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Process Technology

Degrees available:A.A.S.

Process Technology News and Information
Program Information
Career Opportunities
Admissions Requirements
Facilities and Instructors
Alaska Process Industry Careers Consortium
Degree Requirements (PDF)
Contact Information

Program Information

The Process Technology program at the UAF Tanana Valley Campus can be summarized by the statement "Helping Alaskans Get Alaskan Jobs." The program prepares students to enter employment as operations technicians in the state's process industry.

The process industry includes oil and gas production, mining and milling, transportation and refining, utilities, wastewater treatment and facilities maintenance. These areas demand highly skilled and well paid workers. The processing industry in Alaska forecasts many openings in the next ten years due to attrition from an aging workforce (See Career Opportunities at the top).

An associate degree program in Process Technology will incorporate both technical and academic courses. The courses cover topics such as pumps, turbines, instrumentation, safety, and quality control.

A valuable part of the program comes from summer internships provided by British Petroleum, Flint Hills Resources, and Alyeska Pipeline Service Company. Internships give students the opportunity to gain practical experience and exposure to the true nature of the process technology careers they want to pursue. Businesses also use the opportunity to "preview" the students that they may one day hire.

The Alaska Process Industry Careers Consortium (APICC) / First Alaskans Foundation has scholarships available for Alaska Native students pursuing a degree in Process Technology. In addition, scholarships are available from British Petroleum for college-bound students as well as those interested in careers in process technology. Scholarship applications are generally due during the spring semester. Visit the APICC website for more information.

Career Opportunities

Process technicians/operators may work in many industries in Alaska to include the following:

• Oil and Gas Production
• Chemical Manufacturing
• Petroleum Refining
• Mining & Milling
• Power Generation & Utilities
• Waste & Wastewater Treatment
• Seafood & Other Food Processing

Job responsibilities of the Process Technician include monitoring and controlling process systems, maintaining safe work areas, and regulatory compliance. Other responsibilities can include assigning maintenance to craft technicians, coordinating repairs, troubleshooting operations, and testing products for quality. Technicians may work both indoors and outdoors with process equipment, piping, and material transfers. Technicians monitor the instrumentation and controls associated with their area of responsibility, interface with support technicians, and supervise computer or analog automatic control equipment.

Completion of the Process Technology program sets the employment seeking student/candidate apart from the competition since the graduate comes to the workforce with entry level skills and knowledge. In Alaska, the prediction is for 30-50 entry-level jobs per year for the next ten years. The entry-level salary ranges are from $45,000 to $72,000 annually.

Admission Requirements

To gain entry into the program, students must fill out a UAF Undergraduate Application for Admission, available at the Tanana Valley Campus Center or from the Office of Admissions in Signers' Hall on the UAF campus. The form is also available online from the Office of Admissions. A $40 non-refundable fee must accompany the application. Students entering the A.A.S. degree program are encouraged to take an English/Mathematics placement test such as the COMPASS examination. The test is available through the Tanana Valley Campus Center. Contact the TVC Student Assistance Center at 455-2851 or email fytvc@uaf.edu for more information.

Facilities and Instructors

The program is operated out of the newly renovated TVC Hutchison Center, located on Geist Road. The center is only minutes from the UAF campus and is accessible by shuttle. In addition to textbook learning and classroom lectures, students will have an opportunity to train and practice on equipment and models that are current with industry standards. The instructors bring with them years of experience from various fields within the processing industry. Class sizes are small so that students recieve valuable one-on-one interaction with the instructors as well as ample time to work on the equipment.