Chemical Process Operator

Associate Degree Program

The Chemical Process Operator curriculum will prepare you for industrial plant employment in the chemical, petroleum refining, polymer and pharmaceutical industries. Laboratory facilities include high tech mechanical equipment, modern instrument trainers, and five pilot plant units.

Offered at the following campus(es): Stanton

What You Can Do

In this program, you will gain the knowledge and skills to prepare you for employment as a process operator in the following industries:

  • Chemical
  • Oil Refining
  • Pharmaceutical
  • Polymer
  • Utilities
  • Power Generation and Alternative Energy
  • Water Treatment
  • Food and Beverage

What You Will Learn

Program Graduate Competencies

The Program Graduate Competencies listed below identify the major learning goals related to your specific program of study and identify the knowledge and skills you will have when you graduate to be successful in your chosen field.

  1. Maintain safety, health, and environmental standards during simulation exercises or in a chemical plant.
  2. Handle, store, and transport chemical materials according to all applicable federal, state, and local regulations.
  3. Apply chemical process and quality systems in a simulated chemical process environment or a chemical plant.
  4. Operate, monitor, control, and troubleshoot batch and continuous chemical processes.
  5. Analyze samples of raw materials, intermediates, and finished products in a simulated chemical process environment or a chemical plant.
  6. Perform routine, predictive, and preventive maintenance and service to process equipment and instrumentation.
  7. Use computers or computerized equipment for communications and chemical process control.

Core Curriculum Competencies

The Core Curriculum Competencies listed below identify what you will be able to do as a graduate, regardless of your program of study. You will acquire these core competencies through general education courses and program-specific coursework. You will be expected to use relevant technology to achieve these outcomes:

  1. Apply clear and effective communication skills.
  2. Use critical thinking to solve problems.
  3. Collaborate to achieve a common goal.
  4. Demonstrate professional and ethical conduct.
  5. Use information literacy for effective vocational and/or academic research.
  6. Apply quantitative reasoning and/or scientific inquiry to solve practical problems.

Suggested Pathway to Graduation

Semester 1

Number Course Title Credits
SSC 100First Year Seminar1
CPO 100Introduction to Chemical Process Operator Technician3
CPO 135Chem Proc Tech-Equipment3
CIS 107Introduction to Computers/Application3
MAT 183Reasoning with Functions I5
CHM 110General Chemistry4

Semester 2

Number Course Title Credits
CPO 125Safety, Health & Environment3
ELC 101Introduction to Instrumentation3
ENG 101Composition I3
PHY 111Conceptual Physics4
CPO 151Chemical Process Tech I-Systems4

Semester 3

Number Course Title Credits
ENG 102Composition II3
ELC 270Process Instrumentation I4
ElectiveSocial Science Elective3
CPO 252Chemical Process Tech II-Operations4

Semester 4

Number Course Title Credits
CPO 240Quality3
CPO 253Process Troubleshooting4
CPO 260Work Experience4
ElectiveSocial Science Elective3

Approved Electives

Select two (2) social science electives.

Number Course Title Credits
POL 111Political Science3
PSY 121General Psychology3
ECO 111Macroeconomics3
SOC 111Sociology3

To complete program requirements, you must pass the above courses and earn at least 64 credits. The number of courses and credits required for graduation may be more depending on college readiness and the elective courses offered in your program major (if electives are a part of the program).

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Campus-Specific Program Information

This program is offered at the Stanton campus.

This program is offered at the Stanton campus.

Contact Stanton

Lakshmi Cyr
Department Chairperson, Instructional Director
lcyr@poscoop.com
(302) 453-3791

This program is offered at the Stanton campus.