Home » Online Degrees » Engineering

Online Engineering Degree Programs & Schools

An online engineering degree program is the study of the method of designing machines, systems and structures to fulfill a specific purpose, and of the implementation, testing and maintenance of such items using scientific principles. Engineers are integral to read more... 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 and follow through by earning a degree from an accredited school or college. The six main areas that constitute an engineering degree are chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, industrial engineering, materials science engineering and mechanical engineering. Within each of these are further subdivisions of engineering specialty.

Online Degrees In Engineering

Online General Engineering Degree FAQs

What Types of Degrees in Engineering Are Available Through Online Programs?

Associate's, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs are available online in the field of engineering.

How Long Does It Take to Complete an Online Associate's Degree Program in Engineering?

Online associate's degree programs usually take about two years to complete. This program offers a great baseline education in the engineering field and once completed, affords the graduate the qualifications to enroll in a bachelor's degree program in engineering.

What Does One Need to Know About the Online Bachelor's Degree Program in Engineering?

Online bachelor's degree programs in engineering provide the education you need to enter the engineering field in an entry-level position. This program takes approximately four years to complete and once finished, you can choose to enter the field or continue on to a master's degree program.

What Are the Benefits of an Online Master's Degree Program in Engineering?

Most occupations in the engineering field require the candidate to have a master's degree. This program provides a more specialized education in a specific area of study. Some specialties include electrical engineering, civil engineering and computer engineering.

Why Should I Pursue an Online Doctoral Degree Program in Engineering?

A doctoral degree in engineering is the highest level of education one can obtain in this field. Graduates are usually among the highest paid engineers and they commonly work in areas of research or as professors at higher learning institutions.

What Can I Do With an Engineering Degree?

Since engineers work in a wide range of industries, the possibilities for employment are strong in this field. Potential can be even better if you opt to work in a focused industry. Additionally, because of constant innovations and technological breakthroughs, engineering is among the professions that experiences continuous job growth.

If I Enroll in an Online Engineering Program, Can I Still Get Financial Aid?

Accredited colleges and universities offer financial aid for most online engineering degree programs. Other sources of tuition help include government grants, school loans and scholarships. Contact the school's admission office to determine eligibility.

Introduction

Engineering is the study of the method of designing machines, systems and structures to fulfill a specific purpose, and of the implementation, testing and maintenance of such items using scientific principles. Engineers work in many different disciplines and are crucial to many areas of daily life. No society could function effectively without engineers. The six main areas of engineering are chemical, civil, electrical, industrial, materials science and mechanical. Within each of these are further subdivisions of engineering specialty.

Engineering Books

Each discipline of engineering will have its own set of books that will be required for study. You should consult with your specific program to find out which books will be the best for you. Many of these should be available at your schoolís bookstore or library. Some basic books for the different disciplines of engineering include: 'The Civil Engineering Reference Manual for the PE Exam' by Michael R. Lindeburg, 'Electrical Engineering 101: Everything You Should Have Learned in School But Probably Didn't' by Darren Ashby, 'Engineering in History' by Richard Shelton Kirby and 'Engineering Formulas' by Kurt Gieck and Reiner Gieck. Also check out 'Engineering your Future' which provides a broad introduction to the study and practice of engineering.

Engineering Articles And Databases

It is likely that during your course of study in engineering you will be required to access a number of engineering articles from the relevant databases. Your school library is a great resource for these articles, as is the Internet Public Library Engineering section (http://www.ipl.org/div/subject/browse/sci15.00.00/), which provides a variety of useful databases for engineering and related disciplines.

Online Engineering Journals

The engineering journals you choose to draw on will also be dependent on the type of engineering you are studying. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers has an extensive library of journals online at their digital library site (asmedl.org/journals/doc/ASMEDL-home/jrnls/). Available journals include the Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, the Journal of Electronic Packaging and the Journal of Engineering Materials and Technology

Other Engineering Research Tools

A very useful engineering resource is the Intute: Science, Engineering and Technology site (http://www.intute.ac.uk/sciences/), which has a number of useful engineering links for you to check out. Click on engineering, and then choose the type of engineering you are interested in, from aerospace and defence engineering to sustainabl e development to find information, research papers, data and websites about the engineering field of your choice.

