River Parishes Community College

The 48-credit Welding Technical Diploma is a four-semester employment pathway aligned with NCCER Core and Welding Levels 1 and 2 and AWS SENSE Entry Welder guidelines. The sequence begins with oxyfuel, plasma and air-carbon arc cutting and progresses through Stick welding on plate and pipe, MIG and Flux-Core welding on plate and pipe, and TIG welding on carbon, low-alloy and stainless-steel pipe. Students must earn at least a C in each course and can qualify for NCCER and AWS certification examinations.

The 23-credit Entry Welder Certificate of Technical Studies is the first two semesters of RPCC's progressive welding pathway. It covers oxyfuel, plasma and air-carbon arc cutting and gouging, Stick welding beads, fillets and grooves, and Stick pipe welding in 2G, 5G and 6G positions. The award aligns with NCCER Welding Level 1 and the broader academic pathway follows AWS SENSE Entry Welder guidelines.

The 8-credit Welder Helper Career and Technical Certificate is the first semester of RPCC's welding pathway. It combines the NCCER Core course with Welding Fundamentals I, which covers welding-trade equipment setup and supervised practice in oxyfuel cutting, plasma cutting and air-carbon arc cutting and gouging. Completion of the Core course makes students eligible for the NCCER Core credential.

A current open-enrollment workforce course offered at the Gonzales and Westside campuses. RPCC identifies it as NCCER CORE and AWS Welding training. The college's general workforce description states that advanced welding students receive guidance for AWS certification tests, but the current location pages do not publish a process-by-process curriculum or duration.