DES PLAINS, Ill. — An indoor air quality degree program — reportedly the first of its kind in the United States — is being formed at Belmont Technical College, St. Clairsville, Ohio, using training courses from the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society (RSES).

RSES is providing nine of its courses as the basis of the new degree curriculum, which will be introduced at Belmont Tech this September. The courses provide instruction on basic refrigeration, electricity, heating-cooling controls, indoor air quality, climate control, and refrigeration control systems.

Other subjects in the 18-month program will include duct cleaning, commercial heating hygiene, air distribution, mechanical drawing, technical writing, and microbiology.

IAQ degree students will be eligible for certification through the RSES National Technician Certification (NTC) test and an IAQ service technician exam. Those who complete the six-quarter curriculum will earn an Associate of Technical Studies degree.

Among the textbooks used in the curriculum will be two by Mark Mullaney, president, Air Quality Management Inc., and two from RSES covering heating systems and hydronics. In addition, Belmont Tech is working with the society to develop texts on climate control, heating system design, and heat gain-heat loss calculations.

For more information, contact Bob Kish, associate professor, Belmont Technical College, 120 Fox-Shannon Place, St. Clairsville, Ohio 740-695-9500, ext. 3001.