Recommended Online Structural Engineering Schools? 6

[pettus71]

I have been working as a structural engineer for several months now. I am considering going back to school online to get my master's degree in structural engineering in order to gain a better understanding of my work. Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced school which has a good online civil/structural grad program? I live in Alabama.

Thanks!

 

[STLstruc]

Hi pettus, I can speak directly to this. I am 80% finished with my MSCE (Structural emphasis) through Missouri S&T. It’s a 10 course program as many of these are below (USC is a 15 course program). You will likely find that many schools offer an online MSCE but they are more generalized, splitting classes between civil disciplines.

These schools offer a full Structural emphasis in an MSCE degree.
North Carolina State $1,800/course
Kansas State $2,100/course
Missouri S&T $3,100/course
University of Southern California $4,700/course

These schools offer a general MSCE but have structural courses that you may be able to transfer.
Auburn
University of Wisconsin-Platteville
University of Idaho

There very well may be other schools which offer the full program but I have not come across them. Would anyone like to comment on the schools named above?

I’d be happy to offer more insight about my experience, the distance ed process, reasons for pursuing or not pursuing this degree if you’d like.

 

[mtu1972]

I used U of Idaho's Distance Education program for the MSCE (structure's option) and only took two project management classes to fill out my requirements. It took 11 3-credit courses to complete the program with the non-thesis option. Cost was Out-of-State tuition.

gjc

 

[BridgeEI]

For those that have completed the online masters, has it helped that much or have you found resistance from it since it is online? Or any issues since it looks like there isn't a thesis, and just all coursework? Ive been looking into it, just haven't figured if I want to or not.

 

[pettus71]

Thank you all for your responses. STLstruc I would love to hear your insight about the reasons to pursue or not pursue and about your experience with distance ed. Going back to school could be tough for me to juggle because I'll be supporting my future wife financially while she is in grad school, but I am willing to go for it if it will truly help my skillset.

 

[STLstruc]

Pettus, I’m sure you’ve talked with different engineers about the reasons for going through a program like this but let me reiterate what you have likely already heard. Your reasoning for pursuing this degree I think is spot on! That was my exact reasoning and I think it’s the only valid one-“to gain a better understanding” of engineering principles, materials, design and analysis procedures. I’m 80% done, been working on it evenings and weekends for 4 years now, one class each Spring, one each Fall. I’ll tell you don’t do it for the respect. Don’t do it for the increased pay which is probably marginal at best ($2-3k/yr.?) I don’t even think it’s fair to say that one should do it for resume-building. I wanted to further my knowledge because like you, in my first year out of school, I was completely overcome with the weight of responsibly and required knowledge that is necessary when honestly working as a generalist in the structural consulting field. This means all materials and all building types. I know experience is king, but a graduate program is an experience for sure! Also, doing this education along with your working career, I think you’ll gain a much better understanding of the material. What made me jump was the fact that my employer was going to cover 75% of the cost as long as I spaced out my education over 5 years, now 100% reimbursable with my new employer. I can’t honestly recommend shelling out $30,000 yourself. It’s a huge amount of money in the first few years after graduation, $6K a year! Ultimately, your desire for knowledge has to be measured with the cost; this is a tough call.

Because I’m nearing the end of my program, it has been hard to arrange courses to take that align well with my schedule. For instance, only 2 or 3 courses are offered each Spring and another 2-3 each fall, but many of these I have taken already, am not interested in, took as an undergrad, or my employer is not interested in refunding me the expense. I guess I just don’t have a lot of choices, so I am actually looking to another school where I can take the course and transfer it back. NC State has an advantage in that they appear to be scheduling out classes many semesters in advance so students can plan accordingly. As for my school (Missouri S&T), I think the education has been very good. Schools are hard to compare as most people are partial to their alma-mater, myself included. Each class viewed online is an actual class at the university that I would have taken if I were on campus and it’s broadcast live. I can even chime in with my headset and ask questions. All students can hear each other. All classes are archived for review within a few hours. I traditionally do not attend classes live and just view them in the evening since I work days. I would certainly recommend the MSCE program. The format is clean and practical, and the professors (no TAs) are always accessible via email and very helpful as well.

I know this is a very large decision for you. Best of Luck!

 

[mtu1972]

I will echo much of what STLstruc has said. In my case I chose Idaho because they seemed better organized than the other choice with a structural option (2000) then available. My reasons were somewhat different. I had walked away from a MS program in 1973 with all of the course work done, and an incomplete project (non-thesis option). It always bothered me that it was not finished.

27 years later and facing a downsizing, I knew I needed to do something to enhance my skills. Many of the courses were the same topics I had previously studied, but the use of computers had completely changed both education and the work environment. It was a perfect oportunity to upgrade my skills. 2 of my 3 subsequent employers reimbursed me for B or better grades, and this became my required continuing education.

There was one semester that nothing being offered fit my requirements, and one other where I had to drop the class because of personal reasons. So it took 6 1/2years to complete the (11) 3 credit classes required for the non-thesis option.

I think they have a thesis option, but I felt I was too far away from the University and a good research library to even attempt that. That access may all be on-line by now.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

gjc

 

[pettus71]

Thank you very much! It is refreshing to hear from people who are actually enrolled in online structural grad schools because I have had a good deal of resistance from other fellow engineers. I have heard it all from I "should get an MBA instead" to "you don't learn as much in online classes". I was beginning to think that enrolling in grad school for the added knowledge and understanding was a mistake. I am also glad to hear I can take the classes one at a time.

