EE degree

[dereckbc]

Assuming the website Don posted is currently up to date, my concern with online universities is that very few are ABET accredited.

Ok from a guy who took a similar path, ABET is extremely important.

Without it most employers will see that asvery negative and discount the degree, they might not even consider it.. Not too mention it will lock you out of any PE licensure in most states, PE is where the real big money is.

The other challenge for you is how much determination and stamina you have, plus your willingness to give up a social life for a few years. Working full time and going to school will take all your free time, and a lot of your sleep and leisure time away from you for a few years. You are going to spend a lot of late nights studying with little sleep, and miss a lot leisure/pleasure activities. However it is worth it after you reach your goal, the rewards are tremendous if you are willing to work hard and long hours.

 

[bolthead]

WOW! You guys did not disappoint! I visited LSU today and will visit a SLU tomorrow. The plan is to finish the prerequisits at the local SLU (for less $ and the evening scheduleing) then on to LSU. I will concentrate in power and will keep the forum informed and involoved! Thanks to everyone for the input.

 

[bolthead]

to be in classes with late teens / early twenties students.

I dont embarass easily. My military past and a general not caring what people think, and the ability to out perform most late teens and early twenties, keeps me focused on my goals as opposed to distractions. Also I attended college 5 years ago as a thirty year old and it did not really bother me too bad.

 

[bolthead]

glene77is,
I grew up in Memphis and started at Gingery before he sold to the Patels. My Associates Degree is from STCC. Are you with an IEC company? Do you know if any of their courses would apply toward EE?

 

[bbaumer]

.... PE is where the real big money is.

.......

Hey, I'm a PE. Where's all the real big money!!? I want to know!


All kidding aside, having a PE doesn't hurt. Hasn't gotten me "real big money" but it has kept me in a job with a little more pay than without it.:wink:

 

[glene77is]

glene77is,
I grew up in Memphis and started at Gingery before he sold to the Patels. My Associates Degree is from STCC. Are you with an IEC company? Do you know if any of their courses would apply toward EE?

Bolt,

I know of Gingery, and a little history. You can PM me for details, chatting.
I have worked at two IEC shops, and five shops before IEC was formed.
I have always been enthusiastic about being a licensed journeyman,
having taken a closed book test 30 years ago.

Were you asking if the IEC apprentice program has college accreditation ?
Don't know about that.
My experience was that electrical trade schools are considered 'blue collar'
and not 'academic & theory' oriented.

As for STCC,
I know that when State Tech Memphis was converted into STCC,
it was to secure full "TN Board of Regents" accreditation
and "alignment" with semester based State colleges/universities.

STCC should transfer to comparable MSU course work.
The key is "'comparable'", so that a 'Comm College' could offer
different 'level' courses than a 'full fledged' E.E. course at a 'university'.
The idea would be of a different type of student body,
so different course structure.

From State Tech at Memphis (STIM), in 1982, the hours had an equivalency at MSU.
They were considered, back then, as upper level. So, I entered as a fifth year student, but then had more pressing obligations. Whether Shelby State Comm College semester hours are accepted equally I don't know.

I encourage you to pursue the engineering approach.
The physics/engineering of electrical things
will help explain the "why" behind NEC during application.

Glen

 

[glene77is]

WOW! You guys did not disappoint! I visited LSU today and will visit a SLU tomorrow. The plan is to finish the prerequisits at the local SLU (for less $ and the evening scheduleing) then on to LSU. I will concentrate in power and will keep the forum informed and involoved! Thanks to everyone for the input.

Good Luck!
Life will get even more interesting!

 

[Bonsall]

I graduated from LSU in 2006 with a BS in Electrical Engineering (Focus in Power). I am currently an electrical engineer at an Oil Refinery in Louisiana.

Just to give you a heads up, their EE curriculum follows very closely with Computer Engineering up until your last few semesters when you can take your 4000 level engineering electives. You will be required to take multiple computer programming classes as well as electronics, linear systems and signal processing. It wasn't until I started taking my Power Electives that I knew I was in the right major for myself.

LSU has a very small Power Engineering Department, but the teachers they do have are very good. Some of them only teach at night because they own their own engineering firms and teach classes on the side at nights (these were the best classes I took, these teachers actually taught about industrial power systems and situations that really occur in industrial facilities.)

Anyways, I want to wish you good luck and let you know that if your interest is in power, then you will have to go through a bunch of other classes to get to the ones you will really enjoy.

 

[steve66]

I dont embarass easily. My military past and a general not caring what people think, and the ability to out perform most late teens and early twenties, keeps me focused on my goals as opposed to distractions. Also I attended college 5 years ago as a thirty year old and it did not really bother me too bad.

Good luck bolthead. It will be well worth it. And you probably won't be the only older person there.

But don't underestimate the younger kids. Engineering students tend to be a different crowd than the "Liberal Arts and Science" people. The engineers know what they want to do with their life, and they are willing to work hard to get where they want to be.

You will have to put in a lot of hard work to keep up, but again, you will learn a lot, and it will be well worth it.

Steve