Introduction to Engineering

An online engineering degree program teaches students how to apply scientific and mathematical techniques to deliver practical solutions to complex problems. Engineers are integral to numerous industries and applications, allowing students to specialize in an online program that best suits his or her needs.

Potential career paths include engineering new products, working with robotics, building bridges and other structures, nanotechnology, agricultural planning and developing solutions to environmental problems. Start your path toward a rewarding engineering degree online by learning more about the degree program that most interests you.

Online Degrees In Engineering

Engineering FAQ

What Educational requirements are needed to begin an Online Engineering Degree?

The majority of entry-level engineering jobs require a bachelor's degree. For some engineering fields, such as engineering research, a master's degree or doctoral degree may be necessary. Job employers typically prefer graduates to have a specialized degree in the engineering field for which they enter. However, a general online mathematics degree or natural science degree may provide adequate preparation for some engineering positions.

The curriculum offered in a distance learning engineering program generally involves a high level of mathematics and science courses. This is typically complemented by general and specialized engineering classes.

Following graduation, engineering graduates who will use their skills to directly benefit the public must acquire an engineering license in their field of choice. As a result, it is important to know whether the online engineering program in which you intend to enroll will allow you to register as a professional engineer.

What kind of career possibilities are available with an Online Engineering Degree?

Currently, there are approximately 1.5 million engineering positions in the United States. From these jobs, about 37 percent are in the manufacturing industry. The professional, scientific and technical services sector accounts for another 28 percent of jobs. Electrical engineers, electronics engineers and aerospace engineers are also in high demand, particularly in industries, such as telecommunication, construction and wholesale trade.

Both corporations and government institutions are potential employers for individuals with an online degree in engineering. Engineering jobs are in all 50 states, in city and rural environments. While most engineering specialties offer career prospects throughout the country, some offer only localized employment. For example, petroleum engineers typically find employment in the Southwest and Alaska, as that is where oil and gas deposits are largely found.

What does the future hold for those with an Online Engineering Degree?

While each engineering specialty is unique, the general status of the engineering career field is good. Employment for the job sector is expected to grow by 11 percent through 2016. Out of all engineering specialties, environmental engineering should see the largest growth over the next few years.

The expected salary of engineers depends largely on the field that online engineering degree graduates intend to enter. Median salaries for some of the most popular engineering fields are as follows:

  • Aerospace engineering: $87,610
  • Agricultural engineering: $66,030
  • Biomedical engineering: $73,930
  • Civil engineering: $68,600
  • Electrical engineering: $75,930
  • Electronics engineering: $81,050
  • Mechanical engineering: $69,850
  • Petroleum engineering: $98,380

 

 

Engineering > Digital Library > Journals | Databases

Engineering Study Aids

See also

Academic Press Dictionary of Science and Technology

Applied Superconductivity Center Publications

Australasian Virtual Engineering Library (AVEL)
"...is your portal to quality Australasian engineering & information technology (IT) resources. These include quality websites, conference announcements, jobs & employment listing and full-text papers. The resources are selected and reviewed by experts to help you find quality engineering and IT websites quickly."

  • Virtual Environment and Sustainable Systems Engineering Library (VESSEL)
    "VESSEL is the name of the World Virtual Engineering Library Network which is being established by the International Council for Engineering and Technology... The principal emphasis of the VESSEL network will be to provide developing nations with improved access to resources that can assist in education in science, technology and engineering, at senior levels in schools and technical colleges and universities. The network will aim particularly to provide resources to teachers and lecturers, and will seek to meet the requirements identified within the developing countries."

Built in America
Historic American Buildings Survey / Historic American Engineering Record, 1933-Present
"The collections document achievements in architecture, engineering, and design in the United States and its territories through a comprehensive range of building types and engineering technologies including examples as diverse as windmills, one-room schoolhouses, the Golden Gate Bridge, and buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright."
American Memory, Library of Congress

Civil Society Computer Networks the Perilous Road of Cyber-politics - (dead link)

Composite Materials Handbook (MIL-HDBK-17)
"The Composite Materials Handbook is the primary and authoritative source for statistically-based characterization data of current and emerging polymer matrix, metal matrix, and ceramic matrix composite materials, reflecting the best available data and technology for testing and analysis, and including data development and usage guidelines."
U. S. Army Research Laboratory, Materials Sciences Corporation, and University of Delaware Center for Composite Materials

Earthquake (02/28/01) Damage to University of Washington Libraries

Engineering Case Studies
"This is a collection of information on engineering cases. These are accounts of real engineering projects that are written for use in engineering education. The accounts are not highly technical, and are quite readable by those with the appropriate interest."
- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Carleton University

Engineering Conferences International Symposium Series
"Engineering Conferences International is pleased to team with The Berkeley Electronic Press to provide conference organizers with a new publication option - a highly visible, rapidly disseminated outlet for conference materials. The ECI Symposium Series electronically publishes presented papers, peer-reviewed articles, and other materials (presentations, data sets, video files, etc.) associated with ECI conferences."

Engineering Council (UK) - EC(UK)
"...is a chartered institution established in 1982 to promote and regulate the engineering profession in the UK."

Engineering News-Record

EngineersToolbox
The Advanced Online Resources for Engineering Calculations and Reference.
"...is a freely-available collection of advanced online computational and reference modules for professional and student engineers everywhere."

Farnsworth Chronicles
"Life story of Philo T. Farnsworth recreated in multiple installments. The material was compiled during the 1970's from exhaustive interviews conducted with Farnsworth's widow and oldest son."