Thanks again for all the help. I feel much more confident about making a decision, and I plan to enroll in one of these schools as long as it works out financially.

 

[HDS]

Stick with an online program from a normal college with full accreditation that could be transfer to any schools day program. My wife found out the hard way that the accreditation advertised by many online schools is meaningless even to other online schools.

 

[SWEG]

STLstruc-- I am planning on taking my first course through MS&T's MSCE program this fall. Any word of advice on the program or classes in general? How many hours a week would you say you put towards study? I'm married, 1 child (15 months) and work 40-55 or 60 hours a week and am planning 1 class at a time. I plan on taking the Masonry design course first; figured it would be an easy intro into grad classes.

I'm worried because it's been about 5 years since using undergrad calc and diff-eq that I will need to do some self study to bring myself back up to speed on my math skills for the later math intensive classes. Which classes have you taken and which one's required the most in advanced mathematics?

Thanks in advance for your help and I appreciate your previous comments.

pjw

 

[STLstruc]

PJW, Sorry I’m just now getting back to you, I wanted to be able to craft a concise and helpful email. Great to hear you’re starting the program. Taking one course at a time is definitely the long haul, but is fairly reasonable to make grad school happen while working full time. I have spent several years of my grad program married with a kid and working as well (not 55/60 hour weeks though!). As far as time, I’ve never really tracked this and it depends on each course, but I would say on average I spend say 3 hrs a week in lecture online, another 1-2 studying, and say 2-4 doing homework/projects/preparing for exams. That’s not to say that once in awhile I haven’t gotten behind in my lectures and spent only 1-2 hrs some week. Difficult classes have found me putting in up to 20 hrs a week at times to finish homework and absorb the material, this was not consistent even with the difficult courses though.

I took Masonry Design and found in to be an excellent course, it’s taught by the technical director of the St. Louis Masonry Society and co-lead by Dr. Myers (MS&T). A good fundamental course in Masonry Design (and actually taught with practice in mind, excellent.)

As far as specific courses and the need for advanced mathematics: I would say that many of the classes hint at calculus, but it’s rarely if ever required for HW/Exams. Courses in Finite Element Analysis (Civ or ME), Structural Dynamics (Civ), Advanced Mechanics of Materials (ME), and Structural Stability (ME) will probably all require some level of Diff EQ. Since the courses aren’t always offered, even years in between, I haven’t and won’t take the first two mentioned above, I just did the third, and not the fourth. To date I have taken, Computer Methods of Structural Analysis, Adv. Concrete Design, Min. Loads on Bldgs., Adv. Lightweight Steel Design, Construction Methods, Incan Geotechnical Construction Practices, Adv. Mechanics of Materials, Project Management, and then have one more. For more specific info, I’d be more than happy to fill you in. A phone call would probably be best.

Good luck PJW, Rolla is a great school, Dr. Myers will be able to help you with any questions about navigating the structural classes, and what’s typically offered.

 

[walleyebuster]

Good luck PJW! I start online graduate school this week at NCSU so maybe at the end of the semester, I will have more to contribute to this thread.

 

[brandonbw]

Are these online Masters accredited like mentioned by HDS above? Also what does the degree end up saying, would someone be able to tell that it was done online? I was very close to going the MBA route in London, but for some reason I love engineering too much to leave the profession. So maybe an online masters while running my business is a good way to go.

B+W Engineering and Design
Los Angeles Civil Engineer and Structural Engineer

http://bwengr.com

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http://bwstructuralengineer.com

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http://bwcivilengineer.com

 

[dwday]

Thanks to all for posting on this topic. I am still a student and am really hoping to begin working with a pretty great company with only my BS after a great interview. I also just got accepted to Purdue's Graduate Structures School, and am trying to weigh the decision, I really am ready to move on and start gaining experience. Looking into these options as well. Has anyone looked into Norwich Universities online option?

 

[jpankask]

Brandonbw, very few master's programs are actually accredited. The reason being that ABET will only accredit one program at any particular school, the undergraduate or the graduate program. The vast majority of schools choose to accredit their undergraduate program because they have many more students in the undergraduate program vs. the graduate program. Also, most states require an ABET-accredited BS degree to become licensed. Thus you will see statements such as "taught by the same faculty as the accredited undergraduate program", etc. And this is most generally the case that the same professors teach the undergraduate and graduate classes. My MS degree was from a distance learning program at a school where all of the engineering undergraduate programs are accredited. There is no indication on my degree that it was through distance learning. My diploma simply states Master of Science degree...

 

[GreggW30]

I would definitely look at an online school. There are quite a few out there actually and are very cost effective. Like I mentioned in a previous post Purdue: ([URL unfurl="true"]https://purdueonlineengineering.com/[/url]) and Standford: ([URL unfurl="true"]http://see.stanford.edu/[/url]) are a couple examples of online engineering schools. Good Luck!

 

[jack1794]

Dear STLstruc
I am also interested in doing Master degree in Structural Engineering through Distance/Online mode.I found that the overall cost for completing the Master's Degree is approx equal to 20k-25k USD for International Students for the universities which u listed here.I feel it is costly.Do they reduce the fees through scholarship ?.
Does anybody knows Universities which charges nominal amount (1k-5k USD) for the entire course ? Of course,the university should be accredited and recognized internationally.