Automotive Technology Program Receives NATEF Accreditation

The Automotive Technology program at College of DuPage has received master accreditation from the National Automotive Technician Education Foundation (NATEF).

NATEF uses nationally accepted standards of excellence in such areas as instruction, facilities and equipment during its evaluation. The accreditation is for a period of five years and indicates that the program meets or exceeds these standards, said John Kronenburger, Associate Dean of Technology.

“This voluntary accreditation distinguishes our program as a leader in automotive training,” he said.

The program previously had been certified in six of the eight curriculum areas required for master accreditation, said Tom Robertson, co-coordinator of the Automotive Technology program. The two newly certified areas are “Manual Drivetrain and Axles” and “Automatic Transmissions.”

“Both of these areas have undergone revisions to incorporate new technology, and one new course, ‘Advanced Automotive Driveline,' was developed to include additional needed content lab experience within the program,” he said.

Robertson said the master accreditation indicates to prospective students, employers and other schools that College of DuPage students and its program follow the NATEF-specified tasks.

“This means employers can trust the curriculum used in our certificate and Associate in Applied Science degree programs,” he said. “It also allows transfer schools such as Southern Illinois University and Ferris State know that our courses include the same content as their NATEF-certified programs do.”

For more information about the Automotive Technology program, call (630) 942-8419, email mcfarl@cod.edu or visit www.cod.edu/programs/autotech.