Our transfer-friendly program lets you bring in up to 88 transfer credits from prior coursework, SACA certifications, or professional experience. This means you can graduate faster without sacrificing the quality of your education. Learn more about our transfer pathways.
Lead the Future of Advanced Automation
Enhance your education and experience in automation, digital transformation, or other cutting-edge Industry 4.0 disciplines.
UW-Stout Polytechnic’s online Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Automation Leadership is one of the first bachelor’s degrees built for SACA-certified students, developed with SACA and industry partners to prepare the people who will run tomorrow’s smart factories. It’s the next step for technology-driven, future-focused students who have mastered the robots, controls, and connected systems of Industry 4.0 through a two-year automation, mechatronics, or related degree, often at a SACA-member school, and who are ready to lead the teams and transformations behind them.
Industry 4.0, Automation Leadership & SACA
- Industry 4.0, also called smart manufacturing, connects automated machines, robots, sensors, software, and data into one production system that can monitor and adjust itself in real time.
- Automation leadership is the work of planning, justifying, and managing that technology: making the business case, leading the projects, and guiding the people and processes that change with it.
- SACA, the Smart Automation Certification Alliance, is a nonprofit that issues industry-developed, stackable Industry 4.0 certifications. The B.S. Automation Leadership is aligned with SACA standards and builds on the technical skills those certifications validate.
New to the field? Our career guide covers jobs, pay, skills, and certifications.
Career-Defining Automation Curriculum
Directly aligned with Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA) standards, UW-Stout Polytechnic’s Automation Leadership degree offers the relevant leadership and management training to enhance your industry-recognized credentials, with classes including:
- Digital Transformation
- Internet of Things in Operations
- Project Management
- Organizational Leadership
- Lean Manufacturing
- Automation Leadership Internship
- Automation Leadership Capstone
Program Overview
Pursue the Concentration That Meets Your Career Goals
- Smart Automation Certification
- Welding Technology
Transfer-Friendly Program
Continue Your Path to an Automation Leadership Degree
- Transfer Your Professional Core Classes (40 Credits)
- Transfer Any General Education Credits You've Earned to UW-Stout Polytechnic (Up to 27 Credits)
- Complete UW-Stout Polytechnic's Core Automation Leadership Classes, Including Your Capstone, Online (19 Credits)
- Complete SACA Professional-Level Classes (21 Credits)
- Complete Any Remaining General Education Requirements Online
Complete Your Degree Online from Anywhere
All UW-Stout Polytechnic degree classes, including core program and remaining general education credits, can be completed entirely online, offering you the flexibility to earn your degree while completing your SACA professional core and professional-level classes on site with a partnering technical college.
Maximize Transfer Credits & Earn Credit for Prior Learning
Transfer up to 88 credits from any technical or community college in the country. In addition to your general education credits, you’ll get credit for program-aligned SACA certifications earned at any SACA-member institution.
Note: 32 credits must be completed at UW-Stout Polytechnic.
SACA certifications earned through employment or otherwise not listed on a college transcript will be reviewed as Prior Learning Credit and assessed the following fees:
- 1–6 Credits: $75 non-refundable fee + $50 per credit
- 7+ Credits: $75 non-refundable fee + $300 flat
Earn a Professional Certificate While Fulfilling Your Degree Requirements
Use the Request Information form to receive a program summary and learn more about the Bachelor of Science degree in Automation Leadership.
Request Information
Earn Credit for Prior Learning
Some required credits for this program can be earned through academic testing, portfolio submission, or a demonstration of competency. Learn more by reviewing the program-specific details on our Credit for Prior Learning page.
Industry-Experienced Faculty Instruction
Forget TA-taught classes and 200-person lectures. Building close relationships with our industry-experienced and academically accomplished automation faculty will play a key role in your polytechnic education and your career. Learn more about your future instructors!
Application
To apply to this degree program, you need to apply to UW-Stout Polytechnic.
Financial Aid
Students who are attending another institution, but are planning to receive their degree from UW-Stout Polytechnic, may be eligible to receive aid from UW‐Stout Polytechnic. In these cases, UW‐Stout Polytechnic is considered the Home Institution and the other campus is considered the Visiting Institution.
Transfer Students
Program Objectives
- Apply innovative technologies in manufacturing engineering and technology areas.
- Conduct standard tests, measurements, and experiments and analyze and interpret the results to improve processes.
- Apply knowledge, techniques, skills, and modern tools of digital transformation to solve broadly defined engineering problems appropriate to the discipline.
- Design Industry 4.0, IoT, and automation systems, components, or processes meeting specified needs.
