On-Line Degrees 4

[BECREZ]

Dear Associates:

I am a non degreed engineer working for over 30 years in the business starting as a draftsman and working my way up to a front line mangement position. I have had a degree of success I am proud of, but would get some self satisfaction by getting a degree. Given the fact that raising a family and having a full time job that is quite demanding makes it somewhat difficult to just go back to school. I have done some research and have found a couple of schools that will allow me to complete my degree via on-line courses. Besides the self satisfaction, it would allow me to brush up on my academic ski;lls and hopefully assist in my goal of obtaining a P.E.
My qustions are these: How are these degrees received within the industry and with fellow engineers? Are they respected? Are they a worthwhile pursuit, given the fact that the degree, although engineering related, is not directly applicable to what I do day to day. Given the expense (over $6,000 and no guarentee of company re-embursement...yet), I would like some objective opinions. I also value the opinions on this webite and look forward to the responses.

Thanks

 

[electricpete]

objective opinions? sounds like government intelligence ;-)

My opinion is that people will respect the fact that you have gone the extra mile to get a degree in your spare time while working full time.

 

[ChrisatEastAg]

I would suggest that the 'mode of delivery' of your studies would be irrelevant, the important thing is that the degree has the relevant accreditations. On-line Universities per se have a bad reputation, because there is a potential for them to be nothing more than degree mills or outright scams.
Why limit yourself to 'on-line'? Many respectable universities offer courses by correspondence (the latest buzzwords are 'off-campus' or 'distance education'), either full or part-time. Snail mail isn't all that slow, and it's often more convenient to read something in a book than on a computer screen.
Given your experience, you might find that a University would be happy for you to do a couple of bridging subjects and go straight into a Masters.

 

[Rich2001]

Given your goal of obtaining your P.E. I would strongly recommednd that you check to mark sure that the on-line degree program has ABET Accreditation.

http://www.abet.org/accredited_programs/EACWebsite.html

Also check with your local Board of Professional Engineers, a list and contact information can be found at

http://w

http://www.ncees.org

It is a terrible waste of time and money if the program is not accepted towards obtaining your P.E.

What you might do is use the online program or just a few on-line courses offered by different colleges and universities to fill some of your degree requirements at a traditional school. Check out courses and programs given by the University of Alaska-Anchorage

http://www.uaa.edu

University of Wisconsin, the USDA Graduate school.

 

[ttl8]

Degrees attained attending physical classes are generally considered better than online degree. If you have made up your mind to set aside time, suggest that spending the time for evening classes. Moreover, these degrees achieved attending classes are usually considered the same as full time degrees.

 

[zdas04]

Distance learning is a huge and growing part of the available suite of educational opportunities. Schools like Columbia and Stanford offer degree programs that end up with their highly-respected logo on the diploma. A few years ago these programs were limited to General Business and the arts, today you can get just about any degree you want (through a MS, PhD programs still have pretty non-flexible residence requirements).

Like Rich2001 said, make certain that any program (Distance, correspondance, or something you find in the back of TV Guide) you consider is ABET approved. The three states where I've applied for my PE all have the requirement that any education which counts toward a PE be from an ABET approved school, but none of them say you had to physically be on campus.

David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering

http://www.muleshoe-eng.com

 

[electricpete]

I have my MSEE from Georgia Tech through a distance learning program.

I have never had anyone express to me that the felt my degree was somehow worth less than an on-campus degree. But if they did I would be quick to explain to them:

I did view the exact same lectures as the on-campus students (by video tape), I did correspond with the professors (by e-mail), I did submit the exact same homework and computer-lab projects as on-campus students, and I did take the exact same exams as the on-campus students, proctored and all.

 

[corgum]

The post by Rich2001 nails it and the post by electricpete gives some confidence that a first rate degree can be obtained online.

 

[Raafi]

very informative

i am new here

i happened here because i too a pseudo-engineer and i am at that point in my life where i want to finally get the degree

i went to polytechnic 25 years ago, quit school to get a job (wife was pregnant) and basically worked under an engineer for 20 years

my field is construction management, which is see many propspective employers ask for a CPM degree

it seems that this is a master's degree, thus i have to get my bachelors first

everything i see under project management is under business degrees, then it appears you get a masters in consctruction management

am i making any sense?

and i looked thru many of these online schools, villanova, kaplan, etc, and they all seem to have some type of business management (project management) bachelors degree available

so i guess my question is, am i barking up the right tree, and how do you know if these online schools arent just some bikini chicks in the carribean?

 

[28021973]

As an employer, I would give a lot of praise to any person who obtained a degree whilst in full time employment.