External Links and Resources

Online Engineering News

General: ENR.com, Engineering News-Record
"Engineering News-Record provides the news, analysis, commentary and data that construction industry professionals need to do their jobs more effectively."

General: The Engineer Online
Every fortnight, The Engineer provides a mix of news, features and analysis of emerging technologies, innovations and applications across industries, plus interviews with leading engineers and the latest job vacancies.

General: Engineering at Sciencedaily.com
News resource for engineering and technology. Also see their civi l-engineering page

General: Engineering at SciCentral.com
Selected Engineering headlines picked daily from a variety of online newspapers.

General: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Provides news and articles on a variety of engineering subjects, like civil engineering, electr ical engineering and mechan ical engineering

Civil: Engineering news at icivilengineer.com
"iCivilEngineer.com is a knowledge portal specially designed for civil engineering professionals and students."

Chemical: Chemical & Engineering News
"Chemical & Engineering News is a weekly magazine published by the American Chemical Society. "

General: The Magazine of Asme, Mechanical Engineering
"Mechanical Engineering Magazine Online is the online version of Mechanical Engineering magazine, the award-winning flagship publication of ASME Int’l (the American Society of Mechanical Engineers)."

Mechanical: Design News for Mechanical and Design Engineers
Design news and articles for mechanical and design engineers.

Electrical: EE Times, Electronics Industry News
"EE Times' editorial mission is to provide engineers and technical managers with timely, relevant news, analysis and opinion - of both technology and business - to help them keep their fingers on the pulse of the industry and to enable them to make the most informed business, technology and product decisions involving their designs."

Online Journals and Journal Databases

General: The International Journal for Service Learning in Engineering
"he Journal welcomes manuscripts based on original work of students and researchers with a specific focus or implication for service learning in engineering, engineering entrepreneurship in service, or related service learning pedagogy."

General: Concurrent Engineering Research and Applications
"Concurrent Engineering: Research & Applications (CERA) is an international journal that keeps pace with the plethora of current and developing techniques and applications about Concurrent Engineering (CE) and Integrated product development (IPD) around the world."

General: Online Journal for Global Engineering Education
"The Online Journal for Global Engineering Education (OJGEE) serves as a unique peer-reviewed research outlet for the cross-disciplinary and corporate constituencies involved in creating, maintaining, and growing global engineering education programs."

General: Journal of STEM Education Innovation & Research
"The Journal of STEM Education: Innovations and Research is a half yearly, peer-reviewed publication for educators in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education."

General: Journal of Applied Science & Engineering Technology "The Journal of Applied Science and Engineering Technology is a peer-reviewed publication, presenting the latest empirically-derived methodologies, analyses, and results, in engineering, technology, and the applied sciences."

Chemical: Chemical Engineering Education
"Published in February, May, August, and November of each year for the past forty one years, Chemical Engineering Education (CEE) is the premier archival journal for chemical engineering educators"

Chemical: The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering
"The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering (CJChE) is recognized internationally as being one of the leading publications in its field. Published on a non-profit basis by the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering (CSChE), the CJChE carries original research papers, in either English or French, dealing with the theory or practice of chemical engineering, biochemical engineering, environmental process engineering, and applied chemistry."

Chemical: International Journal of Chemical Engineering
"International Journal of Chemical Engineering is a peer-reviewed, open access journal that publishes original research articles as well as review articles in all areas of chemical engineering."

Chemical: Chemical Engineering Journal at Elsevier
"The Chemical Engineering Journal focuses upon three aspects of chemical engineering: chemical reaction engineering, environmental chemical engineering, and materials synthesis and processing.The Chemical Engineering Journal is an international research journal and invites contributions of original and novel fundamental research. "

Electrical: Journal of Electrical Engineering
"JEE continues the prestigious "Scientific Bulletin" of University "POLITEHNICA", electrotehnical section, but in electronic form. It also aims to become a fully international archival journal. All operations will be done through INTERNET (paperless)."

