Heavy Equipment Operator Technician Program Map

The Heavy Equipment Operator Technician program can be obtained in one year. It is an exciting, hands-on approach is used to introduce students to a wide range of skills for classroom laboratory work to closely reflect field experiences. Construction equipment operation requires good hand-eye coordination and demands attention to details like timelines, precision driving, coordination of multiple operations, and following plan directions. Development of problem solving skills and safe and cooperative work habits is emphasized. Students who successfully complete the program requirements will have the operation, repair and diagnostic skills necessary to obtain entry-level employment. Each year, the demand for qualified operators and maintenance technicians increases. Our partners include Operating Engineers Local 3, Caltrans, CDF, local and statewide contractors, and agricultural companies. Most jobs are obtained with smaller contractors. Jobs are also available in production, agriculture, land leveling, orchard removal, and with other agricultural employers.

Program detailsAward, code, department, CIP/TOP

Community of interest: ITAG Industrial Technologies & Agriculture
Award: Certificate of Achievement
Program code: 07260.00CA
Department: Heavy Equip Operator
CIP code: 49.0202: Construction/Heavy Equipment/Earthmoving Equipment Operation.
TOP code: 0947.30 - Heavy Equipment Operation*

Map Class Schedule

Program Schedule Report Meet with a counselor

Heavy Equipment Operator Technician

Certificate of Achievement

A career-aligned credential built around a specific field of study or area of emphasis. Faster to complete than a degree, and the coursework typically stacks into a related AS or AA later if you choose to continue.

See the 2025-26 Catalog for official program details

Semester-by-Semester Map

Term 1

Class Schedules

15 units

AB 20

Careers in Agriculture, Environmental Science and Natural Resources

1 units

This course is a study of the agriculture, environmental science and natural resources industries with a focus on career opportunities, self evaluation, and skills necessary for successful job procurement. Topics include job trends, resumes and cover letters, interviewing skills, and the types of careers available in agriculture, environmental science, and natural resources.

AET 26

Basic Surveying

3 units

This is a basic surveying course. Topics will include selection, care and use of tapes and levels; field observations, note taking and office computations; use of surveying instruments and equipment for land measurement and mapping; practice in differential, profile, and contour leveling; building foundation layout; horizontal angles; cut and fill measurements and calculations for land grading. Laser and Global Positioning System (GPS) technology will be introduced at the basic level.

AET 30

Tractors and Crawlers

3 units

This course covers design principles, selection, maintenance, adjustment, and safe operation of wheel and crawler type tractors used in agriculture and in the construction industry. (C-ID AG-MA 108L).

AET 38

Diesel Engines and Machine Systems

4 units

This course presents the theory, operating principles, application, component parts, support systems, maintenance, adjustment, and repair of Diesel engines and related systems used on modern trucks and heavy equipment used in the construction and agricultural industries. The related systems include electrical, power train, hydraulic, and Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems.

WLD 20

Beginning Welding

4 units

This course includes oxyacetylene welding (OAW), oxyacetylene cutting (OFC-A) and shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) processes, in the flat and horizontal positions on various joint details. It will also include safety procedures, electrode identification, joint fit-up and alignment, base metal preparation, weld quality, beads and fillet welds, with focus on theory and practice. All welds will meet the American Welding Society (AWS) qualification standards.

Term 2

Class Schedules

16 units

AET 34

Farm Machinery

3 units

This course involves the design principles, uses, maintenance, adjustment, calibration, and repair of machinery used in California agriculture. Emphasis is placed on primary and secondary tillage, planting, chemical application, and harvesting equipment. Selection and operation of both machinery and tractors will be practiced. Safety will be stressed throughout.

AET 35

Heavy Equipment Methods

3 units

Corequisite: AET 36

This course will examine construction regulations, erosion control, drainage, environmental mitigations, soils and aggregates, technical report writing, interpreting blueprints and site plans, applied mathematical calculations, management skills, fleet management practices, project organization, and entrepreneurship.

Corequisite: AET 36

AET 36

Heavy Equipment Operation

6 units

Corequisite: AET 35

This course covers selection, operation, service, and adjustment of heavy equipment used in agriculture and construction industries. Also covered are measurement and techniques used in preparing roads, building sites, and other projects as may be required in the field using heavy equipment.

Corequisite: AET 35

AET 43

Hydraulic and Pneumatic Systems

2 units

This course is an introduction to the theory, operating principles, application, graphical symbols, component parts, systems, maintenance, adjustment, and repair of hydraulic and pneumatic systems used on modern trucks and heavy equipment used in the construction and agricultural industries.

AET 44

Grade Setting

2 units

This course will cover reading site plans, interpreting grade stakes, and setting grades to ensure that earth-moving work meets specifications, using both manual and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) methods.

Career Connections

2-Year Degree Paths

Entry points students may pursue after associate-level study, technical preparation, or licensure pathways.

No locally mapped occupations in the current dataset point cleanly to an immediate 2-year outcome for this program.

4-Year Degree Paths

Roles that more often open up after transfer and a bachelor's degree.

No locally mapped occupations in the current dataset are grouped into the 4-year pathway for this program.

Graduate School Paths

Advanced roles commonly associated with graduate, professional, or post-baccalaureate study.

No locally mapped occupations in the current dataset are grouped into the graduate-school pathway for this program.

Source Notes

Course sequencing is generated from the Acadia Program Mapper cache. Career groupings use local CIP-to-SOC mappings and BLS occupation data when available. Confirm education plans with Counseling and Advising.

No NCES/IPEDS CIP-to-SOC mapping was found for this program's CIP code.

Last generated 2026-06-12T23:20+00:00

Program Snapshot

Next Steps

2-Year Degree Paths

4-Year Degree Paths

Graduate School Paths

Source Notes