Engineering

Special offer: the first 20 rising college juniors who commit to entering and are accepted into the Bachelor of Science in engineering-mechatronics program in fall 2023 will receive a food and housing fees grant for the 2023-24 year – a value of approximately $10,000. Email admissions@hesston.edu or call 620-327-4221 to learn more.

Bachelor of Science in engineering degree, mechatronics track

Mechatronics engineering includes the fields of mechanical, electrical and computer engineering with a focus on industrial applications of robots and sensors. Mechatronics engineers solve many practical problems in daily life. Jobs in this expanding field are expected to grow significantly in the next decade. At Hesston College, mechatronics engineering is the focus of our engineering curriculum. Students design mechatronic systems each year in our program.

Success factors

Students who are mathematically inclined with a strong analytical mind and attention to detail make great engineers. These students love to solve problems and come up with creative designs.

Career possibilities

  • Robotics engineer/technician
  • Automation engineer
  • Control system design/troubleshooting engineer
  • Electronics design engineer
  • Mechanical design engineer
  • Data scientist/big data analyst
  • Instrumentation engineer
  • Software engineer

Accreditation

The baccalaureate degree program in engineering at Hesston College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission Institutional Action Council. This allows Hesston College to offer a Bachelor of Science in engineering with a mechatronics track, totaling 126 credit hours.

Majoring in mechatronics engineering

  • At Hesston College, engineering is greater than just class work. Students learn the design principles necessary to succeed in the field. Students have helped build solar ovens and robots, and improved efficiency of the college.
  • Hesston College has well-equipped facilities that support engineering education in a variety of ways. On the software side students have access to Solidworks, Multisim, MATLAB, LabVIEW and Mathematica among others. Our campus is also home to multiple 3D printers and a dynamic robotic workshop.

Engineering curriculum – junior and senior years – course progression flowchart

Third Year Program Courses

Fall Courses

  • Digital Systems Design
  • Electronics
  • Dynamics
  • General Chemistry I

Spring Courses

  • Control Systems
  • Mechatronics System Design
  • Computer Programming II
  • Introduction to Thermal Sciences
  • Manufacturing Methods

Fourth Year Program Courses

Fall Courses

  • Senior Capstone I
  • Mobile Robotics
  • Solid Mechanics
  • Engineering Economics
  • Professional Ethics

Spring Courses

  • Senior Capstone II
  • Dynamics of Machines
  • Electrical Power and Machinery
  • Project Management
  • elective

Engineering internship summer after sophomore or junior year.
 

Additional programs associate degree/transfer, click to expand

Engineering

What is engineering?

Engineering is a broad field of study with many specialized focuses including architectural, agricultural, aerospace, biomedical, chemical, civil, computer, electrical, environmental, industrial, mechanical, nuclear and petroleum. Engineers are needed to solve many practical problems in daily life. Engineering is about design in many forms. Hesston College encourages students to design systems that are of interest to them.

Success factors

Students who are mathematically inclined with a strong analytical mind and attention to detail make great engineers. These students love to solve problems and come up with creative designs.

Career possibilities

Mechanical Engineering: research and development, product design, manufacturing, energy, acoustics, vehicle engineering, thermal systems; Civil and Environmental Engineering: road design, transportation, bridge design, water supply systems, surveying, earthquake engineering, wastewater control; Electrical and Computer Engineering: software engineering, hardware engineering, network control; Aerospace Engineering: aeronautics, astronautics; Agriculture Engineering: food engineering, biofuels, systems engineering; Biomedical; Industrial; Nuclear; Mining; Engineering Technology

Majoring in engineering

  • At Hesston College, engineering is greater than just class work. Students learn the design principles necessary to succeed in the field. Students have helped build solar ovens and robots, and improved efficiency of the college.
  • The Hesston College School of Engineering has well-equipped science laboratories including wireless, computerized data gathering equipment in the physics lab. Computer programs, including Mathematica, allow you to graph and analyze your data electronically and see the data online.