Electrical: International Journal of Electrical Engineering Education
"IJEEE is a forum for the exchange of ideas in the teaching of electrical engineering and electronics at university and technical college level. It highlights the use of communication and information technology including the World Wide Web, curriculum design and validation, assessment, and distance learning, as well as presenting new topics and reports of laboratory experiments."

Electrical: Computers & Electrical Engineering
"Published since 1973, Computers and Electrical Engineering provides rapid publication of topical research into the integration of computer technology and computational techniques with electrical and electronic systems. The journal publishes papers featuring novel implementations of computers and computational techniques in areas like signal processing, image processing, high-performance computing, parellel processing, communication and the internet."

Industrial: The international journal of Industrial Engineering
"This refereed quarterly journal is established to distribute information of significant research, theoretical works, technical and methodological applications, case studies, short communications, and surveys and reviews concerned with the traditional or core Industrial Engineering areas to both researchers and practitioners."

Industrial: Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management
"Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management is a semestral, open access scientific journal that publishes theoretical and empirical peer-reviewed articles, which contribute to advance the understanding of phenomena related with all aspects of industrial engineering and industrial management."

Industrial: Computers and Industrial Engineering Journals
The journal aims at an audience of researchers, educators and practitioners of industrial engineering and associated fields. It publishes original contributions to the development of new computerized methodologies for solving industrial engineering problems, and applications of these methodologies to problems of interest to the broad industrial engineering and associated communities.

Mechanical: The International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education
"IJMEE is aimed at teachers and trainers of mechanical engineering students in higher education and focuses on the discussion of the principles and practices of training professional, technical and mechanical engineers and those in related fields. It encourages articles about new experimental methods, and laboratory techniques, and includes book reviews and highlights or recent articles in this field."

Mechanical: Journals in Mechanical Engineering
Database of mechanical engineering journals at Springer.com.

Mechanical: Electronic Journals for Mechanical Engineering
Database of mechanical engineering journals at the University of Delaware library site.

Mechanical: Mechanical Engineering Journals
Engineering journal database at Brigham Young University

Material: Material Science Research India
" Material Science Research India (MSRI), strives to provide a forum for worldwide scientific researchers to share findings on all aspects of Materials Science & Engineering and to disseminate innovative, relevant and useful information throughout the scientific horizon."

Material: The Open Materials Science Journal
"The Open Materials Science Journal is an Open Access online journal, which publishes research articles, reviews, and letters on major advances across the entire spectrum of materials science and application of materials."

Research Tools

Engineering Pathway Digital Library

"We invite you to Learn, Connect, and Create with high-quality teaching and learning resources in applied science and math, engineering, computer science/information technology, and engineering technology for use by K-12 and university educators and students."

General: Control Tutorials for Matlab
"Matlab is an interactive program for numerical computation and data visualization; it is used extensively by control engineers for analysis and design. There are many different toolboxes available which extend the basic functions of Matlab into different application areas; in these tutorials, we will make extensive use of the Control Systems Toolbox."

General: Engineering fundamentics
"eFunda stands for engineering Fundamentals. Its mission is to create an online destination for the engineering community, where working professionals can quickly find concise and reliable information to meet the majority of their daily reference needs."

General: Scitopia.org
"Search over 3.5 million documents, plus patents and government data. Twenty One societies spanning 350 years of sci-tech scholarship help you with your queries."

General: Engineers Edge
"Our Mission is to be the prefferred online destination for designers, engineers and manufacturing professionals."

Aero: Beginners Guide to Aerodynamics
"Each page at this site describes a single topic related to basic airplane aerodynamics, propulsion, rockets, or kites. At the top of each page is a slide that illustrates the topic. The slide is accompanied by a caption that explains what the slide is all about and goes into some detail about the physics and math related to the subject of the slide."

Civil: ASCE Publications in Civil Engineering
"ASCE's Electrionic Information Retrieval Service", provides access to "over 100,000 Bibliographic and Abstracted Records - Current Coverage: 1970 - Present"

Chemical: The Chemical Database
"This database will allow the user to retreive information for any of 25,496 hazardous chemicals or 'generic' entries based on a keyword search."

