HollyDay Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 Youngest dd is taking classes at local CC and has accommodations through Student Accessibility Resources. They have been spotty at best this semester. She has also been struggling with a bug this semester that is just dragging on and on. With those things in mind, we are looking at online next semester. The easiest thing would be taking more core classes at the CC, but online rather than on campus. We are starting to look down the road at university. Dd wants to do something in the math field. She is leaning toward engineering of some type, but not settled on a particular area. She likes computers, robotics, theoretical math, coding, physics, aerospace design, etc. What schools should we be considering? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanetC Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 All fields of engineering are best learned with in-person, well-equipped labs. Theoretical math is a pre-graduate school major, and meeting professors will be important for getting letters in the future. I would not recommend completing an online degree program for any of these fields. Can she get her health under control then apply to a traditional college? (Taking some gen-eds online while she takes care of her health is less of an issue.) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted September 30, 2018 Author Share Posted September 30, 2018 11 minutes ago, JanetC said: All fields of engineering are best learned with in-person, well-equipped labs. Theoretical math is a pre-graduate school major, and meeting professors will be important for getting letters in the future. I would not recommend completing an online degree program for any of these fields. Can she get her health under control then apply to a traditional college? (Taking some gen-eds online while she takes care of her health is less of an issue.) This is of course our hope. We had hoped she could do all of college on campus. But, now we are trying to figure out how to maximize her energy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 (edited) DS#1 has returned to school for a BS in Mechanical Engineering. He has been taking courses at the local community college that transfer to the local university (articulation agreement). The CC offers 4 full semesters of Engineering core concentration courses that will transfer (as well as gen ed courses that will transfer). The University has a good Engineering program with 15 majors, including: Aerospace, Biomedical, Chemical, Electrical & Computer, Environmental, Materials Science, Mechanical, and Optical Science. This university does offer 1 online *undergrad* Engineering degree -- a BS in Electrical & Computer Engineering. BUT, it is not fully online, as a number of the courses must be taken in the class for the lab aspect. And DS#1 has a number of friends who have either graduated from this university with an Engineering degree or who are in the midst, and from what they all say, it's NOT a program to try and do online. Out of all of the Engineering core concentration courses DS can take at the CC, the only things even offered online are: - 3 of the required Maths: Calculus I, II, and III - the 1 required Chemistry: almost all in-class, but 2 sections offered as a hybrid (web + class for the labs) - none of the Engineering / Physics I just did a quick search of the university's schedule of classes and only see 1 Engineering class offered online -- an Eng. Mngmt. type of course. So it looks like everything is geared for doing the program in person. And from what I'm seeing of DS#1's Engineering & Physics courses he's done so far at the CC, I don't know how you would get as much out of them via online... JMO. No experience with them, but perhaps Computer and Coding types of courses would be more "do-able" as online courses? DS has always been extremely math-minded, and he was able to take, and do well, with Calculus I and II as online classes (earned As). But with Calculus III this semester, he opted for the in-class rather than online, and is very glad he did so. He also took the Chemistry as all-in-class rather than the hybrid option. He is working 25 hours/week during the school year, which means he just has to slow the pace to 12-13 units (usually 3 classes) per semester and plan on it taking longer to complete the degree. Perhaps a lighter workload might also be a better fit for your DD for having to be on campus? Esp. if one of the classes each semester is a "lighter" gen. ed? And some of the gen. ed. classes can be taken online pretty easily. When DS#1 was working towards his first Bachelor, he knocked out a number of the gen. ed. credits at the CC for transfer and did them as online courses with no problems. The only advice I have for searching for a university is: - make sure there is an articulation agreement in place so that the CC courses WILL transfer and count toward's the university's degree - make sure the engineering program is ABET accredited - look for a program that has lots of student supports within the program, and good Student Services helps - look for a program that has research or internship options, and a good job placement track record Edited September 30, 2018 by Lori D. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 Best online math degrees: https://www.accreditedschoolsonline.org/online-degrees/math/ Computer science: https://thebestschools.org/rankings/best-online-bachelors-computer-science/ Engineering will be the toughest, I think, with the most time expected on campus. Work experience during college is also par for the course and not having it will put a graduate at a serious disadvantage. These schools do have online programs or components: https://www.accreditedschoolsonline.org/online-degrees/best-online-bachelors-in-engineering/ When does she plan to graduate? Does she still have gen ed classes to take? Some people do say not to take all your gen eds first if going into a STEM major, bc then your schedule is nothing but STEM courses and no variety. Another option in DE is to rack up some courses toward a minor. I think that universities are often better at providing accommodations than CCs or very small colleges. They often have an office dedicated to it and they are more cognizant of the legalities. I'd get in touch with some of them now to gauge their knowledge and responsiveness. It is usually called the Office of Disability Services or Student Disability Services. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*LC Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 I am sorry to hear your daughter is sick. I hope she feels better soon and is able to go ahead with her original plans. However, there are the ABET accredited online engineering programs. http://www.abet.org/accreditation/find-programs/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 (edited) She is interested in math and computers. Robotics and engineering make me think she is interested in systems, design, and analysis. My oldest is majoring in Economics and Computational Analysis and it checks all those boxes in various ways, she might take a look at that if she hasn't. It's a good lead-in to many types of graduate programs. Job-wise, there are also lots of ways to go and it keeps the door open to very math-oriented fields like actuary. Edited October 1, 2018 by katilac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted October 3, 2018 Author Share Posted October 3, 2018 Thank you all!! I'm going to look into all these ideas with dd. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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