Program Overview
Mitchell Technical College offers a 75-credit Associate of Applied Science in Electrical Construction & Maintenance. The program's rack card places this award across four semesters, starting in fall, at the college at 1800 East Spruce Street in Mitchell, South Dakota. Students engage in hands-on residential and commercial labs, with wiring projects in student labs and project houses.
The program also offers an optional third year in automation controls and SCADA, leading to a second AAS. Those additional semesters are not required for the 75-credit electrical AAS described here.
Curriculum Highlights
The first semester covers electrical fundamentals, electrical drawing, a basic electrical lab with residential wiring of project homes, OSHA 10 Construction, student success, and math and general education. The second adds designing electrical systems, residential blueprints and code, conduit bending, a wiring lab, and computers. The third covers power distribution, electronic circuits, commercial and industrial wiring, industrial controls, and programmable logic controls. The fourth covers motor maintenance, commercial blueprint reading, structured cabling, VFD motor drives, advanced controls and PLCs, and first aid, CPR, and AED.
Admission Requirements
Applicants complete the online or paper application and send high school transcripts, GED scores, or other pertinent college records, plus any ACT, Accuplacer, SAT, or Compass scores. Students without testing, or whose scores do not meet program standards, take the college's admissions test at no charge. A matriculation form with a $60 non-refundable fee reserves a place; if a program fills, accepted students may need a $150 tuition deposit. Students must be able to climb a 6-foot ladder and perform general physical activities. Contact Admissions at 605-995-3025.
Cost & Financial Aid
The rack card lists tuition, fees, and laptop at $20,400, with books and tools not included and no academic year stated. The college's per-credit breakdown is $130 tuition plus state facility, maintenance, department, and institutional fees, for $238 to $253 per credit; residents and nonresidents pay the same tuition. Students must buy a Mitchell Tech laptop, which averages about $1,150 for this program.
Career Outcomes
Mitchell Tech says apprentice electrical jobs in residential, commercial, and industrial areas are open to graduates, with electrical contractors, maintenance companies, regional substations, and utilities.