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Advanced Manufacturing Certificate

Beginning fall 2010!

To download the program brochure, please click here (PDF).

This online undergraduate certificate program in Engineering/Manufacturing allows students to develop the skills necessary to understand and shape contemporary manufacturing operations. Each course will be offered in an eight-week block, so two courses can be completed each semester, and an additional course in the summer term. The entire certificate program can be completed in as little as twelve months, and courses should be taken in the order listed below. The certificate program consists of five three-credit courses, for a total of fifteen credits.

ISAT 211: Issues in Modern Production
ISAT 330: Manufacturing Systems: Techniques and Technologies
ISAT 331: Automation in Manufacturing
ISAT 430: Material Science in Manufacturing
ISAT 433: Selected Problems in Manufacturing

From a broad perspective, the discipline of manufacturing covers the following major activities and the complex interactions between them:

 

  • Extraction and conversion of natural resources
  • Creation of different material forms
  • Manufacture or manufacturing processes that transform input materials to tangible goods/products
  • Distribution, Use and Maintenance of products
  • Product disposal and reuse decisions.

 

Long before sustainability and green became vogue, the manufacturing discipline had well developed methodologies/principles that minimized the use of energy and waste throughout the product life-cycle of a product. These principles include, design for the environment, design for reuse, design for manufacturability, and design for disassembly. Within the courses for the Certificate in Advanced Manufacturing, we will highlight life-cycle assessment of the interaction of each manufacturing activity with the environment:  from the creation of materials to product manufacture, distribution and use of products, disposal after use and sometimes reincarnation.


Schedule:

Fall 
First eight weeks: ISAT 211
Second eight weeks: ISAT 330

Spring 
First eight weeks: ISAT 331
Second eight weeks: ISAT 430

Summer 
ISAT 433

Program Objectives:

  • Gain the analytical and communication skills necessary to decompose, analyze, and identify possible solutions to complex manufacturing problems and prepare written and oral reports of findings and present them in a competent and professional manner;
  • Understand the structure of a modern manufacturing enterprise and the roles played by the different functional divisions such as production, marketing, finance, and R&D;
  • Be familiar with methods of designing, managing, and improving manufacturing operations to realize the efficiency achieved by meeting the competitive goals of least cost, most flexibility, minimized cycle time;
  • Be able to apply the statistical concepts of Total Quality Management, Statistical Process Control, and other techniques that help establish and maintain continuous process improvement while maintaining product quality;
  • Be able to practice integrated product development techniques and understand the requirements for effective product development teams;
  • Understand how to select and apply computer based tools for product design automation and how to automate and integrate manufacturing processes and activities;
  • Have a fundamental understanding of material structure, specifically the basic atomic structures and bonding that gives them their unique attributes, and properties, and where they can be useful; Acquire practical skills necessary to measure and grasp the different mechanical, chemical, and physical properties of engineering materials and apply this knowledge in the selection of materials for specific applications
  • Understand the principles, operations, and limitations of common manufacturing processes and be aware of how engineering materials are processed into useful items, including the technical, economic, and social factors that affect both continuous and discrete process selection.


Admission Criteria:

A successful student will:

  • Have a minimum of a high school diploma or GED
  • Be comfortable with the technology required for online learning
  • Have taken college level algebra or the equivalent, and have strong math skills
  • Have a minimum of two years of work experience in manufacturing or related industries

To apply:

Go to www.jmu.edu/outreach/certificates.shtml, and scroll down to find detailed application instructions.

Contact Information:

For information about registration, tuition, applications, etc:
Outreach & Engagement
540-568-4253
outreach@jmu.edu

For information about the content of the program:
Dr. Geoff Egekwu
Integrated Science and Technology
540-568-2795
egekwuog@jmu.edu