Engineering curriculum

Hesston College’s engineering program prepares you to transfer into a university engineering program of your choice. The recommended pre-engineering program of study can be adjusted for the specific requirements related to specific engineering fields.

Sample curriculum – associate degree in engineering

Engineering Technology

What is engineering technology?

Engineering technology graduates apply their knowledge and practices to the solution of specific technical and standard design problems. All engineering technology programs focus on application and practice with a balance of theory and laboratory experience.

Success factors

In order to successfully compete for technology positions, students should strive to achieve the following twelve practices of excellence.

  1. Demonstrate high personal standards
  2. Maintain a positive outlook
  3. Take personal responsibility for all you do
  4. Be decisive and persistent
  5. Demonstrate urgency and a sense of imperative
  6. Be a team player — cooperate and collaborate
  7. Ask questions and be curious
  8. Be service and result oriented
  9. Pursue self-development and keep learning
  10. Communicate effectively — verbally and in writing
  11. Promote new ideas — share your knowledge, time and skills
  12. Be there every time and on time

Career possibilities

The Hesston College Engineering Technology program provides a common core of knowledge used in these occupations. You will be well prepared to continue on to a four-year degree in any of the following fields/ occupations:

  • Research and development
  • Product design
  • Manufacturing
  • Energy
  • Acoustics
  • Vehicle engineering
  • Thermal systems
“An important aspect that drew me to Hesston was the one-on-one attention that students receive. I am in a tough field of study and was looking for a college that has a good student to instructor ratio. Classes at Hesston are fun because instructors are enthusiastic in the classroom and obviously love what they do. My academic experience at Hesston made me more passionate about my major.”
— Sarah Hostetler, class of 2015, who went on to study chemical engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Majoring in engineering technology

  • At Hesston College, engineering is greater than just class work. Students learn the design principles necessary to succeed in the field. Students have helped build solar ovens and robots and improved efficiency of the college.
  • Hesston College School of Engineering has well-equipped science laboratories including wireless, computerized data gathering equipment in the physics lab. Computer programs, including Mathematica, allow you to graph and analyze your data electronically and see the data online.

Sample curriculum – associate degree in engineering technology

School of Engineering mission, objectives and outcomes

Faculty

Chris Fadden
Chris Fadden
Joel Krehbiel
Joel Krehbiel
Johann Reimer
Johann Reimer

Courses

Goals

The Hesston College School of Engineering educates students on engineering principles and applications, leading to a variety of possibilities for professional growth. These growth opportunities are driven by classroom teaching and lab experiences leading to a Hesston College bachelor’s degree in engineering. Additionally, these growth opportunities can be found in activities like robotics club, summer internships and senior capstone projects.

Facilities

Hesston College has ample lab space for the listed engineering course offerings as well as supporting course work you will need to complete for your engineering degree (physics, chemistry, etc.). Additionally, we have made Solidworks CAD Software available to engineering students. This is the most widely used CAD software in industry, and the access we provide students positions them well for future engineering roles requiring CAD skills. Lastly we have multiple 3D printers that our engineering students have access to in order to be able to rapidly create 3D parts that they are able to initially design using Solidworks.

Alumni

Alumni of the Hesston College engineering program have careers in mechanical, electrical, software and structural engineering as well as many other fields. These alumni have been employed in various industries in Kansas and across the world. Very soon our alumni ranks will also begin to fill out with engineers working in mechatronics as well!

Robotics Club

Club Purpose
Allow students and faculty to learn more about robotics and mechatronics through hands on experience. This group will compete in VEX U competitions with other schools around the country.
Meeting Frequency
Every week
Contact Info
Email chris.fadden@hesston.edu if you are interested in joining!

The club will provide a robotics workshop with tools, equipment and some materials to get started. Initial focus will be mobile robotics under the VEX Robotics platform.