Is CIE/WC a good college to get an AAS/BS in Electronics Engineering?

Wanting to go to college for a degree in Electronics Engineering but have a very busy work schedule and came across this online college. Can any one tell me if this college would be a good one to attend and receive a degree? Are their degrees able to get someone a good job? Thanks, Aaron

 

CIE /World College is DETC (Nationally) accredited and has had a good reputation for a long time. It is relatively inexpensive and the faster you can complete courses, the more you save. (You pay a flat fee per semester and if you complete as many courses as you can, you can save a bundle on a per-credit basis - and finish faster.)

Whether you get a good job or not depends largely on you - what you can do and what you bring to the table. The degree itself is good wherever a Nationally accredited degree is accepted. I know of people who have done well with degrees from this school and I have heard grads speak well of the learning experience. As usual -- no guarantees.

If this is the degree you want -- I think CIE/World College is very good value for the money...and no, I don't work there and have no affiliation with the school. Just want to make that clear.

Johann

 

Thanks Johann, that helps me out on my decision about CIE/WC. I agree with what i bring to the table when it comes to a job, i was just wondering if i would happen to get one or both degrees from CIE/WC if any employer would accept that. Thanks again.

Aaron

 

Hey Aaron, a warm welcome to Degree Info! Here's some info about the timing of your posts appearing on the board: http://www.degreeinfo.com/general-distance-learning-discussions/35100-new-users-ask-where-did-my-posts-go.html

$2490 for an entire year is a pretty good price, especially if you cram as many classes into that as you can possibly do. An extremely disciplined person, who was willing to sacrifice everything else in life for that time, might could do a bachelors quite economically. If you took your time and carried a small load, it could get expensive.

I think most non-academic employers would be fine with the degree. The only down side I see is the DETC accreditation. It's a good accreditation and it insures that the school is very high quality, however, this kind of accreditation is not as widely accepted as traditional, regional accreditation. It would not be accepted by most traditional schools if you decided to pursue a master's degree or higher. If you ever wanted to teach at a university, a DETC degree would stand a poor chance of being honored in most institutions.

If you are getting the degree only to advance your career in the electronics industry, you should be fine. If you wanted to go on to a master's degree, you would probably be limited to earning that master's degree at a DETC or other NA school. You probably couldn't use the DETC degree to go on for a traditional master's degree at a regionally accredited school. There may be exceptions out there, but I'm not aware of any. So DETC is a path that is hard to leave once you are started on it.

 

Aaron, Surf-Doctor's advice is, as always, excellent. He said the majority of employers would likely be OK with the degree, though some would kick, and I think he's right. You might want to gently "ask around" at likely places in the field you intend to pursue.

And one more thing. As SurfDoctor noted, a DETC degree from CIE/ WORLD college would very probably present considerable difficulties if you wanted to pursue a Master's from a traditional RA school.

It's been done, though. I know one person whose Bachelor's is from World College and he's presently pursuing an MBA by distance learning at Western Governor's U. - a school which has dual accreditation - RA and DETC. That school also offers well-regarded IT degrees, including Master's degrees. WGU is also known for its "work faster and save more" tuition policies, along the lines of World College. They're at www.wgu.edu

An alternate route to a Master's? Another DETC school. Lots to choose from. Again, SurfDoctor's right - you won't be teaching University with an NA Master's - but you could do a whole lot else!

Don't "think outside the box" -- it's easier to accept that there IS no box!

I wish you every success.

Johann

 

If NA BA to RA Master's is a concern, I'd recommend Western Governors for the Master's, except I don't believe they do Electronics Engineering, but they do teach IT.

 

I just learned something yet again. Thanks, Johann. WGU is the perfect way out of the DETC track because it holds both DETC and RA accreditation. They will accept you because they are DETC and you can graduate with a RA degree. That is awesome.

Love that quote.

 

Thanks everyone for the input! I think I will attend CIE/WC and decide what I want to do for a masters! For the cost, I can't beat it! Plus since I am very busy and have a family to support, this will definately work for me. Thanks and I will keep in touch.

Aaron

 

Have you looked at the AA/AS engineering technology degrees offered by Excelsior and TESC? They are both regionally accredited colleges. You could use CLEP & DSST exams for many of the gen ed courses then take required courses at your local community colleges (I understand IN charges around $100/unit for IN residents) to minimize costs

A RA degree should provide more opportunities.

I have no knowledge of CIE/WC but I have worked with test technicians with degrees from other non-RA institutions such as ITT Tech.

 

Yes, and how was it?

 

I earned an AAS and BEET from CIE/WC and I think the total cost was about $6K, much of which was covered by Pell grants. While the degrees are non-RA, non-ABET engineering technology degrees and as such have some limitations, I think the overall value was really good. I definitely learned something and spent very little money.

I was selected as their DETC 2010 student of the year, and actually got a free trip to Cleveland to see the city and their operations.

For grad school, I have attended both APUS and WGU. They accept DETC undergraduate degrees without question.

 

The techs I have worked with were long time employees (>3 years) and knowable about their areas of expertise.
I might mention that techs are in high demand in the Denver area in areas such as the wind generation, solar, and battery industries.

 

I am an Electronics technician student at Penn Foster college so I kinda keep up on this stuff, and CIE is very well respected as far as I understand. They sent my a very nice packet of info because I want to take my credits from my ET course somewhere, but I decided on TESC in the end. I am going for my AAS in Electrical/mechanical systems and maintenance. TESC just blew me away in how they do things. I will most likely have more than half the credits needed for my AAS degree.