The respect is due to the effort made by dedicating some of there social time to studies rather than studying full time.

The examinations are all written by the same level of competent people, why consider that studying online or distance learning is any different to sitting in a class.

If anything your attention span will be more focused working alone.

see

http://www.open.ac.uk

 

[jsummerfield]

My resume' reflects my degree and the institution. Nothing says that I attend class on-campus, or that I lived off campus, etc. Nothing differentiates degrees from those who attended night school, a popular choice at some universities in big cities.

You may get the PE with a degree other than engineering. Check with your state board regarding the accreditation requirements. In Texas there is about a page regarding the process if accredited, not accredited but US institution, not US institution, etc.

http://www.tbpe.state.tx.us/downloads/law_rules04.pdf

Good luck.

John

 

[nuclearphysics]

High. I'm new here. I went in the Navy as a Radar Technician. I also attended the Basic Nuclear Power school. I am now working full-time as an Instrument Technician. With a wife and 3 kids, I know I can't go on campus to obtain my BS through PhD in Engineering Physics. I've been doing alot of research and have found that very reputable schools (i.e. Duke University, University of Tennessee, University of South Carolina, etc)all have fully accredited engineering degrees online. Old Dominion University, the University of North Dakota, and Rochester Institute of Technology offer ABET engineering degrees online. It is my opinion that online education is the same as on-campus if not better in some ways. Most conversations with classmates and teachers are through e-mail allowing mastery of written communications. Most of us considering online degrees are working in the our respective fields of interest therefore allowing our job duties to act as our "hands-on" labwork. Virtual labs force students to participate and not let others step in to pick up your slack. This forces you to study more. In the Navy, during my "lab" time, the instructor would ask someone a question. If they got it wrong, someone else would answer and we would move on to the next question. Online courses allow you to work in a group but forces you to know the answers yourself. I would highly recommend distance education for engineering. Mt advice: first, find the accredited schools, then check for distance programs. That way, you won't get a diploma mill. You say you have over 30 years experience? Some states let you sit for the FE with 12 years experience. You may only need to take some high-level calculus courses.

 

[icelad]

I have spent many hours looking in to this. There are many schools that are NOT ABET schools that offer degrees. They will not pass muster with most state boards. I have found two programs that will pass and they are from the U of North Dakota and the U of Alabama. The problem with the undergrad ABET degrees is with the classes with Labs attached with them. Noth Dakota solves this by having you go to the campus for a couple of days in the summer and have a 'lab-a-thon'. I took the EIT and PE by experince. Go to the state boards websites to see if this works for you. Most need the exp. to be under the direct supervision of a PE. If your state does not let you take the test other states do not have residency requirments. Then try to take the test under them. Let me know if you need any other info.

John

 

[BECREZ]

icelad,

Thanks for your views. You state that you took the PE exam with the experience option. I would like to do that, but hesitate to go throught the work of getting 5 PE's to sign an affidavit and forward to the board for a review in hopes that they allow me to sit for the test. Was it a concern for you also or was the review process just a formality. I would hate to waste the time of my collegues to find that the board may not find my experience suitable to sit for the exam. Further to that, what did you do for studying? I have been out of school for 30 years and am probably very rusty. You know ...use it or lose it!!!

 

[icelad]

Do you have any school under your belt. I had just gotten a 2 yr degree when I applied. I did not have any trouble with the application. The state I applied in needed 6yrs after HS for the EIT and six more to take the PE. Let this be known though, I will not be able to be registered in my present home state until I finish my degree. I lack about 30 Hrs now so I lack about 4 semesters. The above mentioned programs are the only ones I have found to be ABET schools (on line degree programs). Most states will not let me practice as I stand now. Maybe 10 or 15 would. You must fulfill the requirments for each state to practice there. My present state will accept only ABET schools no tech degrees EAC degrees no Abet masters degrees with non Abet bach degrees, so that is why i stress about the ABET degree. PPI2PASS has all the info gathered for the boards at the website. As far as the endorsemnts I had no problem getting 5 to endorse me. If they know your work etc. most will not have a problem. AS for yourself, do you belive in yourself and your ability to learn. Is there any reason you cant learn this. How many new eng schools grads did you keep from walking into holes. The school is not everything. The worst thing that will happen is that they will put you in a big pot and cook you and eat you.(haha) If you can live with that go for it. To me one of the things that scares me the worst is being on my deathbed and thinking i wish i tried that. I passed the eit the first time without having statics, materials, thermo, last chem class 15 years ago, last elec class 30 years ago try and make the studying something you want to learn rather then have to learn you can do it
John