I am looking at several different degree options one of which is a b.s. degree in engineering. I am looking at either chemical or environmental engineering. Can anyone tell me of any schools that offer bachelor degrees in either of these areas through distance learning? I have found several schools that offer master's degrees in engineering.
Since writing this post I have searched Peterson's search for engineering degrees and one school comes up often. This school is Atlantic International University-Miami, Florida. Has anyone heard of it?
Yes. AIU is NOT regionally-accredited. From AIU's website: "You will notice that our programs are not yet accredited by the U.S. Department of Education. This may be important for those interested in pursuing specific disciplines, such as law, teaching, or nursing, where state licensing requirements are imposed. Our academic advisors suggest that you consider the importance of accreditation for your specific field or profession and make your decision accordingly..." I don't know how useful you'd find an engineering degree from an unaccredited institution. Oh well, at least AIU is honest about its lack of acreditation. Mark
According to BG 14 (p. 206), Atlantic International University is unaccredited. Worse, they are accredited by the dreadful and unrecognized ACI, which only serves to fool people who look for accredition but don't know what they're looking for. While the address for Atlantic International University is in Miami, Florida, the degree-granting authority comes from Hawaii, which, last time I checked, is in the Pacific Ocean. While AIU offers degrees in many areas, I don't know if geography is one of them. Some of my other favorites: La Jolla University (Louisiana) Pan-African University (District of Columbia) University of Beverly Hills (Iowa) University of Northern Washington (Hawaii) Greenwich University (Norfolk Island) Rich Douglas
You might consider California National University www.cnuas.edu. They offer a BSE degree with a specialization in Environmental Engineering. The school is accredited by DETC. It is not regionally accredited nor does it have accreditation from ABET. This means that you may have a bit of a fight on your hands to be allowed to take the Fundamentals of Engineering and Professional Engineering exams. The school tells me that they have succeeded in some states in getting recognition for their degree. I don't know what states or even how many graduates have been so recognized. Thing is, Environmental Engineering is connected with civil engineering. You will need professional licensure much more than a graduate in, say, electronics and computer engineering will. Joybaum
This is exactly why I recommend Peterson's site with reservations. I would have no problem with Peterson's listing unaccredited schools, *as long as they made it clear that the schools were unaccredited*, which they don't. Bruce
There just aren't many BS degrees via DL. I think the reason is the quantity of lower division courses that would have to be offered, many of which would have to be redesigned for DL. What would be the DL equivalent of all the hands-on laboratory components required for residential chemistry, physics, ME, computing, electronics and other introductory engineering courses? It isn't reasonable to expect a DL student to purchase oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, chemistry lab equipment, etc. (and use them unsupervised, in those cases where there is a safety concern). They would also have to offer a broad spectrum of general education courses, or expect them to have been obtained via an AA DL degree, in which case another three years would be needed for the BS. There are a few, articulated 2+2 degree programs (two years at a community college and two at a senior college), such as FSU's: http://connected2.fsu.edu/2+2/ , but these are CS-related. I have a hard time imagining a ChemE BS degree via DL.
I've run across a few, but I don't know if they're entirely DL: Monash University Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical and several other areas) University of North Dakota Corporate Engineering Degree Program (CEDP) offers Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering -- but only to employees of 35 member companies in the US and Canada. Also, Excelsior College offers a Bachelor of Science in Technology with specialty in Chemical Technologies. ------------------ Kristin Evenson Hirst DistanceLearn.About.com
It appears that Monash only offers a BS in Chem. Engineering if you're a residential student. If you select "Distance Learning" on their pick list (http://www.monash.edu.au/info/studyat/), the program does not appear in the choices, regardless of whether "Australian" or "International" student is selected. (The BS in Environmental Engineering is not available by DL, either.) They do seem to offer some of the fundamental first and second year engineering science courses via DL in other engineering programs, including a significant laboratory component, but don't explain how the laboratories are handled. A BST degree with a Chemical Technology specialty is not a Chemical Engineering degree by a wide margin. However, since Excelsior doesn't specify a curriculum, perhaps the advisor would allow you to roll your own Chem. E. curriculum and call it a BST.
I would add that Monash is an excellent and rare resource for BS programs in other engineering disciplines.
