Only the top engineering programs in the United States receive independent accreditation from ABET, Inc. – the nonprofit company charged with conducting a rigorous accreditation review for engineering and technology undergraduate programs.
While campus-based students have plenty of ABET-accredited programs to choose from, nontraditional students in need of distance learning options have fewer choices. Fortunately, there are a few quality graduate computer engineering programs – housed in engineering schools with ABET-accredited undergraduate programs – which provide online computer engineering degrees.
This article will present some of the available options and review how their online learning works.
Computer Engineering Online Degree at the University of Florida
The University of Florida offers two online graduate program tracks:
- Master of Science in Computer Engineering (General Track)
- Master of Science in Computer Engineering (Bioinformatics Track)
For online students, courses are provided over an online learning system the University of Florida calls its UF Edge platform. On-campus lectures given by professors and instructors in the computer engineering program are digitally recorded by the College of Engineering, and then placed onto the UF Edge platform for distance learners to view. This asynchronous structure gives students a maximal amount of scheduling flexibility without compromising the instructional quality they receive.
In addition to the online, streaming lectures, the program provides supplemental course materials, including electronic readings and research resources, as well as discussion forums through which students and instructors communicate.
The scheduling flexibility provided by the UF Edge system is important, as the degree program is intended for professional engineers who are unable to study full-time. The University of Florida estimates that the degree can be completed in 24 months, though this depends on how many credits students are able to handle each semester.
Interested students should be aware of the following requirements for admission:
- A bachelor of science in computer engineering or computer science with a cumulative undergraduate 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale)
- A GRE score of at least 1100 (minimum 600 on math and 400 on verbal)
For additional information about online learning at the University of Florida, prospective students can call (352) 392-9670.
Computer Engineering Online Degree at Iowa State University
Iowa State University offers a Master of Science in Computer Engineering as well as a Graduate Certificate in Human Computer Interaction.
Online courses are delivered to students via Iowa State University's WebCT system, which provides students with a wide array of course-viewing options. Lectures given on-campus by ISU faculty are digitally recorded and streamed live, giving students the ability to view lectures in real-time. While this synchronous option is available, students are not required to view the classes live, as the captured videos are archived for those who prefer to view lectures at a time of their convenience.
In addition, in-class notes from faculty are posted on the WebCT system along with reading materials and research resources, giving students a single portal through which all of their learning needs are gathered.
For additional information on requirements or tuition, students can call 1-800-854-1675.
Computer Engineering Online Courses
A number of universities house their online computer science degree programs in their respective engineering schools, and thus offer online computer science and engineering courses which could be applied to a computer engineering online degree. These include:
- University of Illinois
- University of Minnesota
- North Carolina State University
All of the above universities have undergraduate computer science programs accredited by ABET, and deliver their courses via integrated online platforms.
Benefits of a Computer Engineering Online Degree
For professional engineers and working students unable to take time off in order to attend a campus-based program, online degrees provide an opportunity to acquire an academic degree from home while maintaining a work schedule.
Computer engineering online degrees earned from the above-mentioned universities are identical to those earned by on-campus students, and online students often-times have near-identical instructional experiences to their on-campus counterparts.
For more information, reference Learnon.org's distance learning degree guide, from which most of the information in this article was gleaned.
For additional resources on technical online degrees, see also:
Computer Science Degree Online Programs
David Harris-Gershon - David Harris-Gershon – a blogger for Tikkun magazine and a freelance writer on Israel, the Middle East and America’s role in ...
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