Are Online BSEET Degrees Taken Seriously? ( Devry )

A BSEET is a technicians degree, not an engineering degree (not that there's anything wrong with that).

I personally would not hire you with an online degree. I would be much more likely to hire you with a classroom degree, even if it was from DeVry. The reason is that, to my mind at least, a tech is someone that I need to do hands on things - build electronic boards, perform tests, make cables, etc. Hopefully in a classroom setting you would get your hands on a soldering iron and some test equipment - maybe even blow up a few things. There's also a lot to be said for class interaction in terms of the amount of learning that goes on beyond the text book or lecture.

Can you not attend classes at night and weekends?

As a 24 year BSEET I have obtained three state licenses from Kansas, Michigan & Nevada. Each States licensing board required me to perform an "oral" exam since each board did not understand the differences between BSEE & BSEET. My state licenses are divserse: Controls Systems Engineer (CSE) & Electrical Engineer (EE). I perform both power distribution & instrumentation/controls systems design. The BSEET is ABET accredited, which qualifies it for ALL state licenses. According to ABET the main difference of the two licenses are: "BSEE is preparatory for graduate studies" versus "BSEET is applying existing technologies in creative & new configurations to solve application challenges". Certainly there is less math & science classes, but the BSEET still has differential calculus & physics. I am not saying the BSEET is better than the BSEE or visa versa, they are both applicable industry degrees with overlapping qualifications.

$38000 grand is a lot to pay for that type of degree. What would you expect to do?

Did you check your area for jobs that would match this degree? Salary? I have seen ads for tech degrees such a Microsoft Certified program and another that is computer oriented but can not recall the company.

Be very sure whatever you do that you are not wasting your time or getting into another situation where you are not happy.

I am guessing that this is electrical engineering technology If this is the case, a technical school I would think would be better. You could perhaps then go to a University if you need a Bachelors If you can go at night or change your work hours to night. Neither of these may be an option. Whatever you do Be sure there are jobs, and what kind of jobs. Good luck

That sure does sound awfully expensive for an online course.

If classroom instruction is actually out of the question, then all I can say is shop around some more looking at State Run institutions like maybe Empire in NY, or Excelsior.

Possibly you might check with your company to see what they offer since some companies encourage advanced education, and will chip in.

Empire in NY gives credit for work done, up to a point.

Empire is part of the SUNY system, and it is reputable, though not necessarily technical. They charge instate rates for online courses regardless of where you are.

(47 hundred a year, last I checked.)

Regardless, since my two named institutions are not primarily technical, I would still suggest that if you are limited to online course work, that you investigate what may be possible to get out of state run institutions.

Not by me...

Save your money. The only thing that technician's degree is going to do is make your bank account $38,000 lighter. I would focus on the degree that you already have. Talk to a career councilor and find the fields that would overlap with the training you already have. Pursue those jobs.

Unless you have a specific position being offered to you, you'll be preparing yourself for a job in a field that's pretty well saturated, at least in my little corner of the economy.

A BSEET is NOT necessarily a technician degree, but it does depend on where and how you get your degree. I got my BS EET from a well-regarded state school program 23 years ago, and I've worked as an EE ever since, including senior EE positions with major companies. I've found that EET degrees are mostly looked down upon by academia if you try to get into a graduate program. The old AT&T and Bell Labs, with a snobbish academic bent, had a different career track for EET's, but things didn't work out so well for them.

I personally wouldn't recommend hiring a "newb" with an on-line degree, but I'm biased towards hands-on experience. Twenty months of on-line classes will not make an electrical engineer out of you, and 38,000 is pretty pricey besides. I think there might be some credence to the cost and horror stories. Remember DeVry is a for-profit career education school. Take a look at where their grads end up and see if it's for you.

I do not know of a single Human Resources manager dumb enough to hire a Devry graduate. Run, don't walk, run away from them as fast as possible...

And how many hundreds of HR managers do you know?

I take that as a big fat "no". Please tell me what you know about this school. Have you personally dealt with Devry or know anyone that has? Thanks.

An online degree is difficult to complete, period. At first it will seem like fun and you will dedicate yourself easily to it's study.

But that won't last long. Soon, you will start putting required study off until after the movie. Then you'll put the study off 'til after your 4-day weekend AND you see that movie. Etc, etc, etc.

A very high percentage of online degrees are never completed. They require dedication and self-discipline--and few people can muster those requirements. They also carry with them a diminished respect (compared with on-site study at a university or state college).

Be careful with ANY online study. Statistically, you'll likely not finish.

ICS (International Correspondence School) has been around for over 100 years and has a good reputation. I have heard of some hiring companies preferring ICS grads over a bricks-and-mortar school because it shows a graduate's desire to improve himself by going to school and working at the same time. It wouldn't hurt to inquire at some potential employers to see what their educational preferences are.

I would suspect it is taken seriously, since this is not a well defined technical degree like ABET engineering degrees, or ACS chemistry degrees. Plus it is a fringe support field for technical work, so not considered a core business line or central to company profits. However, counties do take the field seriously, though for environmental inspectors they hire may hire from any of many different fields including engineering and chemistry. Not many jobs for this field. DeVry would probably get some smirks and questions though in any serious job interviews.

I might question a full degree program, but I have worked with many that have taken "targeted" training and been most impressed.

