Civil Engineering or Surveying degree

I am looking for programs in Cilvil Engineering, or Surveying, either bachelor's or associates will work. If I get an associates now I will need to transfer the credits to complete the bachelor's degree. I have looked for a surveying degree but have only found 1 DL program which would require proctored labs with a licensed surveyor which I doubt I would be able to find.

I already found Penn Foster, and Old Dominion University. I am worried that the associates degree from Penn Foster won't transfer to a bachelor's degree at another college.

The bachelor's degree from Old Dominion looks good, but its hard to undertand how their distance learning program works. I emailed them with a question, but I probobly won't get an answer for a few days because of the holidays.

It seems like there are many programs for electrical and mechanical engineering degrees, but civil is a lot tougher to find. Any help you can give me is appreciated.

 

North Carolina State University offers distance education courses in civil engineering. You can enroll in individual courses without being formally admitted to the university. Engineering Courses.

NCSU Engineering Online

 

For an example of real-world application of the engineering taught at North Carolina State University consider this article. Merry Christmas!

 

If you decide on an engineering degree program, make sure it is ABET accredited. ODU would be an excellent choice since ODU is ABET accredited.

When you find out how the ODU program works, please do a follow up here so others will know as well.

 

To my knowledge, the only ABET-accredited BS degree in civil engineering that is available via DL is from the University of North Dakota. It's considered a good program, but requires onsite residency for 1-2 weeks every summer for labs.

The other programs mentioned above are different:

(1) North Carolina State offers distance MS degrees in civil engineering, but not BS degrees.

(2) ODU offers a distance BS degree, but it is in "civil engineering technology". Yes, the degree is ABET-accredited, but it has ABET/TAC accreditation (which is for technology programs), not ABET/EAC accreditation (which is for engineering programs). You should be aware that this degree is legally not the same as a civil engineering degree.

(3) Penn Foster offers a distance AS degree, but it is also in "civil engineering technology". Furthermore, it is not ABET-accredited. Since it lacks ABET accreditation, you might not be able to transfer into a 4-year ABET/TAC technology program. It would even harder, probably impossible, to transfer into a 4-year ABET/EAC engineering program.

You need to figure out whether you want a degree in "civil engineering" degree, or in "civil engineering technology". If the former, then UND may be your only choice. If the latter, you may have more options. Note that there is no such thing as an associate's degree in civil engineering, only in civil engineering technology.

State licensure is important in civil engineering, and state boards always prefer or require ABET/EAC engineering degrees. Your state may or may not allow technology graduates to become licensed, and may or may not require ABET/TAC accreditation in such cases.

 

Thanks for the replies, I will research a bit more on the diference between engineering, and technology degrees.

 

After looking up the differences it seems a technology degree is more practical, and an engineering degree are more theoretical. I didn't find a comparison for civil engineering specifically, but here is a site that compares the two types of degrees: http://www.et.uncc.edu/comparison.html

 

ASSOCIATE'S AND BACHELOR'S DEGREES IN CIVIL ENGINEERING VIA DL

University of North Dakota (B) www.conted.und.edu
Old Dominion University (B) www.odu.edu
Penn Foster College (A) www.pennfoster.edu
Thomas Edison State College (A, B) www.tesc.edu

ASSOCIATE'S AND BACHELOR'S DEGREES IN SURVEYING VIA DL

Central Queensland University (B) www.cqu.edu.au
College of Estate Management (B) www.cem.ac.uk
Michigan Technological University (B) www.mtu.edu
Thomas Edison State College (A, B) www.tesc.edu

 

You can find employment in the civil/construction field with either an engineering or technology degree. In general:

The people with engineering degrees will do the managerial work. They will design whatever needs to be built, deal with clients and regulatory agencies, and handle the budgets. For civil engineers, the BS degree is only a bare minimum; they will commonly also have an MS or MBA, and will usually pursue a PE (Professional Engineer's) license. A civil engineering degree should have ABET engineering accreditation, or the foreign equivalent. Engineering degrees generally require a lot of basic science and math, to lay a theoretical foundation for engineering practice.

The people with technology degrees will do more "hands-on" work. They will draft the blueprints, deal with subcontractors, and oversee and inspect construction. For technicians, the BS degree is optional (some have AS degrees, some have no degree at all); they rarely have graduate degrees or PE licenses (in some states, they would be flatly barred from licensure). More commonly, they will get certified by NICET, a private association. A technology degree should have ABET technology accreditation, although ABET accreditation is not as critical as it is for engineering degrees. Technology degreesl tend to skip over the science and math, and go straight into practical applications without laying the theoretical foundations.

Starting salaries are generally similar, but an engineering degree is worth more in the long run. Engineers are more likely to be promoted to senior management positions. Technicians are more likely to earn high wages through overtime work.

It is difficult to find ABET-accredited degrees in engineering, technology, or surveying through distance learning. In general, ABET demands a lot of hands-on, supervised lab work, which is difficult to deliver through the DL format. Employers in these fields expect more than just "book learning".

 

Note that all of the "civil engineering" degrees listed above are really "civil engineering technology" degrees, except for the University of North Dakota program. The Penn Foster and TESC programs are not ABET-accredited as technology programs.

I don't know about the surveying programs, but I would check carefully into their lab requirements and ABET accreditation status. You should also check your state's PS (professional surveyor) licensing laws to see if these degrees are qualifying.

 

This may be of interest to some people. regarding the Professional Engineer License ( PE) in California:

 

Well, I have decided on a civil engineering technology degree. I was almost set on Thomas Edison when I found out that most of the classes that are required for the degree are not offered there, I found a similar situation at Old Dominion, although not as bad.

At Old Dominion the classes offered are mostly by streming video, so you have to be at a computer when the class is held. They do have labs that are offered as internet classes.

What I don't like about Penn Foster is that only an associate's degree is offered. That degree will not have much use if I wanted to complete a 4 year degree since I will find a hard time transfering them.

I am still looking for a Civil Engineering Technology degree. I want to eventually get a bachelor's, but an associate's would be fine if I am able to transfer it later on.

 

Where is Kalos saying, bogus engineer, bogus degrees?