Mechanical EngineeringAS DegreeCertificate of Achievement
- Community of interest
- Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
- Award
- AS Degree
- Program code
- 44136.00AS
- Department
- Engineering
- CIP code
- 14.0101: Engineering, General.
- TOP code
- 0901.00 - Engineering, General (requires Calculus) (Transfer)
Program detailsAward, code, department, CIP/TOP
Program Snapshot
- Community of interest
- STEM Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
- Award
- AS Degree
- Program code
- 44136.00AS
- Department
- Engineering
- CIP code
- 14.0101: Engineering, General.
- TOP code
- 0901.00 - Engineering, General (requires Calculus) (Transfer)
Next Steps
AS Degree — expand to learn about this award
The Associate of Science is typically awarded for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) and Career Technical Education (CTE) programs. Like every Butte College associate degree, it has two parts: a general-education curriculum that gives you a broad base of knowledge, and an academic program where you specialize.
About General Education. GE is an integrated program of learning designed to foster intellectual curiosity, cultural understanding, critical thinking, creative reasoning, oral and written communication, and the capacity for ethical reasoning. By graduation, you'll have developed the ability to think critically, communicate clearly, apply quantitative reasoning, understand how the major academic disciplines ask their questions, comprehend diverse cultures and historical periods, and assess ethical problems — alongside the depth you build in your major.
Semester-by-Semester Map
Term 1
Class Schedules
Meets Area 5A.
course details
This course introduces students to the basic principles of chemistry with a quantitative emphasis. Topics include atomic theory, chemical bonding, molecular geometry, chemical reactions, stoichiometry, gases, thermochemistry, intermolecular forces and solutions. This is the first semester of a one-year course in chemistry intended for majors in the natural sciences (chemistry, biochemistry, biology, physics, pre-medicine), mathematics, and engineering. The two-semester sequence of CHEM 1 and CHEM 2 provides the basic chemical background needed for further investigations into our physical environment. Graded only. (C-ID CHEM 110/CHEM 120S).
Prerequisite: CHEM 11 or CHEM 51 or one year of high school Chemistry; and Intermediate Algebra or equivalent
course details
The course explores the career branches of engineering including the functions of an engineer in various settings and the industries in which engineers work. Topics will span the life cycle of the engineering professions from education to career including guided exploration of educational pathways, time-management, study-skill development through engineering-skill building activities focused on design and creation of products and ethical practices. The engineering process will be used to develop essential project management skills in the context of being introduced to ubiquitous systems used by engineers such as sensors, pneumatics, hydraulics, AC and DC motor control, simple electrical circuits, machine controllers, programming, and computational tools for testing and analysis. A spreadsheet program and high-level computer language programs are integral parts of the course. (C-ID ENGR 110).
Select one: Meets Area 2
General Education: Area 1A
about Area 1A
English Composition
Baccalaureate-level academic writing — expository and argumentative. The foundation for every other course you'll write in.
Term 2
Class Schedules
course details
This is a computer-based graphics course that introduces students to graphical design and problem-solving using freehand sketching and the solid modeling application, SolidWorks. Topics include sketching and modeling using extrudes, sweeps, revolves, and lofts. Additional topics include assemblies’ development and detail drawing output as relevant to fields such as: Manufacturing, Engineering, Production Assembly, etc. Graphics standards including American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Y14.5 and international standards application will be introduced and practiced.
Meets Area 2.
course details
A second course in differential and integral calculus of a single variable. Topics include applications of integration, techniques of integration, infinite sequences and series, and the calculus of parametric and polar equations. This course is primarily intended for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) majors. (C-ID MATH 220).
Prerequisite: Calculus I: Early Transcendentals (MATH C2210), or equivalent, or placement as determined by the college’s multiple measures assessment process.
Meets Area 5.
course details
This course, intended for students majoring in physical sciences and engineering, is part of a three-semester course whose contents may be offered in other sequences or combinations. Core topics include an introduction to kinematics, dynamics, work and energy, momentum, gravitation and simple harmonic motion. Graded only. (C-ID PHYS 205/PHYS 100S).
Prerequisite: MATH C2210 or MATH C2210E
course details
This course utilizes the MATLAB environment and commercial electronic spreadsheets to provide students with a working knowledge of computer-based problem-solving methods relevant to science and engineering. It introduces the fundamentals of procedural and object-oriented programming, numerical analysis, and data structures. Examples and assignments in the course are drawn from practical applications in engineering, physics, and mathematics. (C-ID ENGR 220).
Prerequisite: MATH C2210 or MATH C2210E
General Education: Area 3
about Area 3
Arts and Humanities
How people and cultures, across time, respond to themselves and the world through artistic and cultural creative production. Visual and performing arts, art history, foreign languages, literature, philosophy, religion.
