Are Online Engineering Degrees Worth Doing?

iv>Education and will probably be able to tell you all you
Find out what you can expect to gain in a career asneed to know: the New England , North central,
a professional engineer and how to become one.Middle States , Southern, Western and Northwest. In
Civil engineers earn on average about $43,000 pereach case you should consult the body in question to
year. For electrical engineers, earnings are almostsee if it covers the state you wish to study in.
double that. The chemical, drugs and plastic industriesBy far the biggest accredited institution is the
seem to have the highest-paid engineers of all, with aUniversity of Phoenix Online, which has been
median income of $85,000 for those over 35 yearsoperating since way back in 1976, and currently
of age.offers the highest number of accredited online
For these reasons, it is worth while obtaining suitabledegree programs. Average studying time until degree
qualifications which will give you recognition withincompletion is two to three years.
your chosen speciality. For those already workingTypical studies will include a focus on core studies of
within the industry but lacking the necessaryhigher mathematics, including calculus, algebra and
qualification to advance, an online degree offers yougeometry. Other areas of study may include physics
the flexibility of studying time you need.You can alsoand chemistry, depending on your major.
avoid unnecessary travel to campus and studyThe first level of engineering jobs will require a
exactly when and where it suits you, even on thebachelor's degree. Although there are several such
road. Trips to the library also become unnecessary,courses online, the majority are at graduate level.
with the downloading of online course material. Finally,Beyond that, there are broad-based degrees and a
prospective employers will know you have thevery wide range of specialist degrees, which are
necessary Internet skills to perform well in a moderngrouped in six main areas of engineering, as follows:
industry.chemical, civil, electrical, industrial, material science and
But there are so many courses on offer, it is difficultmechanical. Further specialisations as a college major
to know where to start. Here are some pointers torange from mining to aerospace engineering.
help you embark on an online degree course whichOne major advantage of this kind of course is that
you will not end up regretting.no matter how long you take, even if you have to
The first thing you should check for is that therelocate in the middle of the course, your studies will
degree is accredited. Accredited centers includebe in no way affected.
Centenary College of New Jersey, Capella University,There are also many non-academic institutions which
University of Phoenix, Walden University and manyoffer degrees online for payment. Prospective
more. Genuine online degree programs requirecandidates should ask for accreditation validation
student involvement in the form of tutorials, or onlinefrom the regional or national accrediting bodies before
discussions, as well as other intercommunication withto signing up . After that, it's up to you —
tutors and other students.with a couple of years' concentrated study, you
The following six accreditative regions havecould be on the way to a star salary, even if your
Association Commission on Institutions of Higherspeciality is not aerospace engineering.