Industrial / Commercial Electrician

The Industrial/Commercial Electrician (ICE) degree program will prepare students to become electricians. The ICE degree is an Associate in Occupational Studies (AOS) degree, which is a career degree in which all the courses relate directly to preparing students for specific careers. The ICE degree is a two-year program that prepares students for careers as electricians, for both residential and commercial applications. It provides a pathway for graduates of the local Champlain Valley Educational Services Electrical program to further their education as well as provide local high school graduates and career-changing adults with another pathway to a rewarding occupation.

Students in the degree will develop knowledge and skills in four key areas: electrical construction, electrical motors and motor controls, programmable logic controllers, and industrial electronics. Topics include electrical theory, electrical circuits, and electrical construction along with supporting courses such as electrical blueprint reading and project estimating. All core courses are guided by the current version of the National Electric Code (NEC) Handbook.

The first year of the program establishes the core knowledge in electrical theories, electrical components, electrical construction, and safety, as well as electrical project estimating. The second year focuses on more advanced electrical skills such as structured wiring and systems, photovoltaics, logic controllers, and instrumentation. The program is a mixture of lecture and laboratory courses with a significant amount of lab time. The curriculum will emphasize both hands-on skills and academics in order to cultivate the necessary competence which allows students to pursue a career in the electrical industry. Graduates of the program may be employed as:

• Commercial Electricians
• Residential Electricians
• Construction Electricians
• Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers
• Electrical Testers
• Electrical Test Technicians
• Field Technicians
• Electrical Equipment Maintenance and Repair Technicians
• Solar Systems Installer, Maintainer, and Repairer
• Wind Energy System Installer, Maintainer, and Repairer

The Industrial/Commercial Electrician (ICE) degree program is designed to be completed in four semesters, or two years. In order to graduate, students must successfully complete a minimum of 61 credits with a grade point average of 2.0. The program may take longer than four semesters if the required entry-level math skills are not met upon admission into the program.