1. About the School
Technical Trade School (TTS) is an online occupational school teaching building automation systems (BAS): HVAC controls, electrical fundamentals, DDC programming, networks, commissioning, and platform-specific skills. Training is 100% online and self-paced, delivered through interactive course decks, hands-on browser labs, and server-verified assessments.
2. Programs Offered
TTS offers a Building Automation Systems occupational training program consisting of 57 core courses across five numbered series plus specialty electives and brand readings, and 5 intensive bootcamps:
- 100 — Fundamentals (8 courses): electrical, HVAC, sensors, drawings, safety, trade math
- 200 — Installation (8 courses): wiring, conduit, controllers, networks, checkout, quality
- 300 — Service & Troubleshooting (11 courses): systematic diagnostics incl. the BAS Errors & Flow method, sequences of operation, calibration, preventive maintenance
- 400 — Programming & Development (9 courses): logic, sequences, graphics, alarms, integration, version control
- 500 — Platforms & Protocols (6 courses): Niagara N4, Distech, Honeywell, ABB, BACnet/legacy integration
- Specialty Electives (10) & Brand Readings (5): OT security, project management, estimating, energy management, codes & standards, platform orientations
- Bootcamps (5): CxProHD, BACnet Mastery, OT Security, Niagara Graphics, Niagara N4 Power-User — each with hard prerequisite enforcement
Each course lists its objectives and prerequisites in the Course Catalog; hands-on components are described on the Labs page. Instruction is delivered in self-paced units of instruction (course sections) rather than credit hours.
3. Admissions & Enrollment
- Admission standards: applicants must be at least 17 years of age and possess a high school diploma or equivalent (GED), or demonstrate equivalent trade experience. No prior BAS experience is required for the 100-series.
- Enrollment is open year-round — the program is self-paced with no cohort start dates. Enrollment begins when the student's account is approved and the enrollment agreement is executed.
- Account approval: new registrations are reviewed by school staff before course access is granted.
- Completion window: each enrollment provides 12 months of access from the enrollment date to complete the enrolled course(s). Extensions may be requested in writing before expiration.
- Optional placement assessment: prospective students may request a free, timed skills assessment used for placement and course test-out recommendations (see Section 8).
4. Tuition, Fees & Financial Aid
Current tuition for each course and bootcamp is published on the enrollment page, and is itemized in the student enrollment agreement before any payment is made. There are no application fees. Any change to published tuition applies only to future enrollments — never to a signed agreement.
| Course series | Courses | Tuition per course |
|---|---|---|
| 100 — Fundamentals | 8 | $99 |
| 200 — Installation | 8 | $149 |
| 300 — Service & Troubleshooting | 11 | $199 |
| 400 — Programming & Development | 9 | $249 |
| 500 — Platforms & Protocols | 6 | $299 |
| Specialty Electives & Brand Readings | 15 | $199 |
| Bootcamps (5) | 5 | $599 |
Career-track program bundles enroll the student in every course in a track at reduced combined tuition. Refunds on bundles are calculated per course under Section 10 (unstarted courses are always fully refundable):
| Program | Courses | Per-course total | Program tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| BAS Technician (100 + 200 + 300 series) | 27 | $4,173 | $3,499 |
| BAS System Developer (400 + 500 series + OT Security) | 16 | $4,234 | $3,599 |
| Reading Programming by Brand (BRD series) | 5 | $995 | $849 |
| BAS Design Engineer (design electives) | 5 | $995 | $849 |
| BAS Project Manager (PM electives) | 4 | $796 | $679 |
| Complete Program (all 57 core courses + 5 bootcamps) | 62 | $14,188 | $9,995 |
There are no application fees, no materials fees, and no charges for quiz or exam retakes. Enroll per course or by bundle on the enrollment page.
Scholarships & Discretionary Financial Aid
TTS may award scholarships, tuition discounts, or other discretionary financial aid to applicants and enrolled students. All aid is administered under the following rules:
- Written criteria: awards are granted by school administration under written eligibility criteria, including financial need or hardship, veteran or transitioning service-member status, employer displacement or retraining, and demonstrated merit on the free placement assessment. Administration retains discretion over individual award amounts within these criteria.
- Equal opportunity: aid decisions are never based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.
- Documented decisions: every award is recorded in writing — recipient, amount, criteria met, approving administrator, and date — and retained with the student’s permanent record.
- Disclosed before you sign: any award and the resulting net tuition are itemized in the enrollment agreement before any payment is made.
- Refund rights are unaffected: aid does not reduce or waive any cancellation or refund right in Section 10. Refunds are calculated on the tuition actually paid (by the student or sponsor) after aid was applied.
- Not a loan: TTS aid never requires repayment. TTS does not participate in federal (Title IV) student aid programs.
- Truthful offers: scholarships are genuine reductions of the published tuition above — never discounts from an inflated price, and never promised as a guaranteed inducement to enroll before eligibility is reviewed.
5. Attendance & Participation
As a self-paced distance-education program, TTS does not take attendance by clock hours. Participation standards are:
- Activity requirement: students are expected to make progress within their 12-month completion window. Recommended pacing guides are provided for each track.
- Inactivity: students inactive for 60 days receive reminder notices. Students who do not respond and remain inactive may be placed on inactive status; students on inactive status are terminated and refunded per Section 10 within 30 days unless the student consents in writing to remain enrolled.
