📐 COD Automated Manufacturing Systems A.A.S.
MANUF.AAS.AUTO — ~52 program credits (gen ed covered by bachelor's) · All evening/weekend/online
Created: 03/03/2026 · Registration opens: 03/11/2026
📅 Four-Semester Schedule
Summer 2026 — 8 credits
MANUF 1151 Machine Shop I S
Tue/Thu 6:00–10:05 PM · 4 cr · 12 seats per section — register day 1
Manual machining foundation. Unlocks everything. Critical path start.
MANUF 1101 Industrial Design/CAD C
Online · 2 cr · You already know Fusion 360 — checkbox course
MANUF 2280 Industrial Safety C
Online · 2 cr · Checkbox
Fall 2026 — 12 credits
MANUF 2251 CNC S
Mon/Wed 6:00–9:40 PM · 4 cr · Haas operation, G-code, setup procedures
MANUF 1153 Adv Machine Processes A
Mon 6:00–9:50 PM · 3 cr · Grinding, EDM, surface finishing
⚠️ Potential conflict with CNC (both Mon evening) — verify when schedule publishes
MANUF 2202 Solid Modeling & Design A
Online · 2 cr · SolidWorks/Fusion parametric depth
MANUF 1110 Metrology A
Wed 6:00–9:50 PM · 3 cr · Inspection, GD&T application, CMM basics
Spring 2027 — 14 credits
MANUF 2253 CAM S
Thu 6:00–9:50 PM · 3 cr · Fusion 360/Mastercam post-processing, production part programming
#1 money-making course. End of critical path.
MANUF 2252 CNC Operations A
Thu 6:00–9:50 PM · 3 cr · More Haas seat time, setups, offsets, fixturing
⚠️ Potential conflict with CAM (both Thu evening) — verify when schedule publishes
ELMEC 1141 Hydraulics & Pneumatics B
Mon 6:00–9:50 PM · 4 cr
MANUF 2201 GD&T B
Online (elective) · 4 cr
Semester 4+ (Summer/Fall 2027) — 17 credits
ELMEC 1190 Intro to PLC B
Tue 6:00–9:00 PM · 3 cr
ELMEC 1171 Intro to Robotics C
Thu 6:00–9:50 PM · 3 cr
⚠️ Conflicts with Metallurgy (both Thu evening)
MANUF 1121 Physical Metallurgy B
Thu 6:00–9:50 PM · 3 cr
MANUF 1104 Technical Mechanics C
Online · 3 cr
MANUF 1180 Quality Control C
Online · 2 cr
ELECT 1100 Electricity/Electronics B
Sat 9:00 AM–1:05 PM · 3 cr
🏆 Embedded CNC Operations Certificate
MANUF.CER.CNC — Completes end of Spring 2027 (17 credits)
MANUF 1101 + 1151 + 2251 + 2252 + 2253 + 2280
Employable credential before AAS completion. Covers all three S-tier courses.
🔗 Prerequisite Chains
Critical path (3-semester waterfall for CAM):
MANUF 1151 → MANUF 2251 → MANUF 2253
Machine Shop I → CNC → CAM
Cannot be compressed. Missing summer 1151 delays everything by 1 year.
Design path:
MANUF 1101 → MANUF 2202 → MANUF 2207 → MANUF 2208
CAD → Solid Modeling → Tool Design → Design Portfolio
2207/2208 had zero sections spring/summer 2026. Email Lanagan about availability or independent study (MANUF 1840).
