Curriculum - Required Courses
Spring courses are completed in eleven weeks beginning in January and ending by the first of April at which time students are able to start placement training.
AE 172 Electrical Wiring I, 4 - credits.
National Electrical Code requirements for residential, light commercial and agricultural branch circuits and services. Safe use of hand tools.
Typical week: 3 hours lecture/discussion, 2 hours laboratory.
AE 173 Electrical Occupations, 1 - credit.
Electrical wiring trade, job openings, preparation of a resume, interviewing for a job, preparing reports. Offered first ten weeks of semester.
Typical week: 1.5 hours lecture/discussion, 2 hours laboratory.
AE 185 Electrical Applications, 3 - credits.
Application of electrical utilization equipment. Fundamentals and application of artificial illumination sources, and lighting design practices. Types, characteristics and connection of AC and DC motors. Principle of motor controlling AC, DC, stepper and servo motors. Application of variable frequency drives for induction motors. Offered first ten weeks of semester.
Typical week: 3 hours lecture/discussion, 3 hours laboratory.
AE 182 Electrical Wiring II, 2 - credits.
Installation of electrical circuits for residential, light commercial and agricultural installations. Offered first ten weeks of semester.
Typical week: 1.5 hours lecture/discussion, 3 hours laboratory.
AE 192 Electrical Wiring I, 4 - credits.
Commercial agricultural and industrial wiring, planning and installation, including transformers, poly-phase systems, conductor sizing and explosion-proof wiring.
Typical week: 3 hours lecture/discussion, 2 hours laboratory.
AE 194 Electrical Systems Planning, 4 - credits.
Basic electrical calculations and wiring layout. Circuit requirements, outlet location, branch circuits and services sizing, blueprint reading and cost estimation.
Typical week: 4 hours lecture/discussion.
AT 045 Agricultural Communications, 2 - credits.
Communication in agriculture including public speaking, group discussion, business correspondence, technical reports and a review of grammar and mechanics.
Typical week: 2 hours lecture/discussion.
AT 071 Technical Mathematics, 2 - credits.
Basic arithmetic. Whole numbers, common fractions, decimals, percentage, ratio, and proportion. Basic algebraic concepts and solutions for practical geometric problems.
Typical week: 2 hours lecture/discussion.
AT 293 Professional Internship in Agricultural Technology, variable 3 to 6 credits.
Supervised professional experience in agencies, business and industry related to a student's major field of study. The on-the-job experience is commonly with a licensed electrical contractor, however the program coordinator may approve other types of work experience opportunities.
CSS 110 Computer Applications in Agronomy, 2 - credits.
Basic computer operating systems. Management and use of storage media. Laboratory experience in word processing, spreadsheets, databases, programming languages, networking, and software related to agriculture.
Typical week: 1 hour lecture/discussion, 2 hours laboratory.
KIN 125 First Aid and Personal Safety, 3 - credits.
Knowledge and application of first aid concepts relating to respiratory and cardiopulmonary disorders, shock, wounds, burns, fractures, drug poisoning, childbirth, litigation. Preventing trauma by recognizing and avoiding safety hazards.
Typical week: 3 hours lecture/discussion.
TSM 121 Fundamentals of Electricity, 4 - credits.
Application of Ohm's law. Kirchoff's laws. Series and parallel circuits. Inductive and capacitive reactance. Power factor. Practical single and three-phase electrical systems. Electromagnetic induction. Transformers. Environmental constraints in power use and production.
Typical week: 3 hours lecture/discussion, 2 hours laboratory.
TSM 130 Energy Efficiency and Conservation in Agricultural Systems 3 - credits.
Introduction and basic concepts of energy efficiency and conservation in agricultural and food production systems. This course is 100% online.
Typical week: 3 hours lecture/discussion.
TSM 222 Fundamentals of Automation and Controls, 3 - credits.
On-off controllers for electric actuators. Installation according to code. Ladder-logic. Programmable logic controllers. Installation and programming. Interfacing to a computer.
Typical week: 3 hours lecture/discussion
Courses may be elected at another educational institution with the approval of the program coordinator. Other courses in the Agricultural Technology schedule of courses may be elected with approval of the program coordinator.
Sample Program
Below you will find a sample outline of the Electrical Technology program intended as a guide to help plan your course schedule. An alternate schedule may be developed between the program coordinator and student. Please consult Michigan State University's official schedule of classes to determine which classes will be available in the semester that you are attempting to register as not every class may be offered each semester.
Fall Semester (First Year-15 Weeks)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AE 172 | Electrical Wiring I | 4 |
| AT 071 | Technical Mathematics | 2 |
| KIN 125 | First Aid and Personal Safety | 3 |
| TSM 121 | Fundamentals of Electricity | 4 |
| Electives |
Spring Semester (First Year - 10 Weeks)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AE 173 | Electrical Occupations | 1 |
| AE 182 | Electrical Wiring II | 2 |
| AE 185 | Electrical Applications | 3 |
| AT 045 | Agricultural Communications | 2 |
| TSM 130 | Energy Efficiency and Conservation in Agricultural Systems | 3 |
| Electives |
Summer Semester
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AE 293 | Professional Internship in Agricultural Technology | 6 |
Fall Semester (Second Year - 15 Week Program)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AE 192 | Electrical Wiring III | 4 |
| AE 194 | Electrical Systems Planning | 4 |
| CSS 110 | Computer Applications in Agronomy | 2 |
| TSM 222 | Fundamentals of Automation and Controls | 3 |
| Electives |
Internships
Earn While You Learn
The ET Courses that are offered during the second year are arranged to give students the opportunity to work part-time and still go to school. Many of the ET students choose to work for an electrical contractor during this semester. In this case, the hours count towards the requirement for the journey exam.
Additionally, Michigan State University offers information for all students regarding student jobs that are available throughout the area. Please note, these jobs may not be ones that would count for hours toward the journey exam. These jobs are generally available to all Michigan State University students regardless of major.
Placement Training
Placement training provides the opportunity for students to work with experienced personnel in the electrical field. While on placement training, students gain actual experience in the field under the supervision of the employer and the MSU program coordinator and/or advisor. Students are enrolled for 3 to 6 credits at MSU while completing placement training.
Students will receive wages in addition to MSU credit. Additionally the students are working towards completing 8,000 work hours which is required for the journey exam.
Generally students work for an electrical contractor near their home, but this is not guaranteed. There are out-of-state placement opportunities. Students are given job leads if necessary, but the student must interview to get the job.
