Sharpen Your Pencil and Start Earning Your Online Engineering Degree

An online engineering degree can satisfy your ultimate thirst for knowledge and label you an inventor, a problem solver, and an engineer.

Watch the cars on the freeway. See the train on the tracks. Raise your head to catch a glimpse of the jet that just flew by. These are all fetes of engineering. Someone like you scratched their head and said, "I can make that happen." And they did.

If you have a good head for math, and are analytical and like to look at the details of everything you do, then you could be a good candidate for an online engineering degree.

A Wide List of Specializations Available

Engineers use science and math to design, develop, test and produce or maintain an element, an application, or a product. And while general principles of engineering are common, their applications are many and varied. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics classifies 17 specialties under the engineering domain.

They are as follows:

• Aerospace Engineers
• Agricultural Engineers
• Biomedical Engineers
• Chemical Engineers
• Civil Engineers
• Computer Hardware Engineers
• Electrical Engineers
• Electronics Engineers (not including computers)
• Environment Engineers
• Health and Safety Engineers
• Industrial Engineers
• Marine Engineers and Naval Architects
• Materials Engineers
• Mechanical Engineers
• Mining and Geological Engineers
• Nuclear Engineers
• Petroleum Engineers

When it comes to engineering, online degrees from state universities can be a great choice. With these degrees you have the chance to go on campus for physical projects and competitions which can add to your portfolio. With your online engineering degree, you will be able to enter the field at the entry level. But as an undergraduate you should select a specialty to focus on. Practical experience through internships is recommended as competition is high among engineering candidates. Many employers look not only at your past experience, but at the grades you earned and the classes you took while completing your degree. If you are fortunate, you might find an employer who will support your future studies by offering tuition assistance or even give you time off to study for a graduate degree.

Your online engineering degree program will include classes in mathematics, life science, physical science, general engineering, design, computer science and, of course, your area of concentration.

Licensure and Certification

All engineers who serve the general public are required to be licensed. Each state is responsible for its own licensing requirements, therefore check with your state (or the state in which you wish to be employed) to ensure that you qualify for licensure. Licensure typically requires you to have obtained an engineering degree from an accredited school, four years of engineering experience and the successful completion of an examination.

Additionally, you may wish to pursue voluntary certification to make yourself more marketable to a specific set of employers. Certification is offered by professional associations that are usually available by engineering specialty. An Internet search for your area of discipline should point you to the web site of such an association, which will indicate if there is a certification process.

Become and Engineer

While an engineering degree is no easy accomplishment, you can simplify it for yourself by choosing an online engineering degree program that allows you to study from anywhere you wish. Avoid lengthy commuting. Use the time to study. An online program gives you computer access to teachers, fellow students and the nearly unlimited assets that will help make your education enjoyable and profitable.