📊 Course Tier Rankings
| Tier | Course | Why |
|---|
| S | MANUF 2253 CAM | Production part programming — #1 salary driver |
| S | MANUF 2251 CNC | Haas operation, G-code, setup |
| S | MANUF 1151 Machine Shop I | Manual machining foundation, unlocks all |
| A | MANUF 2252 CNC Ops | More Haas time, setups, offsets, fixturing |
| A | MANUF 1110 Metrology | Inspection, CMM, GD&T application |
| A | MANUF 2202 Solid Modeling | SolidWorks/Fusion parametric depth |
| A | MANUF 1153 Adv Machine | Grinding, EDM, surface finishing |
| A | MANUF 2207 Tool Design | Fixture/jig design — not scheduled yet |
| A | MANUF 2208 Design Portfolio | Real problems, portfolio — not scheduled yet |
| B | ELMEC 1190 PLC | Automation basics |
| B | MANUF 1121 Metallurgy | Material selection, heat treat |
| B | ELECT 1100 Elec/Electronics | Sensor/control foundations |
| B | MANUF 2201 GD&T | Drawing interpretation |
| B | ELMEC 1141 Hydraulics | Industrial systems |
| C | MANUF 1101 CAD | Already know Fusion 360 |
| C | MANUF 1104 Tech Mechanics | Statics/dynamics review |
| C | MANUF 1180 Quality Control | SPC/ISO overview |
| C | ELMEC 1171 Robotics | Survey course |
| C | MANUF 2280 Safety | OSHA basics |
💰 Salary Trajectory (IL, BLS May 2024)
| Role | Pay | What Gets You There |
|---|
| CNC Operator | ~$54K | Cert or OJT |
| CNC Machinist/Setup | ~$64K | Cert + experience |
| CNC Programmer | ~$65–70K | CAM skills + experience |
| CNC Programmer/Setup III | ~$88K (Chicago) | AAS + experience |
Bus driver comparison: $43.40/hr × 22.5 hrs/wk = ~$51K/yr with hard ceiling.
CNC programmer: $35/hr × 40 hrs = $73K yr 1 → $88K+ with OT/shift diff/lead.
Own shop: $50–120/hr shop rate.
📖 Design Education Supplement
COD teaches how to make things. It doesn't teach how to decide what to make.
The pegboard design iteration problem was a concept generation/selection failure — not a tooling failure.
This supplement fills the product design thinking gap COD's program doesn't address.
MIT 15.783J — Product Design and Development
Textbook: "Product Design and Development"
Karl T. Ulrich & Steven D. Eppinger & Maria C. Yang · 7th ed. · McGraw-Hill 2020
ISBN: 978-1-260-04365-5 · Used 5th/6th ed: $15–25 on Amazon
19 chapters:
1. Introduction · 2. Dev Process & Org · 3. Opportunity ID · 4. Product Planning
5. Identifying Customer Needs · 6. Product Specifications
7. Concept Generation · 8. Concept Selection · 9. Concept Testing
10. Product Architecture · 11. Industrial Design · 12. Design for Environment
13. DFM & Supply Chain · 14. Prototyping · 15. Robust Design
16. Patents & IP · 17. Service Design · 18. Dev Economics · 19. Project Mgmt
Red = directly addresses pegboard design weakness
Study method: Read chapter → close book → write key frameworks from memory → check against text.
When: Free Mon/Wed evenings, Summer 2026 (while taking Machine Shop Tue/Thu).
Relationship to COD Courses
This is a supplement, not a replacement.
COD MANUF 2207 Tool Design = fixture/jig design for manufacturing (shop-floor mechanical problem solving)
COD MANUF 2208 Design Portfolio = capstone applying manufacturing design skills
Ulrich & Eppinger = upstream product design methodology (customer needs → concept → architecture → DFM)
Take 2207/2208 whenever COD schedules them. Study Ulrich & Eppinger independently.
Both. Not either/or.
✅ Action Items
| Priority | Task | Deadline |
|---|
| ⬜ | Register MANUF 1151 Machine Shop I (12 seats — day 1) | 03/11/2026 |
| ⬜ | Confirm WIOA covers full AAS with Mark Dennison | Before 03/11 |
| ⬜ | Submit COD application + transcripts (bachelor's covers gen ed) | Before 03/11 |
| ⬜ | Buy Ulrich & Eppinger (5th/6th ed used, $15–25) | Before summer |
| ⬜ | Email MANUF dept (Lanagan) re: 2207/2208 availability + MANUF 1840 independent study | After enrollment |
| ⬜ | Verify Fall 2026 schedule — CNC vs Adv Machine Mon conflict | When published |
| ⬜ | Verify Spring 2027 schedule — CAM vs CNC Ops Thu conflict | When published |
WIOA case worker: Mark Dennison · mdennison@worknetdupage.org · 630.955.2055
Program: MANUF.AAS.AUTO · Embedded cert: MANUF.CER.CNC
In-district via bus job in District 502