Chemical: The Open Chemical Engineering Journal
" The Open Chemical Engineering Journal, a peer reviewed journal, aims to provide the most complete and reliable source of information on current developments in the field. The emphasis will be on publishing quality articles rapidly and freely available to researchers worldwide."

Chemical: ChemInfo, at indiana.edu
"CHEMINFO, Chemical Information Sources, is designed to help people find and learn how to use chemical information resources on the Internet and elsewhere."

Chemical: Chemical Safety Information from Intergovernmental Organizations
"IPCS INCHEM is an invaluable tool for those concerned with chemical safety and the sound management of chemicals."

Chemical: Chemical Engineering Webbook
"The NIST Chemistry WebBook provides access to data compiled and distributed by NIST under the Standard Reference Data Program."

Industrial: GE Industrial Systems Technical Documents
Technical reports on electrical utility related subjects, available for download.

Electrical: Superconductor Information for Beginners
"SUPERCONDUCTORS.ORG is a non-profit, non-affiliated website intended to introduce beginners and non-technical people to the world of superconductors."

Mechani cal: Engineering Library Resources in Mechanical Engineering
A huge list of links and reference material for mechanical engineering research.

Mechanical: Mechanical Engineering, at MIT.edu
"Course Material from courses on Mechanical Engineering, available for download."

A Beginners Guide to Structural Engineering
"This website contains text material to help the structural engineering student learn the principles of the profession. The site will eventually contain the author's collected notes and ideas from 20 years of teaching undergraduate and graduate structural engineering courses as well as continued practice in the profession since 1981." A site that seems to be in it's early stages, but it's definitly worth a visit.

Writing in Engineering

Writing Guidelines for Engineering and Science Students
"These guidelines for engineering writing and scientific writing are designed to help students communicate their technical work. To that end, these guidelines contain advice, models, and exercises for common writing and speaking assignments in engineering and science."

Wr iting in Engineering
"These resources are intended to help you develop skills to improve your writing in Engineering subjects. Whether you are studying Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Materials, or Mechanical Engineering, the ability to write clearly and persuasively is important in both your studies and your future career as an engineer."

Wri ting in engineering courses
An article on how to write in engineering courses, originally posted on the Journal of Engineering Education, but now hosted at findarticles.com

Selecting and Presenting Writing Assignments in Engineering Classes: Tips for New Professors
"This paper suggests possible writing assignments in engineering classes and some effective ways to present them. Types discussed are various reports, writing to learn, and other creative assignments."

Organizations, Associations & Societies

American Association of Engineering Societies
(aaes.org)
The American Institute of Chemical Engineers
(aiche.org)
American National Standards Institute
(ansi.org)
American Society of Civil Engineers
(asce.org)
American Society for Engineering Education
(asee.org)
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
(asme.org)
American Society for Testing and Materials
(astm.org)
Engineers Without Borders
(ewb-usa.org)
MPC, WRC, PVRC
(forengineers.org)
ICE, Institution of Civil Engineers
(ice.org.uk)
IET - The Institution of Engineering and Technology
(theiet.org)
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
(ieee.org)
Institute of Industrial Engineers
(iienet2.org)
The Institution of Structural Engineers
(istructe.org)
National Society of Professional Engineers
(nspe.org)
Materials Research Society
(mrs.org)
Structural Engineering Institute
(seinstitute.org)
Structural Engineers Assocation
(seaint.org)
Society of Manufacturing Engineers
(sme.org)
Society of Women Engineers
(swe.org)
US Army Corps of Engineers
(usace.army.mil)

History of Engineering

ASME's history & Heritage Program

One of engineering's most respected societies with over 127,000 members to date, ASME is known for publishing Safety Codes & Standards. Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization that promotes the art, science and practice of mechanical and multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences throughout the world.

