Butte College Automotive Studies female student works on a car battery

Automotive Technology

Drive your future forward with Butte College’s Automotive Technology programs. Whether you’re passionate about diagnostics, repair, or hybrid and electric vehicle technology, our expert-led training puts you on the road to a dynamic career in the automotive industry.

Programs

Program Name
Goal
Length
Flexibility
AS CA

Goal

Career or Transfer

Length

1.5-2.5 years

Flexibility

  • Chico/Skyway Center
AS CA

Associate Degree or Certificate of Achievement in Automotive Technology

The Butte College Automotive Technology program is certified by the ASE Education Foundation and prepares students for employment as automotive technicians in dealerships, government agencies, fleet operations, and independent service shops. Classes are held at the Skyway Center in Chico, a modern facility equipped with all ASE-required training aids and tools to prepare students for today’s automotive industry. The program’s goal is to develop highly skilled entry-level technicians with professional work habits. With additional GE graduates can attain an Associate Degree in Automative Technology.

AS CA

Associate Degree or Certificate of Achievement in Automotive Technology - Honda, Professional Automotive Career Training (PACT)

The Certificate of Achievement in Automotive Technology - Honda, Professional Automotive Career Training (PACT) prepares students to enter the workforce as entry level Honda and Acura technicians in dealerships nationwide. The program is an ASE Education Foundation certified school and has partnered with American Honda to prepare students for employment as automotive technicians in Honda and Acura dealerships. With additional GE graduates can obtain the Associate of Science Degree in Automotive Technology - Honda, Professional Automotive Career Training (PACT).

Flexibility

Both the AS degree and the certificate in this cluster are based at the Skyway Center, where all required automotive coursework reliably runs — the other centers and Online won't cover major coursework on their own. For the AS degree, general education courses offer more flexibility and can be taken at any center or online. Since offerings can shift each term, check with a counselor to confirm your schedule.

How this flexibility note was generated

⚠ AI-generated content can be wrong. This note was produced by Claude (Anthropic) by synthesizing the individual program flexibility statements in this cluster. Verify against the per-program reports before relying on it.
You are synthesizing a single cluster-level flexibility statement for a community college academic cluster (a group of related programs that share a department-page accordion).

CLUSTER
  Title: Automotive Technology
  Programs in cluster: 2

PER-PROGRAM STATEMENTS
  • Automotive Technology (AS Degree):
      For your Automotive Technology AS, plan on being at the Skyway Center — that's where all your required program courses reliably run, and it's the dedicated home for this program. Your general education courses can be taken at any center or online to fit your schedule, but the hands-on automotive coursework itself is built around being at Skyway. Check in with a counselor as you plan your schedule to confirm current course offerings.
  • Automotive Technology (Certificate of Achievement):
      Plan on being at the Skyway Center for this certificate — it's the dedicated home of the Auto Technology program, and your required courses run there reliably. Main Campus, Chico Center, Glenn Center, and Online won't cover your major coursework, so they aren't a path to finishing the certificate on their own. Since this is a Certificate of Achievement rather than an Associate degree, check with a counselor about how any general courses fit in, and confirm your schedule each term since offerings can shift.

WHAT TO WRITE
  Write 2 to 3 sentences — under 120 words total — that summarize the AVAILABILITY STORY shared by these programs. Most programs in a cluster will have similar availability — name the common pattern. Note distinct outliers ONLY if a program's availability story differs in a way that affects student decisions (e.g., one program is online-only, others are not).

  - Plain, student-facing language.
  - Refer to "the programs in this cluster" or "these programs" — don't list each program by name unless an outlier needs calling out.
  - If all programs share the same flexibility story, write one unified statement.
  - Do NOT list percentages, term codes, or jargon.
  - Lead with the most flexible/strongest availability and follow with caveats.
  - Refer to locations ONLY by official center names (Main Campus, Chico Center, Glenn Center, Skyway Center, Cosmetology Center, Online). NEVER use a city or town name — no Oroville, no Willows, and never "Chico" as a city. Write "at the Chico Center", never "in Chico" — even if a per-program statement below used a city name, do not repeat it.

