Technology Online?
Degrees in Industrial Technology often include a mix of business, management, and engineering courses, all of which may be found online. To put it another way, there are a lot of online industrial technology degrees out there.
Associate’s degrees, which often educate students how to operate industrial machines, are an exception to this norm. Many of these situations may necessitate a face-to-face meeting or internship.
There is no guarantee that an online industrial technology degree is the best option for you. When weighing the advantages and disadvantages of online vs. conventional course delivery, there are many to consider.
Since we launched our site, DegreeQuery, we’ve been able to educate tens of thousands of students about the benefits and drawbacks of online education. The following are some of the most often cited advantages and disadvantages of earning a degree online:
Benefits of Online Education
- You are not required to resign from your position.
- You are not required to relocate.
- Many programs are designed specifically for working adults.
- You receive the same diploma as in-person programs.
- A growing number of assistance initiatives
- A growing percentage of employers see degrees as interchangeable.
- Access to prestigious schools that are not in your neighborhood
Drawbacks of Online Education
- There is less of the “feel” of higher education.
- It is more difficult to get to know instructors, classmates, or community members.
- There are fewer support resources available than on-campus.
- You must be more self-motivated when it comes to learning.
- Access to networking events and on-campus job fairs is limited.
We don’t want to scare you away from online learning; rather, we want to help you weigh the advantages and downsides. There are a slew of variables to consider before deciding on a degree program.
Furthermore, for many students who are also employed full-time, the option to maintain a career while attending school is of paramount importance. If you’re like some others, you’d like to experience what it’s like to be part of a typical university setting.
How Do I Get Accepted into an Industrial Technology Program?
As with other engineering, business, and technology degree programs of the same level, admissions to industrial technology schools vary depending on the degree you’d like to pursue.
Students earning an associate degree at a community college may be able to work through open admissions at the associate level. In reality, open admissions are just partially open.
However, depending on the college’s service region, they usually grant automatic admission to anybody who has graduated from high school and has a GPA greater than a specific threshold. Students can pick industrial technology as a major once they have been accepted into the larger college.
Students seeking admission to degree programs that aren’t available to the general public must meet similar standards. One or more of these tests, as well as transcripts from the student’s time in high school, letters of recommendation, an essay on one’s goals, and/or an interview should be expected of applicants.
There is a broad variety of GPA and standardized test score criteria for admission at different schools. Nearly flawless scores are required for admission to some of the most competitive colleges in the country, while the great majority of schools have lower entrance requirements.
The admissions procedures for industrial technology master’s degree programs are the same as those for other technology master’s degree programs. GRE results are required by certain schools, while others may accept a student’s CV or letters of reference as an acceptable replacement.
By the commencement of the program, students should have completed or be on track to complete their undergraduate studies.
Students can apply to doctorate schools either after completing a master’s degree or right out of college. They will pursue a master’s degree “on route” to their doctorate if they have completed their undergraduate studies.
For these students, the dual master’s and doctoral degree programs are basically the same thing. For students pursuing PhD degrees, they should check to see whether there are faculty members undertaking research in the subjects they are interested in, before enrolling in the program.
Getting in touch with faculty members who could be willing to serve as research mentors before beginning a doctoral program in research is essential if you plan on pursuing this route, as many research supervisors only take on a small number of students to supervise.
What Can I Do With a Degree in Industrial Technology?
Almost all manufacturing activities rely on industrial technology. Almost everything we buy is produced in some fashion. That gives you an idea of the vast array of jobs available to someone with a degree in industrial technology.
Furthermore, the ability to pursue industrial technology coursework from the associates to doctoral levels means that there is always more room to specialize and that knowledge in industrial technology has industry applications ranging from knowledge of how to run industrial technology systems to knowledge of how to create them.
While an industrial technology degree can prepare you for a wide range of professions in industrial technology settings, some of the most prevalent are as follows.
Manufacturing engineers develop, study, and design manufacturing systems. This comprises software, hardware, and techniques that aid in lowering the cost of producing a good, improving the quality of producing a good, or increasing the pace at which a good may be produced.
