Connecticut Technical Education and Career System’s Electronics Technology course breakdown by grade. Each student is required to complete four years of a Career Technical Education program.

Electronics Technology Sequence

Grade 9 Grade  10 Grade 11 Grade 12
3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits
Exploratory and Introduction to Electronics Technology Direct Current/Alternating Current (DC/AC) Circuits Analog Electronics Digital Electronics

Course Descriptions

Students deciding to enter the field of Electronics are instructed in trade-specific safety. Students begin their training covering the following topics: proper use of hand tools and common electronic equipment, soldering, parts identification and schematic symbols, Ohm’s law and basic direct current circuits, project assembly and introduction to computers and software.

In Grade 10, students delve into a wide range of topics in the realm of basic electronics theory. Specific topics include series and parallel circuits, direct current circuits, alternating current circuits, magnetism and electromagnetism, capacitors, inductors and transformers, instruments and measurements and computer applications.

In Grade 11, students advance from learning individual components and test circuits to combining each of these into larger circuits. Specific topics include semiconductors, operational amplifiers, oscillators and power supplies, advanced audio circuits and introduction to video electronics, troubleshooting techniques and computer applications and introduction to integrated circuits. Students will perform in-school electronics projects for customers. Students continue to receive instruction in safety requirements and demonstrate sound safety practices. Students reaching an acceptable level of proficiency may be eligible for Work-based Learning (WBL).

In Grade 12, students begin their final year with the study of digital electronics. They design digital circuits to perform to certain criteria. Emphasis is placed on innovative and creative approaches to problem resolution in their designs. Specific topics include digital electronics including logic gates, counters, shift registers and memory devices, combinational and sequential logic circuits, industrial microprocessors, basic computer theory, troubleshooting, repair and LAN fundamentals. Special projects are designed to meet the needs of local employers and the interests of the students. Students continue to receive instruction in safety requirements and demonstrate sound safety practices. Each student will take the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute exam, a performance-based test.

Students successfully completing this course of study will be able to pursue a two-year engineering technology degree at state colleges and universities or go on to a four-year electrical engineering degree. Students can obtain immediate employment in the electronics field. Jobs include: engineering assistant sales, alarm system technician, quality control and many others. Students graduating from Electronics Technology also find great success in the military in fields such as communications, information systems and avionics, to name just a few.