You can complete an Engineering bachelor's degree online in approximately four years, if not less. Also, if you are taking courses online, you may be able to integrate academic learning with real-world, experiential learning. Once you have completed an associate's degree, you might seek out employment with an engineering firm. You might be able to work on isolated projects and then take time after those projects to complete more courses. In this way, you will prolong the time it takes to graduate, but you will accrue invaluable experience along the way.

Depending on your school, an Engineering bachelor's degree can cost as little as $30,000 or as much as $300,000. The key difference in the price will depend on whether you attend a public, in-state school or a private school. Note that if you attend a public school in another state that you will probably pay twice (or more) of the base tuition. Private schools are liable to charge far more, particularly if they are highly prestigious and located in expensive urban centers such as Boston or New York City.

Before you enroll in a college, make sure that they have the major you are considering. For engineering, many universities have whole departments devoted to the subject. If that is the case, then make sure they have the specific branch of engineering that interests you. For example, you might check to see that they have civil engineering, electrical engineering, or environmental engineering. If you are starting out at a community college, they may not have a specific degree for budding engineers, but they may offer the right math and science courses you will need as prerequisites. Investigate how well your community college work will synch with your later work in a university before registering.

These days fewer and fewer students graduate in four years. In fact, the government now sets the bar at a six-year term from starting a degree to graduation. Engineers in ABET-accredited programs, on the other hand, are more likely to graduate in 4-6 years. That's because those programs are more competitive, and studies have shown that students in highly-competitive programs have more success with graduating in six years (or less.)

In order to launch a successful engineering career, you will want an undergraduate program that is accredited by ABET. That credential indicates that your degree qualifies you to apply for state licensure. If you don't wish to sit for state licensure, strive to attend a program that at least has regional accreditation. When your work is accredited, it will be recognized by graduate schools and your credits will transfer if you decide to add a second undergraduate degree.

If you are going to spend a lot of time and energy to attain an engineering degree, you will certainly want some job placement assistance as you near graduation. Discuss this with your admissions counselor when you are considering the right program. In fact, you might want to broaden that discussion by asking about how your school handles internships and if co-op programs are available. Experiential learning can help you not only gain the skills needed to land a job, but you can also cultivate a professional network that will help you build the career you deserve.

National rankings mean a lot in the Engineering world. After all, the field is composed of people who constantly measure and compare values. When you graduate from a top school, your resume will immediately open doors and you will find that your paycheck reflects the hard work it took to graduate from a top school. That is, employers see graduates from top schools as worthy investments and employees that will help propel their firms to the next level. Further, when you decide to pursue a graduate degree, you will have an easier time getting into your first-choice program if you’ve attended a well-known school.

This does not mean that you should use school rankings alone to make your decision on which school to attend. However, if you come to a stalemate in your selection process, with two or more options seemingly equal, you could use rankings to break the tie and help you choose the best college to attend.

Choosing an accredited college is a vital decision for any engineering student. Whether your school is accredited by the ABET or not will determine a lot of your future choices. While not everyone wants or needs to become a professional engineer with state licensure, you cannot achieve that credential without a bachelor's degree from an ABET-accredited institution.