Online engineering degrees?

[davewill]

*chuckle* And I gave him options in lieu of gen-eds...so what's your point. Or are you just going to niggle at all of my posts without moving the needle. (BTW, you're welcs for the detailed, well-researched post I wrote to you on behalf of your son and data analytics options. I hear there's a Manners SP2 release soon...)

Thanks, I did appreciate that. I don't mean to niggle, You give a lot of good info and advice. You just made it sound like he could pound out GenEds without picking a path and that I was incorrect to point out he couldn't. Normally we do make that suggestion around here, when the choice is among the Big3, but since that's not the case here, I was afraid he could start into the usual alternative credit and have it not be useful.

[SolarKat]

Thanks, I did appreciate that. I don't mean to niggle, You give a lot of good info and advice. You just made it sound like he could pound out GenEds without picking a path and that I was incorrect to point out he couldn't. Normally we do make that suggestion around here, when the choice is among the Big3, but since that's not the case here, I was afraid he could start into the usual alternative credit and have it not be useful.

No worries. You're right (again), that he's going to have to pick a path so as not to waste time/effort/money. The OP should emphasize that point, when they speak next, because the dependency tree is rather complex.

(I know, I know...before liberal arts fans come out of the woodwork with pitchforks & torches, the gen-eds can be fun and informative!! But I'm a math/sci/eng nerd who'd rather spend my little stash of money on things giving me skillz. I'd rather read those history/art/sociology books for free in my spare time! Just like some of you hate having to do so much math/sci for the history degree! )

[homeschoolmom1]

Lots of interesting graduate level engineering classes at UMass-Lowell, SolarKat. On a related note, does anyone know if the electronics classes at TESU cost an exorbitant supplies fee just like those at APU?

[SolarKat]

Lots of interesting graduate level engineering classes at UMass-Lowell, SolarKat. On a related note, does anyone know if the electronics classes at TESU cost an exorbitant supplies fee just like those at APU?

It's cheaper at TESU, but the objectives are a little different between the BSEE and BSEET. The BSEE builds skills for complex design, whereas the BSEET is more about implementing and testing designs from the EEs. TESU seems to use a lot of software simulation of circuits, vs building them by hand. Quickly skimming boards, they use Arduino and Dragon12...much cheaper. The tradeoff is little exposure to industry faves. Just skimming quickly, if a student has no exposure to electronics beforehand, the TESU program may be pretty light on career prep. For a military electronics person, who has had A and C school training on a lot of the basics, TESU would be a good fit.

Also TESU's math is different...they only require stats, calc 1 & calc 2. Whereas APU/AMU require the full calc sequence (1, 2, 3/multivar, diff equations), plus discrete and an upper level applied probability class. (UML's on-campus EET requires through diffeq, too, yet both TESU and UML are ABET. So I don't know what the actual ABET standards cover. UML's EET actually looks more like APU/AMU's EE.)

As an aside, I just noticed today that SNHU is running an on-campus BSEE. Not ABET, but like APU/AMU, they wouldn't qualify until they have graduates who've completed a portfolio of classes that they can submit for final review/approval. This is interesting to me because, if anyone recalls the big ITT fiasco, SNHU was one of the New England colleges that jumped right in, offering to accept just about any credits from ITT, including their electronics stuff. The Wilmington, MA, ITT had a lot of students head over the border to SNHU to carry on.

UML offers an evening on-campus EET (and MET too, I think), if there's any hope of getting to Lowell for classes. They bought out Middlesex Community College, too, so there's another feeder for the (already competitive and crowded) engineering program.

If you have the chance to zip up to Lowell, BTW, definitely hit their NERVE Center. Holly Yanko's program is a lot of fun to see (and she's just a bubbly bundle of energy who loves sharing robotics, especially with girls). They do open houses fairly regularly, and they always pull out NASA's Valkyrie (since they got 1 of the 4 existing in the whole world). MIT doesn't let their Valkyrie out in public quite as often...stingy beavers.

[homeschoolmom1]

You gave me about 3 days worth of stuff to look up! Awesome, thanks. Ok, now the laundry...

[SolarKat]

You gave me about 3 days worth of stuff to look up! Awesome, thanks. Ok, now the laundry...

LOL - For anyone interested in EE/EET without existing career/military experience (or if it's a tangential interest, like math/CS/design, etc)...there's more than one way to skin this cat. I encourage anyone with even a passing connection to join IEEE and ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) as a student member. It's cheap and you get access to some interesting events, with chapters worldwide. They offer continuing ed for members (seems like ACM has a ton of certification prep, for example), and discounts (I think I saw that APU/AMU offer a tuition discount for IEEE, and have a student chapter). Conferences are great for networking and training. They have student conferences around the country, too (or student sessions at the professional conferences). Network, network, network. You also get journal access, etc. And membership in individual societies within IEEE/ACM (like Robotics, Controls, Power Systems, Sustainability...there are over 100, I believe) is only a few dollars more per society, with access to even more specialized stuff/events.

And finally, make a list of manufacturers that are in your area or that are of interest to you. National Instruments, Mathworks, Xilinx, Solidworks, Teradyne...lots of them offer training classes (some even free!) on their equipment/software. Some do roadshows around the country, or have offices around the country with on-site engineers who hold monthly users groups, free seminars, etc. It's a great way to get exposed to the bigger world of EE/EET without having to invest a ton of money in equipment purchases and home trial and error. National Instruments offices hold a big free event every year (it's in the fall this year, in 12 locations including Woburn, MA) with trainings, certification info/prep session, giveaways, etc. The coffee at the Woburn venue sucks, but everything else is pure awesome. Someone new to electronics might be baffled by parts of it, but it's never too early to start networking...plus, they really want to suck you into "their stuff" so they're very eager to help you with *any* questions or problems. Other providers offer similar opportunities. There are 3rd party "trainers" that charge for classes, too, but you can get at least some exposure for free. Also look at conferences, as they usually have an exhibit hall which may include training sessions/opportunities for little/no money.

[nyvrem]

Stony Brook's EE online program is only $270 per credit hour if you're an NY resident

Tuition and Fees | Electrical Engineering Online

if i ever went back for a 2nd degree, it'll be with them for EE.

[SolarKat]

Stony Brook's EE online program is only $270 per credit hour if you're an NY resident

Tuition and Fees | Electrical Engineering Online

if i ever went back for a 2nd degree, it'll be with them for EE.

Stony Brook is a great option (especially at that price!). One thing about their EE, though, is that it's more a "degree completion" program. They won't admit you to the program unless/until you have a big chunk of the basics done. By 'basics', I mean the entire calc sequence through diff eq, calc-based physics 1 & 2, chem or phys 3, C/C++, elementary circuits, and digital logic for a total of 39cr (so all but 1 have to be 4 credit classes)...and every class has to be at a C or better, vs looking at cumulative GPA. (They also require 4 gen eds pre-admission.) The catch-22 is, they'll only let you take 24cr as a nonmatriculated student. So this isn't a program you can just dive into easily, starting from scratch.