Foresight Conference on Molecular Nanotechnology
Papers from the 5th conference

Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Software Directory
"...catalogues 1240 programs in the fields of Geotechnical Engineering, Soil Mechanics, Rock Mechanics, Engineering Geology, Foundation Engineering, Hydrogeology, Geoenvironmental Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Data Analysis and Data Visualisation and lists 757 worldwide suppliers and publishers of these programs."
Compiled by Tom Spink

A Heat Transfer Textbook
"This book is an introduction to heat and mass transfer oriented toward engineering students. It may be downloaded without charge. At present, draft versions are being posted; the version number is given on the titlepage verso. The version is changing frequently.  Visit this page again in order to obtain updates."
Online textbook by John H. Lienhard IV, University of Houston and John H. Lienhard V., Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Index to Physical, Chemical and Other Property Data
 "This page is an index to selected library and internet resources that contain chemical, physical, thermodynamic, mechanical, toxicological, and safety data."
Science Reference Department, Arizona State University Noble Library

Introduction to Fluid Power
Training Series on How Hydraulics and Pneumatics Work
By Integrated Publishing

Jet Propulsion Laboratory Technical Server
"...is a database of Abstracts, Citations and full text Technical Reports written by and for the scientific and technical community."
NASA

Learning and Teaching Support Network for Engineering (LTSN) (UK)
"...is a national centre providing subject based support for the UK higher education engineering community in the area of learning and teaching."

Learnon.org
"...a free searchable database of continuing education and distance learning courses for engineering, technology and computer related field professionals.  Currently our database has approximately 4,500 courses provided by 70 of the nation's top universities and professional societies."

MAGiC - Managing Access to Grey Literature Collections
"The MAGiC project is a first step towards establishing a new collaborative system for the collection, storage and utilisation of engineering grey literature. Importantly it seeks to ensure that access to technical reports becomes part of the continuing development of a distributed national electronic resource."
A major UK project.

Molecular Expressions: Chip Shots Gallery
Microscopy of Integrated Circuits
"The Chip Shots website explores the hidden beauty in some of today's hottest microprocessors as visualized under a microscope. Using a variety of unique, highly-refined reflected optical microscopy techniques, we have developed a large collection of full-color photomicrographs (photographs taken through a microscope) illustrating the beautiful patterns observed on integrated circuit surfaces."
By Michael W. Davidson, Florida State University

National Academy of Engineering of the National Academies

  • Fact Sheets on Terrorist Attacks
    "The National Academies is preparing fact sheets on four types of terrorist attacks. Drawing on our many reviewed publications, the expertise of our members, and the knowledge of other esteemed authorities, the fact sheets will provide reliable, objective information."

National Academy Press (free downloads)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP)

National Science Foundation

 

National Transportation Safety Board Selected Publications

Potential of Nanotechnology for Molecular Manufacturing
By Max Nelson and Calvin Shipbaugh

RESNA - Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America
 "...is an interdisciplinary association of people with a common interest in technology and disability."

  • Technical Assistance Project Library
    Includes: Law ; Federal Reports ; Federal Budget ; Congressional Hearings ; Statistics ; International Reports ; TAP Bulletins ; Training Materials ; Accomplishment Series ; Resources ; Web-Based Educational Commission.

Scientific and Technical Reports - Elements, Organization and Design
"This revision of Z39.18-1987 brings the standard on report writing into the electronic age by including de facto document type definitions (DTDs) to describe the structure of reports so the document can be electronically processed using document imaging, OCR, compression/decompression, and optical media storage of full text."

The Scientist and Engineer's Guide to Digital Signal Processing (etext)
By Steven W. Smith, California Technical Publishing, 1997.

SearchLT Engineering
"Quality Learning and Teaching Resources for Engineering"
"...is an internet resource catalogue with extravalue services, which aims to help lecturers select and access suitable computer- and web-based learning materials for their courses...allows you to identify computer based resources suitable for your learning and teaching work, and to access to independently produced reviews on these resources."
- Part of EEVL and LTSN-Engineering

Engineering Statistics Handbook (etext)
NIST/SEMATECH e-Handbook of Statistical Methods
 - National Institute of Standards and Technology - Statistical Engineering Division

U.S. Department of Commerce

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)

  • DOE Information Bridge
     "...provides free and convenient access to full-text and bibliographic records of Department of Energy (DOE) research and development reports in physics, chemistry, materials, biology, environmental sciences, energy technologies, engineering, computer and information science, renewable energy, and other topics."
  • Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) - The Virtual Library of Energy Science and Technology
     "The World's Most Comprehensive Collection of Energy, Science, and Technology Information."
    "The Library's resources include three vast virtual collections covering each of the three main ways by which scientists communicate their findings: journal literature, grey literature, and preprints. Many other collections of interest are available.

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Annual reports and other publications

Voices of Innovation
"A daily radio program that celebrates the world of engineering."
- American Association of Engineering Societies

Water Words Dictionary - (dead link)
A Compilation of Technical Water, Water Quality, Environmental, and Water-Related Terms
Nevada Division of Water Planning

Web Guide to Enhancing the Postdoctoral Experience for Scientists and Engineers - (dead link)
The National Academies Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy (COSEPUP)

whatis.com
An encyclopedia of computer & technical terms

World Conference on Nondestructive Testing - Proceedings
15th World Conference, Roma 15-21 October 2000

Libraries & Print Archives

ASAPWeb Australian Science Archives Project

Iowa State University Archives of Women in Science and Engineering
They are "interested in the personal papers of individual women as well as the records of women's organizations in engineering and the sciences. It seeks not only the papers of the most notable women whose names are already in the history books, but also those of women who have labored in the background, sometimes with little or no recognition."

 

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Academic Info.