Manufacturing Engineering Technology

What manufacturing engineering technologists do


Within a typical manufacturing organization, there are multitudes of machines performing many different functions on, perhaps, thousands or hundreds of different parts. Whether the finished product is an athletic shoe or a jet airplane, the logical set of events that must take place to produce that product must be planned and conceived in advance. The location of each machine, the movement of a part or machine tool and the order of operations - even the machines themselves - must be planned in detail. Day-to-day production problems must be solved.

A manufacturing engineering technologist will help to solve the complex problems associated with manufacturing operations. Manufacturing engineering technologists work in teams with engineers, scientists and technicians to solve manufacturing related problems. Engineering technology programs are less theoretical than engineering programs and are more application or "hands-on" oriented. There are laboratory components to most engineering technology courses where students learn to apply theoretical knowledge learned in the classroom to solve practical or applications-based problems.

Career Opportunities

The Manufacturing Engineering Technology (MET) curriculum prepares engineering technologists who understand and apply established scientific and engineering knowledge to support engineering activities in manufacturing environments. A manufacturing engineering technologist can be involved in the development, design, analysis, planning, supervision or construction of the methods and equipment for the production of industrial or consumer goods. Companies that employ MET graduates include: The Boeing Company, Microsoft, Nike, Tempress, Fleck, Pacific Switch Systems, Alpha Technologies, Triquest, Sealed Air/Trigon Packaging, Applied Materials, Johnson-Mathey, Albar, Physio-Control, Precision Laboratory Plastics, Mazak, etc.

As with all programs in the Engineering Technology Department, students should declare their major early and seek departmental advisement. The MET program is accredited by the Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET, 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD, 21202-4012 - telephone: (410) 347-7700.  
 

Manufacturing Engineering Technology Faculty:

Manufacturing Engineering Technology Program Requirements 2007-2008: Freshman Year: Sophomore Year: Junior Year: Senior Year: The total quarter hours required for a Bachelor of Science degree in Manufacturing Engineering Technology is 186.  Advanced technology courses must have physics and calculus applications whenever possible and must build on prerequisite courses.

*  Physics 114, 115, and 116 (Principles of Physics I, II, and III, or the equivalent) may be used as a replacement for the calculus-based sequence of  Physics 121 (with Physics 131 lab), 122 (with Physics 132 lab), and 123 (with Physics133 lab).

**  Technical Electives:  Three technical elective courses are required for the MET degree.  One technical elective must be an advanced processing course.  Only one 200 level class may be counted as a technical elective.  Approved technical electives include: ETec 226 - Dynamics, ETec 329 - Virtual Stimulation, ETec 334 - Reinforced Plastics/Composites, ETec 335 - Tooling for Plastic Processing, ETec 338 - Injection Molding, ETec 361 - Advanced CAD: Assembly Design and Mechanics, ETec 362 - Advanced CAD: Surface Modeling, ETec 377 - Instrumentation, ETec 425 - Machine Design, ETec 426 a, b, or c - Advanced CNC, ETec 428  - Advanced Manufacturing Lab, ETec 429 - Directed Research in Manufacturing (up to 3 credits), ETec 431 - Plastic Product Design, ETec 433 - Engineering Polymers, ETec 434 - Advanced Composites, Math 224 - Multivariable Calculus, Math 331 - Ordinary Differential Equations, Management (Mgmt) 311 - Introduction to Management and Organizational Behavior, Mgmt 313 - Teamwork, Operations Management (OPS) 463 - Enterprise Resources Planning Systems, OPS 466 - Supply Chain Management, OPS 467 - Global Operations Strategy, and OPS 468 - Operations Strategy and Tactics

***  English 302 (5 credits) may be substituted for ETec 341.

G.U.R. (General University Requirement) includes three Humanities courses from two or more departments (minimum of 12 credits), three Social Sciences courses from two or more departments (minimum of 12 credits), and two Comparative Gender and Multicultural Studies courses (one from block A and one from block B).  Note:  the Communication G.U.R. requirements are satisfied by English 101 and Communications 101, which are required for the MET degree; the Quantitative and Symbolic Reasoning G.U.R. requirements are exceeded by the Calculus requirement for the MET degree; and the Natural Science G.U.R. requirements are also met by the Physics and Chemistry requirements for the MET degree.

 

 

 

Send e-mail to Manufacturing Engineering Technology Program Manager, Eric McKell:  ekmckell@cc.wwu.edu

7/10/08