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Pittsburg, Kan.- -- John Thompson, the instructor for the Automotive Collision Repair and Insurance Management course at Pittsburg State University (PSU), said he is pleased at the number of students that registered for the new class.
Beginning with the 2006 fall semester, Thompson said, PSU has offered the Automotive Collision Repair and Insurance Management option.
Some of the courses offered in this 21-credit-hour emphasis include:
ï‚· Fundamentals of Collision Technology
ï‚· Structural and Nonstructural Damage Analysis
ï‚· Damage Insurance Appraisal and Adjustment
ï‚· Automotive Insurance Appraisal and Adjustment
ï‚· Automotive Finishing and Refinishing

    Students look at the history of vehicle design and engineering, as well as the evolution of the automobile, Thompson said. Modeled with ASE and I-CAR standards in mind, students will go through a program that begins with a general industry overview, moving to the collision and damage analysis phase, onto the body shop and the repair stage, and then to the refinish and custom paint overcoats.
Thompson said students also look at insurance and the role it plays in the industry as well as paint and materials, tools, and other feeder industries.
    Graduates will be qualified for an array of industry jobs including collision shop management, insurance representative positions, paint, and parts or tools associates with a complete and comprehensive education in a program supported and sponsored by many successful companies in the industry, Thompson said. At this time, he said, PSU has 18 students and is looking to double that enrollment in 2008.
    PSU offers a two-year Automotive Service Technology associate degree and a four-year bachelor of science in Technology. Thompson said the entire Automotive Technology department enrollment is 308.
Students in Automotive Service have the following two programs to choose from: a Certificate of Technical Competence in Automotive Service Technology or an Associate of Applied Science Degree with a Major in Automotive Service Technology, Thompson said. 
   The two-year technical certificate is for those individuals who want the automotive service training and certification without taking general education courses, Thompson said.
   The Associate of Applied Science degree is for those individuals who seek automotive service training and certification plus additional preparation for advancement into management, engineering, sales, or other related areas. 
   On completing the AAS degree, some graduates choose to pursue a BST in Automotive Technology through an approved two-plus-two degree program, Thompson said.
   The four-year BST program offers five options:  Automotive Service Management, Automotive Manufacturing Management, Automotive Training, Diesel and Heavy Equipment, and Automotive Collision Repair and Insurance Management. The degree requires 124 credit hours, Thompson said. The four-year program requires courses in English, finance, and other general study courses, he said
   The PSU Automotive Technology Department, Thompson said, is considered by the automotive and diesel industry as one of the top four technical automotive baccalaureate programs in the country, with a technical/management emphasis.
PSU has a legacy of producing leaders in the automotive industry, he said, adding that numerous manufacturers employ PSU graduates as service and sales associates, district service representatives, technical hotline troubleshooters, and service literature publishers.