Electrical Engineering Associate Degree Online
Cleveland Institute of Electronics
Learn at your own pace and graduate as a fully-qualified electronics or computer professional at the Cleveland Institute of Electronics. Our Online Associate Programs include Computer Information Technology and Systems Management, Electronic Engineering Technology and Software Engineering. Cleveland Institute of Electronics is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council.
Penn Foster College
A leader in career focused degrees, Penn Foster College provides online Associate Degree programs designed with a particular career in mind, so that graduates are fully prepared to enter the specific career that their curriculum was tailored to train them for. Penn Foster Career School is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC).
Use our handy search tool to find your perfect associate degree today!
Use our handy search tool to find your perfect associate degree today!
There aren't many associate degrees that allow you to take things apart, analyze how they work, and then put them back together again. For people who love gadgets and working with their hands, it doesn't get any better than this.
If this sounds like you, then you might want to think about getting an electrical engineering associate degree.
What Is Electrical Engineering?
Electrical engineers work with all kinds of electrical devices. They understand the complicated aspects of electricity, and how it can be generated and controlled in electronic equipment.
For instance, as an electrical engineer you could work in a huge power station designing better, more efficient systems and ensuring that things keep running properly.
Or, you could work for a company that makes GPS units. You could develop new uses for this technology, or implement new features that make its use applicable to more people.
Electrical engineering is an incredibly diverse field, and to get into this industry you'll have to start by getting your electrical engineering associate degree.
What You'll Learn In An Electrical Engineering Associate Degree Program
Your associate degree is going to train you in the basics of electrical engineering. This will allow you to get your foot in the door in a lot of companies.
Some of the classes you can expect to see in an electrical engineering degree program include:
- DC and AC circuits
- Computer Applications
- Electrical Machines
- Microprocessors
- Analog Electronics
So, all you engineers out there better bust out your pocket protectors and mechanical pencils because for you, this degree will be non-stop tech fun.
Careers With An Associate Degree in Electrical Engineering
Remember when we said that electrical engineering was a diverse field?
Well, we weren't kidding. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that electrical engineers work in dozens of different sectors including the auto industry, the aerospace industry, the airline industry, national defense, commercial contracting, the private sector, and much, much more.
No matter where your interest lies, chances are pretty good than an associate degree in electrical engineering can take you there.
While you can find a job with an electrical engineering associate degree, you'll earn much more, and have more opportunities for advancement, if you stay in school and get your Bachelor's degree in this field.
Starting salaries for electrical engineers with a Bachelor's degree is around $55,000, according to Payscale.com.
Payscale.com points out that breaking into this field is a bit challenging, which is why beginning engineers don't earn more.
But, if you stick it out until your fifth year, your salary goes up dramatically. Electrical Engineers with 5 years experience earn, on average, $70,000. So if you can stick out that first "rough phase", it will definitely pay off.
Electrical engineers can expect steady job growth through 2016, according the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Again, finding your first job might be challenging, but that's the only major hurdle you'll have to cross. If you can find a position where you're doing work you love then you're golden, because the longer you stay and the more experience you obtain, the more money you're going to make.