About

Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), in close collaboration with Wirtgen America, Inc., has developed a one-year certification program to serve road construction industry professionals.  This program is a joint partnership between the MTSU School of Concrete and Construction Management (CCM) and Wirtgen America, the North American arm of the Wirtgen Group, the producer of the world's most technologically-advanced lines of road-building and minerals technology equipment.

The certification program is designed for personnel employed by Wirtgen America and its dealers throughout North America.  Dealers will nominate the participants and will assist to finance the cost of their employees' certification program.  The program is also available to interested candidates that apply through the Non Degree-Seeking process and contact the program coordinator. 

Watch this video below to hear CCM director Dr. Heather Brown discuss what is in it for the employer, how the certification program benefits the road-building industry, and what an employee can expect to gain from this certification. 

Purpose

• To develop the next generation of technical leaders and specialists to support ucustomers in the road construction and mineral technology businesses.

Program Details

• Two-tier certification built around extensive classroom training with MTSU professors and on-the-job training with Wirtgen America supervisors.
• One year duration each for Tier I and Tier II
• Cost for Tier I and II is $7000 each
• Includes courses in safety, interpersonal skills, and Road Construction Technology I and II
• Includes two internships totaling 400 hours
  • Internships are divided into two mini-internships – MTSU/Wirtgen America (200 hours) and participant’s dealer location (200 hours)
  • The participants will have an entire calendar year to complete their internships. This schedule will provide the dealers maximum flexibility in scheduling hands-on training for their employees.  
• Successful completion of Tier I and Tier II certification will result in the participant earning 15 credit hours which may count towards an Associate’s degree at a local college or university.  

Certification

Course #	Course Name	Credit Hours
CIM 1500	Basic Road Construction Safety	2.0
CIM 2500	Road Construction Decision Making and Problem Solving	3.0
CIM 2510	Fundamentals of Road Construction	3.0
CIM 2520	Advanced Road Construction	3.0
CIM 3310	Road Construction Internship I	2.0
CIM 3320	Road Construction Internship II	2.0
	Total	15.0

Timeline

Academic Courses

• June 30, 2017 – Admission process completed
• July 3, 2017 – Cohort registration completed for ALL six courses
• August 21-August 25th, 2017 – Road Construction Safety course completed on MTSU/Wirtgen America Campuses in Nashville, TN
  • The participants will travel to MTSU campus for this intensive road construction safety course which will be co-instructed by MTSU faculty and Wirtgen American personnel
  • The participants will also have the opportunity to meet with key personnel from MTSU and Wirtgen America
• August 28-December 6, 2017 – Problem solving and decision making course completed online
• January 10-January 12, 2018 – Visit to the MTSU and Wirtgen America campus
• January 16-April 25,2018 – Fundamentals of Road Construction course completed online
• May 14-August 10, 2018 – Advanced Road Construction course completed online

Internships

• August 28, 2017-August 10, 2018 – Road Construction Internship I course completed.
  • The participants are required to complete a 200 hour internship at Wirtgen America and MTSU campuses
  • This internship must be completed within a twelve month period starting in August, 2017 and ending in August, 2018
  • The participants will develop a plan with MTSU and Wirtgen America personnel to participate in activities and training in Nashville.
  • The internship will include any combination of the following:
    • Short courses offered at Wirtgen America’s Center for Technology Training (CTT)
    • Product demonstration at CTT
    • Equipment commissioning
    • Field Service calls
    • Sales calls
    • Dealer product support meeting at the CTT
• August 28, 2017-August 10, 2018 – Road Construction Internship II (at employer or a dealer location) course completed.
  • The participants are required to complete a 200 hour internship at their employer or a dealer location (if the participant is not currently employed in the industry)
  • This internship must be completed within a twelve month period starting in August, 2017 and ending in August, 2018
  • The participants will work with their MTSU faculty advisor to develop a customized internship program to be completed at their employer’s location.
  • This 200 hour internship will include any five of the following seven options:
    • Parts counter (40 hours)
    • Shop (40 hours)
    • Field service (40 hours)
    • Purchasing and Finance (40 hours)
    • Parts – Field service (40 hours)
    • Service department process improvement project (40 hours)
    • Machine sales (direct to customer) (40 hours)
    • Special project assigned by the course professor at MTSU (40 hours)