Completing Your Bachelor's Degree

In as little as one year, take your technology associate degree to an applied manufacturing technology Bachelor of Science.

A Bachelor of Science degree in applied manufacturing technology (BS-AMT) from NIU builds on your technical coursework and develops your leadership skills, while preparing you to advance in your career and increase your earning potential.

This program is ideal for students who completed (or are working towards the completion of) a technology-oriented associate degree at a community college.  A technology-oriented associate degree is one that prepares students for a career in manufacturing, automotive, mechanical, electrical, industrial, instrumentation, construction, energy, drafting, information technology or closely related technical fields.

The BS-AMT degree track allows you to transfer in 60 credits from your associate degree and complete 30 hours of general education and BS-AMT pre-requisites through a combination of online NIU courses and classes at your local community college.

Then earn 30 hours of upper division credit at NIU-DeKalb or completely in live-online evening courses.

The structure of the degree is as follows:

1. Up to 43 semester hours are awarded for prior learning credit (at the discretion of the NIU program advisor), in recognition of the technical expertise you gained when completing your associate degree.

2. 32 credits of required transfer courses, which included:

  • ENGL 103: Composition I
  • ENGL 203: Composition II
  • COMS 100: Fundamentals of Communication
  • MATH 155: Trigonometry (must have a C or higher)
  • STAT 100: Statistics
  • CHEM 110 and 111: Chemistry and Lab
  • PHYS 150 and 151: Physics and Lab
  • TECH 211: Computer-Aided Design (note: proof of related coursework required)
  • TECH 265: Basic Manufacturing Processes (note: proof of related coursework required)
  • TECH 302: Presentation and Communication Skills for Technology

3. 15 hours of general education credit. Complete NIU’s general education and BS-AMT prerequisites by taking course equivalents at NIU or at your community college. 

4. Earn 30 hours of upper division credit at NIU-DeKalb or completely online.

Associate to Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology Pathway

The following represents the general degree-completion pathway for an emphasis in applied manufacturing engineering technology.

  • Technical Associate Degree

    60 hours at your local community college

  • General Education and Bachelor of Science Prerequisites

    30 hours at NIU-DeKalb or your local community college

  • Ten NIU Engineering Technology Courses

    30 hours taken online or at NIU-Dekalb

  • Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology

    120 hours total

Required Technology Courses (27 Semester Hours) 

  • TECH 391: Industrial Quality Control 
  • TECH 415: Applied Industrial Experimental Analysis
  • TECH 429: Plant Location, Layout and Materials Handling
  • TECH 434: Human Factors in Industrial Accident Prevention
  • TECH 442: Work Simplification and Measurement TECH 443 Engineering Economy
  • TECH 443: Engineering Economy
  • TECH 445: Industrial Energy Utilization
  • TECH 492: Manufacturing Distribution Applications
  • TECH 496: Industrial Project Management

One Technology Elective Course (3 Semester Hours)

One selected from the list below: 

  • TECH 305: Green Technologies 
  • TECH 444: Manufacturing Control Systems
  • TECH 484: Energy Management

In order to graduate from NIU, you’ll need to fulfill the following requirements: 

  • 120 semester hours of approved coursework (includes credits earned at community college) 
  • 40 hours of the approved 120 must come from upper-division coursework 
  • Maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA 
  • Complete all general education requirements 
  • Earn a minimum of 30 semester hours at NIU

If you have questions about the BS-AMT, please contact us by email at ceetadvising@niu.edu or by phone at 815-753-2256.

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