- Analyze data produced by Industry 4.0 systems and utilize findings in the pursuit of continuous improvement.
- Apply Industry 4.0 technology to lead digital transformation projects for manufacturing organizations.
- Function effectively as a member as well as a leader on technical teams.
- Communicate effectively with a wide range of audiences and disciplines.
Advisory Committee Members
| First Name | Last Name | Title | Organization |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darren | Ackley | Provost & Vice President for Learning | Northcentral Technical College |
| Mike | Beighley | Superintendent | Whitehall School District |
| David | Ding | Program Director | UW-Stout |
| Jim | Dotta | Senior Vice President | Ashley Furniture |
| Scott | Graf | Chief Manufacturing Officer | Greenheck |
| Matt | Kirchner | President | Lab Midwest |
| Jason | Liu | Assistant Professor | UW-Stout |
| Jason | Solberg | Tech College Representative | Waukesha County Technical College |
| Tyler | Solberg | Student | Waukesha County Technical College |
| James | Wall | Executive Director | SACA |
| Darren | Ward | Associate Director, Admissions | UW-Stout |
| Yuan | Assistant Professor | UW-Stout |
Customized Tuition & Fees
UW-Stout Polytechnic degree programs using the all-inclusive customized instruction model are designed with the adult learner in mind. Other universities will present costs and value differently, so make sure you're comparing apples to apples. If you're comparing UW-Stout Polytechnic's online degree customized instruction (CI) tuition to our competitors, keep in mind:
- Customized instruction tuition rate includes the textbook rental fee.
- There are no additional or hidden university-based semester or technology fees.
- Students in customized instruction programs pay the same rate of tuition regardless of where you live.
More Value for Your Money
Customized Instruction also provides:
- Program Director/Coordinator: Faculty with academic and industry expertise.
- Student Services Advisor: One point of contact, providing dedicated support throughout your degree program.
- Course Sequences & Matrices: Plan ahead with clear program outlines so you know what courses are offered when.
- Stackable Courses & Programs: Many of our courses and certificates can be applied to our degree programs.
- Flexibility: Courses are designed to offer the flexibility and convenience working professionals need to get ahead in their careers without sacrificing their current income and responsibilities.
Frequently Asked Questions About Automation Leadership at UW-Stout Polytechnic
Is the B.S. Automation Leadership Fully Online?
All UW-Stout Polytechnic courses, including the automation leadership core, the capstone, and remaining general education, are online. Hands-on SACA coursework is completed in person, most often at a partner SACA-member technical college. Students can also build those skills through manufacturing employers or training providers, or by taking courses on campus at UW-Stout Polytechnic.
Who Is the B.S. Automation Leadership Designed For?
It's designed for graduates and students of two-year automation, mechatronics, and related programs, including SACA-member technical colleges, and for working technicians who want to move into leadership roles in Industry 4.0 manufacturing.
How Many Credits Can I Transfer into the B.S. Automation Leadership?
You can transfer up to 88 credits from any technical or community college in the country, including your professional core (40 credits) and up to 27 general education credits. At least 32 credits must be completed at UW-Stout Polytechnic.
Can I Get Credit for SACA Certifications I Earned at Work?
Yes. SACA certifications not on a college transcript are reviewed for Credit for Prior Learning. Fees are $75 plus $50 per credit for one to six credits, or $75 plus $300 for more than six credits.
What Courses Will I Take?
Core courses include Digital Transformation, Internet of Things in Operations, Project Management, Organizational Leadership, and Lean Manufacturing, plus an automation leadership internship and capstone. The UW-Stout Polytechnic core totals 19 credits, alongside 21 credits of SACA professional-level coursework.
Is an Internship Required, and Can My Current Job Count?
Yes, an internship is required. If you already work in automation or manufacturing, the program director will review your current position to decide whether it can satisfy the internship requirement.
Can I Continue to a Master's Degree?
Yes. The accelerated B.S. Automation Leadership + M.S. Operations and Supply Management option lets you share credits between degrees, reducing the time and cost of a master's degree.
What Jobs Can I Get with an Automation Leadership Degree?
Graduates pursue roles such as automation manager, engineering manager, engineering project manager, plant manager, production or operations manager, manufacturing engineer, continuous improvement lead, and digital transformation lead. Industrial production managers earned a median $126,060 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Which Companies Help Guide the Program?
An industry advisory committee that includes leaders from Ashley Furniture, Greenheck, Lab Midwest, SACA, and Wisconsin technical colleges reviews the curriculum..