They have some classes on embedded software development (at that level firmware is a better term) that will nearly pay for themselves

Electrical Engineering vs Electronics Engineering - My company doesn't see a difference.To me BSEET is the same as BSEE .To me both are engineers.One of my senior guys is a BSEET.The mans brilliant ! Twenty-nine years in the business has taught me that talent has nothing to do with titles.According to ABET the main difference of the two licenses are: "BSEE is preparatory for graduate studies" versus "BSEET is applying existing technologies in creative & new configurations to solve application challenges". This is correct.

However, a definition by ABET does not mean the program attended is ABET certified. This is something that needs to be looked into.

As a 24 year BSEET I have obtained three state licenses from Kansas, Michigan & Nevada. Each States licensing board required me to perform an "oral" exam since each board did not understand the differences between BSEE & BSEET. My state licenses are divserse: Controls Systems Engineer (CSE) & Electrical Engineer (EE). I perform both power distribution & instrumentation/controls systems design. The BSEET is ABET accredited, which qualifies it for ALL state licenses. According to ABET the main difference of the two licenses are: "BSEE is preparatory for graduate studies" versus "BSEET is applying existing technologies in creative & new configurations to solve application challenges". Certainly there is less math & science classes, but the BSEET still has differential calculus & physics. I am not saying the BSEET is better than the BSEE or visa versa, they are both applicable industry degrees with overlapping qualifications.

You come across a lot of guys like BHANKiii....These guys are lame...If he was a good engineer, believe me he wouldn't be stuck in El Lago, Texas...HAHAHAHA...GUYS LIKE THIS ARE A JOKE...

People confuse the BSEET with the Electrical Engineering Technology Associate degree from colleges. There is a big difference in these programs and it is common for older folks graduated with BSEE to not even realize this. I have a four year degree in Industrial Engineering Technology from another country and have been working as an electronics design engineer since 1993 including 12 years at Motorola. During all these years I have worked with many BSEE and have seen the lack of preparation from these individuals. The BSEE is really a step into a Masters program or an open door to new learning while in the workforce. I have done many searches on CareerBuilder.com and found that jobs that concentrate in the design of electronics ask for BSEET, however BSEE is welcomed for many more fields. I would recommend OnLine education if you already have experience in the field. If you are hoping to learn from scratch, there is way too much work involved in these degrees.

A couple of things to note.

1. a BSEET is a degree that is afford a great deal of latitude, like any ET degree, and it will not have the strict breadth of education requirement of a engineering degree.

2. A EE degree is not defined by ABET solely for gradute school preparation, since they provide standards of education utsed by the states to define prerequisite requirements for engineering licensure, A EE degree is the rapid training to attaining an electrical Engineering license, if you plan to consult (though frequently an EET can just work in the field for something like 1 or 2 extra years beyond that required by an EE).

3. You severely limit your upward mobility and portability within and across companies. Many companies will seek the higher degrees and reputable educations to function as higher level marketing/managers (Clients like to hire people who have degrees they perceive as from a good university and those they perceive as a better education). Of course you can offset this educational lack by building years of superior work history in key roles on high profile projects. DeVry and any opnline program is really perceived poorly across most of the technical industry, typically as a paraprofessional level labor force. It is just something else you'd have to overcome in the future, and would always be susceptible to through out the industry (even if you can get into a specialty niche).

An EET degree from an ABET accredited program at a well-known school is one thing, an on-line degree is yet another. Back when I completed my BS EET from a good state school, the only difference between the EET program and traditional EE was, we did more lab work, and the EE's took an additional semester of chemistry, physics, and calc, I think.

So I think one weakness of an on-line program is you won't get the hands-on exposure. Another is not working collaboratively with other students, which is so important in the work world.

Perhaps more important is the long term value of the degree. Myself, I got an Associates degree first. Back in the 80's, being an electronics technician was an in-demand, well-paying job. Fortunately I continued on for a BS, because technology and industry has changed, and being a tech is now a lower-end job with limited opportunity. Early on in my career a few interviewers would ask about the EET degree, but after a few years experience it was irrelevant.

With an on-line degree, you'll probably get a lot more skepticism, but eventually there will probably be increased acceptance. Whether you're actually getting a real education, as opposed to computer-based training, is a good question.

My point is, if you get a good education, it will serve you well even as technology, business, and trends change.

Yep that is really the difference in the ABET education program, the Engineers must take the advanced math, engineering design and science courses, and are likely to be required in most programs to fulfill more units to graduate. Nearly all enginering courses have a laboratory compoent, much like all science courses for engineering and science majors. So the lab work time is about the same, except the labs are associated with the design course work lectures and the units for a 3 hour lab once a week get rolled into the 3 or so units for the 3 hours of lecture, just like a chemistry or physics course. There are essentially no separate lab classes for most engineering majors, all tend to be tied to lecture courses, unlike many ET course which you can, and i have in the past doen so as electives, take individually separate from any lecture and get units of credit. So in the end it is just a matter of how much work you want to have to complete to obtain that degree, and how many years (and potentially lower pay) you want to work in industry trying to overcome any perceived educational deficiencies.

CIE is currently -til the end of July 2010 - offering a 50% discount on tuition. That's $1884 per semestser at the discount rate. How many semesters you take is up to you, you can speed thorugh, an get additional work done in a semester or take the maximum time (1 year) for the semester