General Class Information
Will I get much hands on experience?
Do you have adequate lab space for students?
Why is it important to attend the first class?
Do the instructors have experience in the construction industry?
Who should I talk to if I have questions about the classes or degree program?
Class Schedules
Should the classes be taken in a certain order?
The course I need to take next semester isn't offered at all, or isn't offered at a convenient time. Will that change?
Are any classes taught at campuses other than Riverside?
How do I find out if enough students registered for my class to "make" and not be canceled?
Expectations and Requirements For Students
What tools and equipment do students need to provide?
What type of math skills do students need and why?
I have construction experience and need a degree or certificate. Do I need to take all of the classes?.
I'm ready to graduate. What do I need to do?
What do students say about ACC's Building Construction Technology program?
Scholarships
Are any scholarships available?
Instructor / Student Communication
How can I contact an instructor?
How do ACC and the instructors contact me, including about emergency campus closings and other general updates?
Employment and Jobs
What is the expected future demand for jobs in the construction industry?
Is there a program for students who need fast track training to get an entry-level job in construction?
I'm an employer and have jobs for construction students. How do I advertise my jobs?
Will I get
much hands on
experience?
Absolutely! Many classes (such as Construction Materials and Methods, Conventional Wall Systems, Concrete I, Woodworking, Conventional Interior Finish Systems, Conventional Exterior Finish Systems, Cabinet Making and others) have adequate lab and classroom time to gain the knowledge and skill to succeed in the workplace.
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Do you have adequate lab
space for students?
Yes! Our woodworking class limit is 10. All other courses
are limited
to 12 students for reasons of safety and personal
attention. For
a course to "make" (not be canceled) at least 70% of the seats in the
class must be filled.
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Why is it important to attend the first class?
It is VERY important to attend the first class. Many of the classes have waiting lists; if you miss the first class and have not contacted the instructor, you will be dropped and your place given to a student on the wait list (find the instructor; contact the instructor). Also, many instructors discuss how to perform the necessary math calculations during the first class (how to convert between fractions and decimals, how to calculate cubic yards, square feet, the pitch of a roof and many other calculations related to
the subject).
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What tools are students expected to provide?
All classes require a calculator that has the basic math functions and square root calculation, pen or pencil and paper. Some classes require textbooks.
Lab classes (those with hands-on experience in the subject) include the following at a minimum. Some classes require additional equipment. Example photos
- Closed-toe shoes such as tennis shoes or boots. NO SANDALS
- Eye protection
- Hammer (straight claw preferred for pulling nails; curved claw is acceptable)
- Speed Square
- Pencil (#2 or carpenter's pencil)
- Tool belt or bag for equipment
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How
do I find out if enough students registered for my class to "make" and
not be canceled?
Check
the canceled classes section of the schedule after registration ends.
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What type of math skills do I need and why?
Students are expected to have basic math skills (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division). All classes include exercises in calculations common to the construction industry. A few examples include:
- adding lengths that are in feet and inches (4' 8 3/4" plus 6' 7 5/16")
- determining if a room is square (A squared + B squared = C squared)
- calculating the linear feet of a house perimeter, square feet in a room
- calculating cubic yards to determine the amount of concrete, rebar,
- calculating the pitch of a roof to calculate roofing materials, siding, wall studs and many other items.
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Who should I talk to if I
have questions about the classes or degree program?
For information about registering
or tuition refer to the Register for College Classes page, For questions about
obtaining a degree, including non-construction
course requirements, or what course to take next, contact one of the
Building Construction Technology faculty.
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Should the classes be taken
in a certain order?
For students
with no construction experience, some classes require completion of
another course. The degree
plans have a recommended sequence of classes. If you have
questions about this, contact one of the faculty.
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The course I need to take next semester isn't offered at all,
or isn't offered at a convenient time. Will that change?
Some courses are only offered once a year. When a
class is only
offered once during a semester, that class will be offered during the
day
in one semester
and during the evening in the next semester. If a class you
need
is not scheduled at a convenient time, look at the schedule for all 3 semesters. Plan ahead!
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Are any classes taught at
other campuses?
See
the course schedule for locations
and times, for example, Cypress
Creek, South
Austin Campus and the future Round Rock Campus.
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Do the instructors have experience in construction?
Yes! All of the instructors have worked in the construction industry for years in a variety of roles. From their own experiences, they can help students learn how to avoid mistakes and also safe and acceptable ways to work productively.
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Are any scholarships available?
The Royce & Donna Faulkner endowed scholarship is available strictly for construction students. Occasionally other organizations offer scholarships to construction students; they are listed on the scholarships page. For details on this, contact the Financial Aid office. Also, the Student Chapter of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) periodically builds and sells cutting boards and the proceeds from those go towards scholarships. Contact instructor and student chapter advisor Pam Powell for details.
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What do students say about ACC's Building Construction Technology
program?
Some students attend to learn construction and/or woodworking skills for personal interest reasons rather than to pursue a career in the construction field. Their general reaction is "great classes and instructors! Love all the hands-on experience and learned a lot from it!"
Some of our construction career-oriented students have either visited or attended other schools, including
universities, with construction programs. One student who attended a university
and transferred to ACC summarized the general reaction: "At the
university I learned a lot of building construction theory and had some
hands-on practice in their labs. Here at ACC I am getting much more
hands on experience and because of that I'm learning much more about
all areas of construction. I believe that I will have stronger skills
and be able to get a better job in the construction field once I
graduate from ACC."
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I have construction experience and need a degree or certificate. Do I need to take all of the classes?
All degree-seeking students must have 68 college credit hours to graduate (that is a requirement of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board). Students coming to Building Construction Technology with college credit and experience may get waivers. Another option for students with work experience to get credit for a class is by challenging a course. For details, talk to Department Chair Warren Heatwole.
I'm ready to graduate; what do I need to do?
Complete the graduation form by the deadline for that semester. For details see http://www.austincc.edu/support/admissions/graduation.php
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What is the expected future demand for jobs in the construction industry?
Visit http://www.careervoyages.gov/construction-main.cfm; this government web site has projections on many types of construction jobs, including their descriptions. salary ranges, and education requirements.
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I'm an employer and have jobs for construction students. How do I advertise them?
Contact any of the faculty. They can post your job announcement on the department's bulletin board.
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How can I contact an instructor?
Contact the instructor by phone or email; see the Faculty and Staff page for their contact information.
How do ACC and the instructors contact me, including regarding emergency campus closings and other general updates?
ACC communicates general college information, updates and emergency closures to students via accmail. All students receive this free email account (powered by Google) and you can use it even after you graduate from ACC. Accmail has many features available, including the ability to forward to your primary email account if you wish so you do not have to check multiple email accounts. See the accmail page for details, including how to sign up. All ACC instructors and staff are required to use ACCmail to communicate with you.
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