OUTPUT
  Return ONLY the statement text. No preamble, no quotation marks, no markdown.
AS CA

Goal

Career or Transfer

Length

2-3 years

Flexibility

  • Main Campus
  • Chico/Skyway Center
AS CA

Associate Degree or Certificate of Achievement in Diesel Technology

The Certificate of Achievement in Diesel Technology prepares students for employment in a wide range of occupations within the diesel car, truck, and equipment industry. The program combines technical theory with practical hands-on instruction to build the knowledge and skills needed for entry-level employment in this high-wage field. With additional GE students can obtain the Associate of Science Degree in Diesel Technology, which has been developed to provide the light and medium-duty diesel industry with well-prepared entry-level technicians. Our rural location and its strong agricultural influence create a demand for technicians trained in diesel-powered trucks and equipment. This program prepares students to diagnose and repair the mechanical, electrical, and hydraulic systems found on over-the-road diesel-powered vehicles and equipment. Graduates earn Section 609 Compliance Certification, allowing them to service refrigeration units, as well as Department of Transportation (D.O.T.) brake inspection certification. This variety of employment provides flexibility in both rural farming communities and urban areas. Tools, safety glasses, and uniforms are provided as students progress through the program, and partnerships with tool companies allow students to purchase discounted entry-level tool sets before graduation.

Flexibility

Both the degree and certificate in this cluster are reliably taught at the Skyway Center, where nearly all required coursework is offered. A few required courses aren't always available there, so you may need to work with a counselor to fill in gaps as they arise. Main Campus, the Chico Center, the Glenn Center, and Online can support your general education needs, but won't advance your major coursework.

How this flexibility note was generated

⚠ AI-generated content can be wrong. This note was produced by Claude (Anthropic) by synthesizing the individual program flexibility statements in this cluster. Verify against the per-program reports before relying on it.
You are synthesizing a single cluster-level flexibility statement for a community college academic cluster (a group of related programs that share a department-page accordion).

CLUSTER
  Title: Diesel Technology
  Programs in cluster: 2

PER-PROGRAM STATEMENTS
  • Diesel Technology (AS Degree):
      For Diesel Technology, plan on being at the Skyway Center for most of your required coursework — that's where this program is reliably taught. It's not quite full coverage there, so you may need to fill in a course or two through another term or option as it comes up; a counselor can help you time that. Main Campus, the Chico Center, the Glenn Center, and Online can cover your general education requirements, but they won't move your major coursework forward.
  • Diesel Technology (Certificate of Achievement):
      You'll be doing most of your Diesel Technology coursework at the Skyway Center, which is set up to support this program and reliably offers nearly all of your required courses. A few required slots aren't consistently available there, so you may need to work with a counselor to fill those gaps as they come up in scheduling. Main Campus, Chico Center, Glenn Center, and Online can cover general education, but not the program's core coursework.

WHAT TO WRITE
  Write 2 to 3 sentences — under 120 words total — that summarize the AVAILABILITY STORY shared by these programs. Most programs in a cluster will have similar availability — name the common pattern. Note distinct outliers ONLY if a program's availability story differs in a way that affects student decisions (e.g., one program is online-only, others are not).

  - Plain, student-facing language.
  - Refer to "the programs in this cluster" or "these programs" — don't list each program by name unless an outlier needs calling out.
  - If all programs share the same flexibility story, write one unified statement.
  - Do NOT list percentages, term codes, or jargon.
  - Lead with the most flexible/strongest availability and follow with caveats.
  - Refer to locations ONLY by official center names (Main Campus, Chico Center, Glenn Center, Skyway Center, Cosmetology Center, Online). NEVER use a city or town name — no Oroville, no Willows, and never "Chico" as a city. Write "at the Chico Center", never "in Chico" — even if a per-program statement below used a city name, do not repeat it.

OUTPUT
  Return ONLY the statement text. No preamble, no quotation marks, no markdown.
Department Automotive Technology

Program Tour

The program tour is the first step to joining the automotive program.  See our onboarding page for more details!

Join us during one of our Automotive Program tours to learn about our program, and facility.

During our tour we will cover how to join our program, what our program offers, what kind of careers our program leads to.

Q & A session will follow the tour.

Program Tours

Full Time Faculty

Daniel Mullen

Automotive Technology Instructor

Gary Harris

Automotive Technology Instructor

Bradley Jenks

Automotive Technology Instructor

Craig Kielb

Automotive Technology Instructor

Andrew Peterson

Automotive Technology Instructor

Associate Faculty

Jon Luther

Automotive Technology Instructor

Cameron Pettersen

Automotive Technology Instructor

Department Contacts

Office: SC 115
Department phone: (530) 893-7726
Contact phone: (530) 892-3013

Looking For Something Else?

Other Departments in Industrial Technologies & Agriculture

Careers in Automotive Technology

Students find career support through the auto program, while earning a certificate or degree.

Butte College Automotive studies COI instructor_Craig
I found my way to automotive through high school, and my shop teacher pushed me to go to the Butte College auto program. The instructors cared so much about my success. They pushed me when I needed it, saw something in me that I didn’t see, and prepared me for a fantastic career!
Craig Keilb
Automotive Technology Alum and Current Department Chair
Career Services

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Five Butte College graduates pose together in their caps and gowns.

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Department Automotive Technology