Could this Engineering plan work??

I have searched the forums and found out a lot of info on engineering. Since ABET does not accredit any 100% DL undergraduates I was thinking of going this route:

Associates from Education Direct (Civil Engineering Technology)
-After completion of ED, I would take the CET exam from www.nicet.org to become a cert. Engineering Technician
-Then apply for membership with www.ascet.org (American Society of Engineering Technicians)

I am hoping that with the CET exam and ASCET membership, it would give me better leverage to get a job than just having "Education Direct" on my resume.

So after the above I could get into the field as a Civil Engineering Technician.

--Then hopefully while getting experience as a technician, I will pursue a BS Civil Engineering degree to be able to take the PE exam after graduation.

Is this path towards a PE possible?? Will an ABET accredited BS Engineering program accept a transfer from an Education Direct AS in Engineering technology??

Many Thanks
Brian

 

Why not ask ABET? Couldn't hurt.

http://www.abet.org/

 

Member RKanarek has a good handle on this. You could try getting his attention with a private message. With any luck he will then get an email notice of your message.

 

ABET does not accept credit, only the schools accredited by ABET do.

You should ask your target schools.

Before getting your PE you will need to pass the FE / EIT examination.

Every State Board sets its own requirements, for example in California you do not need to have an engineering degree to be licensed.

 

Well, I didn't say ABET accepts credit now, did I? I think ABET could at least tell the original poster whether his plan-of-attack is even feasible. If not, contacting a bunch of schools may be a waste of time and effort.

 

It varies widely from state to state. In some states (such as California) it is possible to qualify for the PE exam with no college degree whatsoever. In other states, you must have an ABET engineering BS. Those are the extreme positions; most states are in between. Many states will accept engineering technology degrees (although they would probably prefer an ABET-accredited BS degree, rather than an unaccredited Education Direct AS degree). You have to check your state regulations.

There are several potential obstacles here.

First, Education Direct is nationally accredited (DETC). Most or all ABET engineering programs are regionally accredited, and may not accept transfers from nationally accredited programs.

Second, I don't think that the Education Direct AS is ABET accredited (ABET does accredit AS technology degrees, but not that one). An ABET-accredited program, in either engineering or technology, may not accept transfers from non-ABET programs.

Finally, the Education Direct AS is in engineering technology, not engineering. Engineering programs may not accept transfers from technology programs (even if the technology program is ABET accredited). In technology programs, students typically learn practical concepts right away, without bothering too much with theoretical concepts. But in engineering programs, students are required to master fundamental principles of math and physical science first. So even if you do succeed in transfering to an engineering program with a technology AS, you may be required to "make up" a lot of math and science before you can continue towards the BS. It would be easier to transfer to a BS technology program, rather than a BS engineering program.

 

University of North Dakota offers an ABET accredited BS in Civil Engineering ONLINE.

http://www.conted.und.edu/ddp/dedp/index.html


Note that some of the nonengineering requirements will be taken through UND through traditional Correspondence. (Example: Calculus I)

 

Hello Brian,

There is a Zen Buddhist saying that goes something like, "It is better to have no teacher than a teacher than knows only as much as you do." Since you e-mailed me for advice, you clearly don't keep with the Buddhists. <g> Before I share my font of knowledge with you, here are a few other disclaimers:

1) My speciality was electrical (read electronics) engineering degrees, not civil engineering degrees.

2) The degree(s) path I have chosen is clearly suboptimal. I am not obtaining my degree(s) with any great speed, and my hopes for landing a swell, remunerative job upon graduation are not high. (Do you really want to follow in my footsteps? <g>)

3) Having set upon my non-civil engineering degree path, I have not had to give engineering degrees much thought. As an academic counselor, I may be rusty.

Now that I've done all that I can to discourage your paying any heed to my prattle, here it is:

The first thing you need to do, IMHO, is to reach a definite conclusion as to whether you want an engineering degree or a technology degree. Although technology degrees often include the word or description "engineering," they are not engineering degrees.

If you want an engineering degree, you really need to explore all of your alternatives for getting an engineering degree.

I don't see why you couldn't pursue your (seemingly) well thought out strategy with an engineering BS substituted for the ED AS. Despite being pathetically elderly, I only recently discovered that it is not uncommon for electrical engineering track jobs to be offered to BSEE students even before they graduate (assuming they are inclined to work while in school). Would the same be true in civil engineering?

Of course, if an Education Direct civil engineering technology AS is the best you can manage, or if a technology AS degree is all you want, then don't let me dissuade you. If, however, you are compromising, make sure you are making the best compromise possible.

With regards to applying an ED Technology AS degree towards an RA BS Engineering degree, I would estimate that your odds of success are very, very poor. For example, I must retake physics because my previous physics courses, which were taken when I was a Electronics Technology student at an RA college, weren't calculus based. When you consider ED's lack of regional accrediation in addition to their offering "mere" Technology courses, you may well need to start from scratch for your BS.

I think that "CalDog," and our other collogues, have made pertinent comments, and I do not want to waste your time repeating them here. Here are some concluding pearls of wisdom:

+ DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED!!!