- Leaves of absence: students may request a leave of absence in writing (up to 90 days, once per enrollment); the completion window is extended by the length of the approved leave. Failure to return from an approved leave results in termination effective the day following the expected return date.
- Readmission: students terminated for inactivity may re-enroll at any time under a new enrollment agreement.
- There are no fees resulting from absence and no make-up hour costs in a self-paced program.
6. Satisfactory Progress & Grading
- How progress is measured: every course is divided into gated sections. Each section ends in a quiz requiring a score of 90% or higher to unlock the next section; each course ends in a cumulative final exam, also requiring 90%. Quizzes draw fresh randomized question sets and allow unlimited retries at no cost.
- Grading system: courses are graded pass/not-yet-passed. A course is complete when every gated section, including the final exam, has a passing score. Exact scores for every attempt are recorded server-side with timestamps.
- Progress reports: students see their live progress (percent complete, current section, quiz history) in the student portal at all times. Staff review quiz results through the school's review console.
- Probation and readmission: because retries are unlimited and self-paced, there is no academic probation. A student who cannot pass a section is offered instructor support; a student terminated for inactivity may be readmitted per Section 5.
- Certificates: a series certificate is issued automatically upon completion of every course in a series (e.g., "100 — Fundamentals").
7. Student Conduct
- Students must complete quizzes and exams personally, without misrepresentation, account sharing, or automated assistance.
- Community-forum conduct must remain professional; harassment, discrimination, or abusive behavior toward students or staff is cause for dismissal.
- Attempting to circumvent assessment gates, tamper with school systems, or misuse lab equipment (including remote hardware labs) is cause for dismissal.
- Dismissal & readmission: conduct dismissals are made in writing by the Program Director and are appealable through the grievance procedure (Section 15). Refunds upon dismissal follow Section 10. Readmission after a conduct dismissal requires written approval of the Program Director.
8. Credit for Previous Training
TTS grants credit for previous education, training, or experience through its placement assessment: a free, timed, staff-reviewed skills assessment. Courses in which the student demonstrates mastery (85% overall with domain minimums) are marked passed ("test-out"), satisfying prerequisites without tuition for those courses. Granting of credit for previous training does not affect the refund policy for courses the student enrolls in.
9. Transferability of Credits
10. Cancellation & Refund Policy
Your right to cancel
- Before starting: if you cancel an enrollment before opening the first section of a course, you receive a 100% refund of tuition paid for that course.
- After starting (pro-rata): if you withdraw after starting a course, tuition for that course is refunded in proportion to the portion not completed, measured by gated sections passed, up to 50% completion. Example: withdrawing from a 6-section course after passing 2 sections (33%) refunds 67% of that course's tuition.
- Past 50% of a course: no refund for that course; access continues for the remainder of the completion window.
- Refunds are calculated per course, so unstarted courses in a multi-course purchase are always fully refundable.
Official date of termination
Refunds are calculated from the official date of termination or withdrawal, which is the earliest of: (1) the date the student notifies the school of withdrawal (email to the school's official address is sufficient); (2) the date of termination for violation of published school policy; or (3) for a student who fails to return from an approved leave of absence, the earlier of the date the school determines the student is not returning or the day following the expected return date.
Payment of refunds
All refunds are paid within thirty (30) days of the official date of termination, to the sponsoring agency or individual who paid rather than to the student where applicable. If the school ceases operation, students are entitled to 100% of prepaid, unearned tuition and fees at the time of closure unless a teach-out is available and accepted by the student.
11. Postponement of Start Date
12. Facilities & Technology Requirements
- Delivery: all instruction is online. Course decks, quizzes, the 20 interactive labs, the community forum, and the student portal run in any modern web browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari) on desktop, laptop, or tablet. No software installation is required.
- Requirements: a reliable internet connection and a device with a modern browser. A desktop or laptop is recommended for programming labs.
- Teaching aids: interactive simulations, fault-injection labs, reading packs, instructor scripts, and a reference library (ASHRAE Guideline 36, BACnet, and platform documentation). An optional low-cost hardware kit (multimeter, terminal screwdrivers, wire strippers, basic sensors) is recommended but not required; a list is provided in the student portal.
- Live-controller lab: the programming lab can book supervised time on a physical training controller, graded automatically over BACnet, when the hardware bench is in service.
13. Placement Assistance
TTS operates a talent-placement service connecting graduating students with employers through the school's placement marketplace, including profile creation and employer introductions. Placement assistance does not guarantee employment. Participation is optional and free for students.
14. Records & Certificates
- Quiz attempts, exact scores, progress, enrollments, and certificates are retained server-side as the student's permanent training record.
- Series certificates are conferred only upon successful completion of the prescribed courses as stated in this catalog.
- Students may request a transcript of their record at any time in writing.
15. Grievance & Complaint Procedure
- Step 1 — Instructor: raise the concern (including appeals of quiz results or progress decisions) with the course instructor via the student portal or school email. Expect a response within 5 business days.
- Step 2 — Manager review: unresolved concerns are escalated to a manager, who reviews the record (including the per-attempt quiz history) and responds in writing within 10 business days.
- Step 3 — Program Director: a final internal appeal may be made in writing to the Program Director, whose written decision completes the school's internal process.
The school will not subject any student to punitive action for filing a grievance with the school or with the Board. All complaints must be filed in writing.
16. Downloadable Catalog
The complete student catalog, including these policies, is available as a PDF: TTS Student Catalog (Draft — pending DPOS review). The catalog in effect at the time of enrollment governs the enrollment agreement.