College of Natural Resources Process Control Engineering Certificate

The certificate is a 15-credit program comprised of five 3-credit online courses. Course array and descriptions are as follows:

PSEN 700          
Basic Operations of Smart Manufacturing, 3 cr. 

Introduction to concepts and terminology of smart manufacturing; basic setup, adjustment, and safe operation of automated machines; blueprint and schematic reading; basic electrical control, pneumatic and sensor systems operation; production monitoring via HMI, internet, ethernet, and smartphones.

PSEN 702          
Electrical Systems, 3 cr. 

Electrical safety rules; connecting, adjusting, operating, troubleshooting, and analyzing electrical circuits; reading electrical circuit diagrams; applying Ohm’s Law and Kirchoff’s Law; using digital multimeters; interpreting series/parallel circuits; assessing power/circuit protection.

PSEN 704          
Electric Motor Control Systems, 3 cr. 

Connecting, adjusting, troubleshooting, and operating electrical motor control circuits and variable frequency drives; adhering to motor control safety rules; reading ladder logic circuit diagrams; ensuring proper ground connections and wiring motors for high and low voltage; interpreting common motor control application circuits.

PSEN 706          
Programmable Controller Systems, 3 cr.  

Programming, configuring, adjusting, monitoring, operating, and troubleshooting industrial programmable logic controller (PLC) systems. Adhering to PLC safety rules, performing normal startup/shutdown, operating PLC in different modes, performing emergency shutdown and reset, monitoring for proper operation through indicators and PC-based PLC software, configuring processor software drivers for communication to PC, configuring and loading of Human-Machine-Interface (HMI) programs, operating HMI with PLC, configuring PLC discrete I/O, transferring programs between PC and PLC processor, interpreting PLC ladder logic programs, PLC project creation/editing, and interpreting common PLC program logic applications using electro-pneumatic actuators and on/off motor control systems.

PSEN 708          
Process Control Systems, 3 cr. 

Connecting, programming, adjusting/tuning, calibrating, operating, and troubleshooting open loop, closed loop, and on/off industrial process control systems controlling liquid flow, liquid level, temperature, pressure, and other variables. Process control safety rules; reading piping and instrumentation (P&ID) diagrams; interpreting instrument data; interpreting instrument tags; performing startup/shutdown.

The Process Control Engineering graduate certificate program requires an engineering bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0. Students with lower GPA’s with professional engineering work experience and/or a letter of recommendation will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Step 1. Submit University Application

• Select “No” when asked you are seeking a degree.
• Select “Graduate” when asked whether you plan to take undergraduate or graduate courses.
• Select “UW-Stevens Point” campus and then “Process Control Engineering Graduate Certificate”.
• After you apply, you will receive a welcome email and with your UWSP student ID number.

Step 2. Submit your resume to the program.

Step 3. Enroll in Classes

• Once you are officially accepted into the Process Control Engineering graduate certificate program, you will receive a welcome letter with instructions on how to register for classes.

The online Process Control Engineering graduate certificate program is the same price for students who reside in-state or out-of-state. The cost per credit is $1,300. The Process Control Engineering students are also charged 50% Segregated Fees and Distance Education Fees.

Questions regarding financial aid should be directed to the UWSP Financial Aid office at finaid@uwsp.edu.