+ DO NOT DELAY!!! Sorry, but every day that passes is a day that your mind, body, and spirt diminishes. It isn't going to be any easier starting next month or year, but it will be that much harder finishing!

N.B. Rushing and not delaying are two different things!

+ Is attending your local college or university in person really impossible? You might like being a traditional student, and you might find it more economical.

+ The best source for unofficial information on FE/EIT and PE matters is www.ppi2pass.com. The best source for official information is the relevant state licensure board.

+ The most efficient way to choose a college is, according to my untested theory, as follows: Make a list of everything you need to know in order to make an informed choice, make a list of potential DL colleges by searching the book "Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning" (http://www.tenspeedpress.com/catalog/tenspeed/find.php3?cat=4), then call or write the college and have them answer your questions. If the answer to a question is important, either have it answered in writing (!!!) or positively (!!!) verify it yourself. (There are far more people willing to answer questions than there are people who actually have answers. Attempting to cull information from college web sites can be extremely time consuming.


Good luck and keep me/us informed!



Cordially,
Richard Kanarek

 

Thanks for the many answers everybody!

Richard,
Thanks for the advice (although the first half of your post was very depressing, it was the honesty I needed

I checked my state regulations for the qualification for taking the EIT exam. They are as follows:


An applicant may qualify to take the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE/EIT) examination if the applicant:


1. is in the process of completing a four year curriculum in engineering at a college or university approved by the Board within six months of the next scheduled administration of the Fundamentals of Engineering examination, and evidence of such is provided by the college or university directly to the Board [43-15-8(1)(A)];
or
2. has graduated from a college or university on completion of a four year curriculum in engineering approved by the Board, and a transcript evidencing such graduation is provided by the college or university directly to the Board [43-15-8(1)(A)];
or
3. has graduated from a college or university on completion of a four year curriculum in engineering technology or a related science approved by the Board, and a transcript evidencing such graduation is provided by the college or university directly to the Board [43-15-8(2)(A)];

OR

****4. has acquired not less than eight years of acceptable engineering experience [43-15-8(3)], [43-15-10], [180-3-.02];

AND

has made application to the Board and submitted the requisite, non-refundable, fee of $20.00 to the Board (made payable to the Secretary of State);

AND

has made application to NCEES and submitted the requisite fee to NCEES.*****

*An applicant having met the above requirements and having passed the FE/EIT examination shall be certified as an Engineer-in-Training.

- I am curious about option Number four. So if you are working as an Engineering Technician assisting PE's, after 8 years you are able to sit for the EIT exam??? W/O any kind of degree??

Richard,
I have read that you can become a Engineering Technician with an associates, is this true?? Would the ED Engineering Technician AST allow me to get a jobs as a techncian?? GA doesn't require Technicians to be certified, but I wanted to take a membership cert. exam to support that I know the subject.

I went to CC for a year and got some credits, but they do not offer classes around my work schedule. And the closest ABET Engineering program is Georgia Tech. (which I looked into, but I do not have enough organs to sell to pay for the tuition

 

Brian, Civil engineering is a field in which you will be liable. You probably will need a PE license to find jobs in that area. Stay in close touch with NCEES, and plan your steps with them, if possible. I agree with everything else that Richard and CalDog have posted. Good luck.

 

BTW, I just remember I saw recently a PE in civil with an undergrad degree in physics and a masters in C.E. I´ll try to find it for you. Perhaps you may contact him for first hand info.

 

An Education Direct AS degree may be of limited value for NICET certification.

NICET offers two types of certification: "certified technician" and "certified technologist". According to NICET, the "technologist" cert requires a 4-year, ABET-accredited, technology BS. The ED degree is a 2-year, non-ABET, AS degree, and so it doesn't appear to qualify.

For the "technician" cert, college degrees are optional; the certification can be earned entirely through work experience and exams. NICET will apparently grant work experience credit for a technology AS or BS, but only if the degree is ABET-accredited. Since the ED degree is non-ABET, NICET will probably not grant any work experience credit for it. Of course, the knowledge that you gain from an ED degree might help you to pass the exams.

Note also that NICET is discontinuing the general "Civil Engineering Technician" certification after 2005. They are moving to more specialized civil technician certifications (highways, bridges, geotechnical, etc.)

 

Yes -- assuming that the PEs that supervise you are willing to sign off as references. You would need a certain number of PE references, and they would collectively have to sign off on at least 8 years of experience.

If I understand the Georgia regulations correctly, you could then qualify for the PE exam, if you passed the EIT exam and gained 7 more years of PE-supervised experience (for 15 years total).

In California, a non-degreed person can qualify for the EIT exam with just 3 years of engineering-related experience, without PE references. I understand that New Hampshire has no EIT education or experience requirements at all. Note that an out-of-state EIT certificate would have no legal value in Georgia (although it would still impress potential employers).

You probably don't any need degree at all to work as a technician, although it may be helpful.

 

http://www.kittelson.com/about/staff/associates_mainframe.htm

One of those persons is a PE and holds a bachelor´s degree in physics.


Regards