Advanced Process Automation certificate program

Upon successful completion of the Advanced Process Automation certificate program, students will earn a certificate from Penn State's College of Engineering.

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Fall 2025 Program

The fall 2025 program begins on August 19, 2025 and ends in April 2026. Classes meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Participants must be fluent in English.

To register, contact Jamie Merida at [email protected].

 

Course Schedule

Industrial Math: 8/19/25 - 8/28/25

Electricity I: 9/2/25 - 9/25/25

Electricity II: 10/7/25 - 10/30/25

Motor Controls I: 11/11/25 - 12/15/25 (no class Thanksgiving week)

Motor Controls II: 1/13/26 - 2/21/26

PLC I: 3/3/26 - 3/19/26

PLC II: 3/24/26 - 4/9/26

PLC III: 4/14/26 - 4/30/26

 

Course Descriptions

Industrial Math and Electricity I & II

Dates: August 19, 2025, through October 30, 2025

Times: 4:30 to 8:30 p.m.

These courses will introduce the students to the basic principles of electricity including OHMS law, conductors, insulators, DC circuits, series and parallel circuits, voltage dividers, basic AC circuits, AC sine wave analysis, capacitors and inductors. Courses will cover AC theory and circuitry, time constant, AC complex numbers, reactance and impedance, LRC circuits, transformers, relays, polyphase AC circuits and power factor. An additional focus will be 16 hours of industrial math relating to electrical circuitry and the use of electrical measurement devices, i.e., fractions, decimals, formula re-arranging and meanings, vectors and basic triangle and geometric principles.

Motor Controls

Dates: November 11, 2025, to February 21, 2026

Times: 4:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Module I - Motor Controls 
Students in this course will learn advanced motor control circuitry through the use of ladder diagrams. Detailed analysis of motor controls circuits included forward/reverse stations and multiples start/stop stations. Students will be required to build a forward/reverse motor control station utilizing conduit and combination motor starters. Conduit bending will also be covered to the extent of its use in motor controls. Also covered will be motor controls trouble shooting.

Module II - Advanced Motor Controls/Variable Frequency Drives/Machine Controls
Students enrolled in this course will receive the next stage of training in motor controls, i.e., Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs). Students will learn to use and program the AB1305 VFD for various operations and scenarios. Emphasis will be placed on installation and troubleshooting of a motor control system using the VFD as the motor's prime control device. Various problems will be inserted into a basic system for the student to locate and repair.

Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC)

Dates: March 3, 2026, to April 30, 2026

Times: 4:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Module I
Students will learn PLC fundamentals involved with PLC programming, hardware and setup. Students will receive both theory and hands on instruction with an emphasis on hands on programming and device interface and communication. Additional topics include PLC architecture and set up, how to set up communication to RSLinx, proper addressing and bit information, how to design and develop ladder logic in SLC 500, learn proper addressing and bit function for basic programming, counters and timers, greater than/less than bits, file moves and subroutines. Theory and hands-on experience will be provided using the Allen Bradley SLC 5/03 Programmable Logic Controllers.

Module II
This course is intended for an industrial maintenance person who has experience with PLC systems or has taken PLC Basics and has knowledge of basic computer skills. An emphasis will be placed on trouble shooting PLC subsystems from “outside” of the program. System overview of Studio 5000, comparison to SLC 500, I/O cards and function and wiring, CPU differences and functions, how to set up Studio 5000 in RSLinx, configure communication path, set up new controller and I/O to start a program, basic instruction bits, proper tag naming and tag data base. Theory and hands-on experience will be provided using the Allen Bradley Studio 5000 and 1769-L36ERM Compact logic Programmable Logic Controllers.

Module III
Students will learn PLC fundamentals involved with PLC programming, hardware and setup. Students will receive both theory and hands on instruction with an emphasis on hands on wiring, power supplies, and how to understand and trouble-shoot PLCs from the “outside” with a computer. The module will also cover PLC types, I/O types, and programming/device interface and communication. Additionally, how to design and develop a starter program, build tag data base for the program, counter/timers, internal tags, move/message bits, greater than/less then, AOI structure, AOI build and program, JSR routines. Final PLC Development class will utilize VFD for motor control with multiple devices.

 

Cost/Additional Information

Program cost: $7,100 (includes Industrial Math, Electricity I, II, Motor Controls, and PLCs)

Costs are all inclusive: All instruction, instructional materials, administrative support and travel are included. The academic content of the training module is approved through the University College of Penn State University. All participants earn a certificate indicating their accumulated Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for their attendance at this training program.

Funding and grants may be available. Class size is limited.

 

Refund Policy

Due to demand for courses, advance payment for registration is required no later than one (1) week prior to the first class. Space cannot be held without payment. Cancellations must be received at least three (3) working days prior to the first day of class, or the student will be responsible for the fee. The University reserves the right to cancel or postpone any course due to insufficient enrollment or other unforeseen circumstances.