IEEE History Center
"The mission of the IEEE History Committee is to further the preservation, research, and dissemination of information about the history of electrical science and technology, and in particular the technological and organizational history of IEEE, its members, and their professions, in order to increase awareness and understanding of the role of engineering and technology in the improvement of the quality of life for people throughout the world. "

History of Chemical Engineering
"Our goal is to bring you a history of chemical engineering that encompasses its conceptual origins in Great Britain, subsequent struggle for survival in the United States, and concludes with a cornucopia of contributions made in this Century. "

History of Industrial Engineering
Chronicling the history of industrial engineering from the late 17hundreds to today.

History of Electrical Engineering
"The article below is a short summary of history of electricity and electrical engineering."

History and Heritage of Civil Engineering
History of civil engineering at asce.org

The History of Plumbing
The history of plumbing and it's development from ancient times.

History of the Transistor
The history of the transistor at pbs.org

Greatest Engineering Achievements of the 20th Century
"The Greatest Engineering Achievements website celebrates a remarkable century of technological achievement. The website contains detailed historical information, timelines, and personal essays by key innovators for each of 20 major engineering accomplishments of the 20th century."

Multimedia

Videos at Engineering.com
Engineering related videos and clips.

Animated Engines
A site with information and .gif animations displaying the workings of different kinds of engines.

Int roductory Physics - Webcast
"This course presents concepts and methodologies for understanding physical phenomena, and is particularly useful preparation for upper division study in biology and architecture." Physics course available for online streaming or download.

JAVA Applets for Engineering Education
"A project funded by the National Science Foundation."

Video Tutorial: Web of science
An introductory tutorial on using Web of Science.

Other Resources

Elements of Engineering Matheamatics Technology and Science
Our goal is to inform and interest students who are thinking about their careers and courses, and to encourage them to consider studying Science, Mathematics, Computers or Engineering at third level.

Engineering Ethics
Professional practice cases in engineering ethics.

Engineers Edge
"Our mission is to be the preferred online destination for designers, engineers and manufacturing profsessionals, where all can quickly find a variety of information to aid in the solution of typical and complex technical problems."

Microwave, High frequency engineering
"Trusted Resource for the Working RF Engineer"

IEEE Women in Engineering
"IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) is the largest international professional organization dedicated to promoting women engineers and scientists."

Invention Dimension
"The Lemelson-MIT Program celebrates those inventors who have turned their ideas into accomplishments."

Sightseers guide to engineering
A guide to engineering related sights to be seen all around america.

Manufacturing is Cool, Interactive website
"This site was created in 1979 to help kids start a career in manufacturing through student outreach programs, grants, scholarships and fellowships to colleges and universities.

Intute.ac.uk, engineering.
"The Intute Engineering Gateway provides free access to high quality resources on the Internet. Each resource has been evaluated and categorised by subject specialists based at UK universities. Our target audience is students, staff and researchers in higher and further education."

Other pages related to Engineering

See Also

Other Engineering Resources

Top Accredited Engineering Schools:

University of Phoenix - Bachelor of Science in Information Technology / Software Engineering

The University of Phoenix first established in 1976 by Dr. John Sperling. Today the school offers more than 100 online associate's bachelor's master's and doctoral degrees. The school operates campuses in 40 U.S. states as well as Mexico Canada Chile... More»
Ashford University - BA/Organizational Management - Engineering Studies

Ashford University is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The school trumpets a combination of affordability convenience and accelerated learning. Online degrees at Ashford University are mostly business oriented but... More»
Walden University - M.S. in Systems Engineering - Operations

Walden University has a reputation as a quality institution of higher learning. The school offers a number of online degree options giving students considerable room to select a program best suited to their individual needs interests and career goals. Some... More»
Capella University - MS - Enterprise Software Architecture

Stephen Shank the former CEO of Tonka founded Capella University in 1991. Shank felt that professionals and adults were at an academic disadvantage from traditional universities. Since then Capella has continued its efforts to expand its educational offerings. The Capella... More»
Cleveland Institute of Electronics - Associate in Applied Science - Software Engineering

Located in Cleveland Ohio Carl Smith first started CIE in 1934 as the Smith Practical Radio Institute. After developing customized lab training equipment for home use the school expanded its student body and added an associate in applied science degree... More»