Welding Technology

Let the Sparks Fly on Your Welding Career

Are you looking for a career that’s exciting, challenging, and a lot of fun? You’ll find all that plus endless job opportunities in welding.

Welding is an excellent career choice for individuals seeking a hands-on, skilled trade with a wide range of opportunities. It offers job stability, as welders are in high demand across diverse industries such as construction, shipbuilding, aerospace, energy, and automotive. This career also offers good earning potential, especially for those who gain advanced certifications or specialize in high-demand fields.

At South Piedmont, we offer a range of short- and long-term welding programs. No matter which program you choose, you’ll learn from highly experienced welding professionals in one of North Carolina’s few American Welding Society-accredited facilities.

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The Program Options

1.5 Years 43 Credit Hours

The welding diploma program offers in-depth knowledge of welding science, technology, and applications, preparing you for a successful career in the welding and metalworking industries. The program combines classroom instruction with hands-on training in essential skills such as welding inspection, metallurgy, and industry-standard welding techniques, ensuring graduates are job-ready and highly skilled.

Mode

Online/in-person

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Prerequisites

None

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1 Year 18 Credit Hours

This program is a great choice if you’re just starting out in your welding career. You’ll gain foundational skills that will prepare you for entry-level work and more advanced levels of welding study.

Mode

Online/in-person

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Prerequisites

None

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1 Year 18 Credit Hours

This course is designed to enhance skills with the shielded metal arc (stick) welding process. Emphasis is placed on advancing manipulative skills with SMAW electrodes on varying joint geometry. Upon completion, students should be able to perform groove welds on carbon steel with prescribed electrodes in the flat, horizontal, vertical, and overhead positions.

Mode

Online/in-person

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Prerequisites

WLD-115

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1 Year 18 Credit Hours

This course is designed to enhance skills with the gas metal arc (MIG) welding process. Emphasis is placed on advancing skills with the GMAW process making groove welds on carbon steel plate and pipe in various positions. Upon completion, students should be able to perform groove welds with prescribed electrodes on various joint geometry.

Mode

Online/in-person

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Prerequisites

WLD-121

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1 Year 18 Credit Hours

This course is designed to enhance skills with the gas tungsten arc (TIG) welding process. Topics include setup, joint preparation, and electrode selection with emphasis on manipulative skills in all welding positions on plate and pipe. Upon completion, students should be able to perform GTAW welds with prescribed electrodes and filler materials on various joint geometry.

Mode

Online/in-person

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Prerequisites

WLD-131

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1 Year 18 Credit Hours

Get started with welding through this pathway that covers essential techniques such as SMAW (Stick), GMAW (MIG), and GTAW (TIG). Learn cutting processes and welding symbols to prepare for a rewarding career in welding and metal fabrication.

Mode

Online/in-person

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Prerequisites

Unweighted GPA of 2.8

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1 Year 14 Credit Hours

Focus on fundamental welding skills with courses in cutting processes, SMAW (Stick), and GMAW (MIG). This pathway provides the core skills needed for entry-level welding positions.

Mode

Online/in-person

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Prerequisites

Unweighted GPA of 2.8

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16 Weeks

Welding off ers the chance to
master an in-demand craft
that builds everything from
small components to major
structures—and opens doors
to a wide range of well-paid
careers.

Mode

In-person

Prerequisites

None

16 Weeks

Welding off ers the chance to
master an in-demand craft
that builds everything from
small components to major
structures—and opens doors
to a wide range of well-paid
careers.

Mode

In-person

Prerequisites

None

Approximate cumulative years of experience among the South Piedmont welding faculty

Welding bays stocked with industry-standard equipment; located at the OCH and LLP campuses

We teach four types of welding at South Piedmont (SMAW, GMAW, GTAW, FCAW).

Get Ready to Get Hired

What makes South Piedmont’s welding program different? For one, our instructors have actually worked as welding professionals. They’ve gained hands-on, real-world experience that they pass on to our students. At many competing programs, instructors are welding inspectors, meaning they can tell their students what they did incorrectly, but they can’t actually show their students how to perform a skill. That’s not the case at South Piedmont.

In addition to our outstanding faculty, South Piedmont has also met the rigorous standards to become one of only six American Welding Society-certified facilities in North Carolina. We’re also a member of Skills USA; through this organization, our students have the chance to compete against other welding students and connect with potential employers.

Welding students posing with thumbs up for the camera, their helmets lifted to reveal smiling faces, standing in a workshop setting.

Photo of Cheyenne, a South Piedmont welding student.

Affordable Education, Lifelong Freedom

The welding program is a great environment. Everyone is very inclusive. I am excited about becoming a welder. I’m going to be able to move out sooner because I won’t have to worry about paying off student debt. I won’t be struggling to start off in my life; I’ll be able to travel, get a house, and be financially independent.
Cheyenne Thomas , Welding student and resident of Waxhaw