Online Engineering Degree Programs
Online Engineering Degree Programs are still in their infancy compared to many other disciplines that have been more amenable to online learning. However, there are many colleges and universities that offer online engineering degrees. New trends in technology promise to make learning engineering online even more viable.
All engineering jobs require at least a bachelor’s degree, and if you want to progress in your field, you will require a masters degree. A number of bachelor and associate degrees are offered online, although it is more popular to get a graduate degree online.
The current state of online engineering degrees
A growing number of institutions are offering degrees online in many branches of engineering, including mechanical engineering, chemical engineering and electrical engineering.
Traditionally, the acquirement of an engineering degree has required lots of hands-on training, lab work and in class evaluation of projects. This is especially true in the senior years of college or university. These two areas prohibit an online engineering degree. However, there are several new technologies, such as podcasting, net mentoring and simulation programs that may better facilitate learning engineering online. For example, virtual labs have been shown to be effective (1,2) in spite of the fact that universities have been slow to adopt these.
Still, the most popular form of online engineering degree is a master’s degree. It is also very viable to acquire a certificate online.
Online Engineering Masters Degree Programs
A Masters degree online in engineering is the most popular form of online engineering degree. Many older engineers who wanted to upgrade their skills find the anonymity and easy accessibility of online learning to be to their advantage. Also, master’s degrees (like the first two years of many engineering programs) lean heavily toward mathematics and theory over practicum and lab work, which make them more feasible to be done online.
Graduate engineering degrees are not as difficult as getting into undergraduate programs, providing of course that you do have an undergraduate degree. It is much easier to get a graduate engineering degree online as these are often straightforward course work in theory and laboratories and professorial evaluation are far less relevant to this level.
You can learn more by clicking on the links nearby or consult our directory of schools offering an online engineering degree.
You can learn more about...:
Engineering
Engineering Employment and Income, Present and Future
Qualifications and Training Required for Engineers