Term 3
Class Schedules
course details
In this computer-based graphics course, students who have already completed the learning objectives of DFT-2: Engineering Graphics I, will be introduced to more advanced uses of the solid modeling application, SolidWorks. These uses include Simulation of parts using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) methodology, Sheet Metal, Weldments, and the concepts of Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing). Students will model parts and will test them using simulation and engineering analysis. Topics within simulation include static, frequency, thermal, vibration and drop test analysis methods. The use of simulation to generate engineering reports will be introduced and reports will be generated. Sheet Metal and Weldments with demonstrations and assignments will incorporate the use within industries such as: Manufacturing, Engineering, Drafting, and Production Assembly.
Prerequisite: DFT 2
course details
A first course in engineering mechanics: properties of forces, moments, couples and resultants; two- and three-dimensional force systems acting on engineering structures in equilibrium; analysis of trusses, and beams; distributed forces, shear and bending moment diagrams, center of gravity, centroids, friction, and area and mass moments of inertia. Optional additional topics include fluid statics, cables, Mohr's circle and virtual work. (C-ID ENGR 130).
Prerequisite: MATH C2220, PHYS 41
Meets Area 2.
course details
Vector valued functions, calculus of functions of more than one variable, partial derivatives, multiple integration, Green’s Theorem, Stokes’ Theorem, divergence theorem. (C-ID MATH 230).
Prerequisite: MATH C2220
Meets Area 5.
course details
This course, intended for students majoring in physical sciences and engineering, is part of a three-semester course whose contents may be offered in other sequences or combinations. Core topics include electrostatics, magnetism, DC and AC circuits, and Maxwell's equations. Graded only. (C-ID PHYS 210/PHYS 200S).
Prerequisite: PHYS 41, MATH C2220
General Education: Area 4
about Area 4
Social and Behavioral Sciences
The systematic study of people as members of society — cultural anthropology, cultural geography, economics, history, political science, psychology, sociology — and the methods these disciplines use to ask their questions.
Term 4
Class Schedules
Meets Area 2.
course details
The course is an introduction to ordinary differential equations including both quantitative and qualitative methods as well as applications from a variety of disciplines. Introduces the theoretical aspects of differential equations, including establishing when solution(s) exist, and techniques for obtaining solutions, including, series solutions, and singular points, Laplace transforms and linear systems. (C-ID MATH 240).
Prerequisite: MATH C2220
course details
This course presents the internal structures and resulting behaviors of materials used in engineering applications, including metals, ceramics, polymers, composites, and semiconductors. The emphasis is upon developing the ability both to select appropriate materials to meet engineering design criteria and to understand the effects of heat, stress, imperfections, and chemical environments upon material properties and performance. Laboratories provide opportunities to directly observe the structures and behaviors discussed in the course, to operate testing equipment, to analyze experimental data, and to prepare reports. (C-ID ENGR 140B).
General Education: Area 1B
about Area 1B
Oral Communication and Critical Thinking
Baccalaureate-level oral communication and/or critical thinking — speaking with structure to a live audience, analyzing arguments, identifying assumptions.
General Education: Area 6
about Area 6
Ethnic Studies
The histories, experiences, and contributions of the four autonomous disciplines: Black / African American / Africana studies, Native American studies, Chicano/a/x and Latino/a/x studies, and Asian American studies.
Graduation Requirement Choice (See GE Guide)
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.
Example roles: 2
- Engineers, All Other
- Architectural and Engineering Managers
Graduate School Paths
Advanced roles commonly associated with graduate, professional, or post-baccalaureate study.
Example roles: 1
- Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary
Local Job Market
Engineers, All OtherSOC 17-219960 nearby openings
Top employers in sample
- Lumen 4
- NVIDIA 3
- Banner Bank 2
- Pacific Gas And Electric Company 2
- Ahtna 1
Where the postings are
- Chico, Butte County 10
- Durham, Butte County 3
- Oregon, Butte County 2
- Hammonton, Yuba County 1
- Las Plumas, Butte County 1
Sample current postings
Architectural and Engineering ManagersSOC 11-904115 nearby openings
Top employers in sample
- NorthStar 3
- Bank of America 2
- AECOM 1
- Amain.com 1
- Kiely Family of Companies 1
Where the postings are
- Chico, Butte County 9
- Pennington, Sutter County 2
- Butte Creek, Butte County 1
- Chapmantown, Butte County 1
- Hammonton, Yuba County 1
Sample current postings
Engineering Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-10321 nearby opening
Top employers in sample
- Yuba Community College District 1
Where the postings are
- Yuba City, Sutter County 1
Sample current postings
Posting counts come from Adzuna's index of US job boards, covering the last up to 60 days within up to 50 miles of ZIP 95965. Coverage and salary visibility vary by employer. Empty searches expand the radius and posting window before the section gives up.
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.
Live wage data was not available from the BLS helper for the mapped occupations, so some pay fields may be blank.
Last generated 2026-07-05T17:05+00:00