Online Engineering Degrees

A career in engineering is a highly respected and lucrative career choice for students looking to combine math and science, design and planning,
and both office and field work. From structural to civil engineering degrees, engineers will learn how to work with teams to design and implement the construction of buildings, bridges and roads. When deciding what kind of work you want to do with your degree, consider the vast number of concentrations that engineers can choose. While the majority of job titles fit under the umbrella of structural or civil engineering, there are dozens of specializations from chemical engineering and aerospace engineering to biomedical engineering. The engineering field is both challenging and rewarding and there is a lot of room for growth as engineers can work both independently and for large engineering firms.

Since engineering is the melding of both math and science, programs will provide a strong background in each with the focus on how all of these disciplines work together. Engineers will have a very expansive foundation in all mathematics courses including calculus. From there engineers will have to take all of the basic physical sciences like biology, chemistry and physics and then will take advanced courses in a variety of courses including thermodynamics, fluids, structures, environmental and water systems, and geology. Upon completion of an engineering degree and after a few years of experience, most engineers go on to take the Professional Engineers Exam or the PEE. Graduate level work is also an option for people looking to specialize more heavily in one particular area.

Engineers are always in demand and engineering degree holders will have a number of possible job opportunities depending on the field in which they specialize. In addition, engineers often work independently. There are positions for engineers in many different fields—bioengineering, chemical engineering, structural and civil engineering, in aerospace and agriculture, as well as mechanical and nuclear engineering. Additional specialized courses will be needed to work in a lot of these fields, but with training and experience, there is almost no field of work that an engineer can’t find him or herself. The median salary for an engineer is anywhere from $70,000 to $90,000 depending on the specialty. Engineering is a growing field and one that will both challenge and reward the degree holder.