Mechanical Engineering Associate Degree Online
If you're interested in engineering and would like to get an associate degree that will allow you to get started quickly in this field, then you might want to consider getting a mechanical engineering associate degree.
Why Get A Mechanical Engineering Associate Degree?
If you love machines and engines, and love the thought of designing new technologies that will help business and society grow into this century, then you'll love the field of mechanical engineering.
Mechanical engineers work in a wide variety of fields, and they work on a wide variety of projects. Because this field is so heavy in math and technology, it's vital you get your associate degree in mechanical engineering to understand basic engineering principals, as well as the math that you'll be using on a daily basis.
What You'll Learn In A Mechanical Engineering Associate Degree Program
Enrolling in a mechanical engineering associate degree program means that you'll be immersing yourself in plenty of "tech-heavy" classes. This is a degree that requires a lot of math and science, so you should be comfortable in these two areas to succeed.
Some of the classes you might expect to see in this degree program include:
- Construction Technology
- Statistics
- Technical Writing
- Engineering Software Packages (including CAD and CAM)
- Manufacturing Processes
- Circuits and Logic
- Metrology
- Tool Design
- Physics and Chemistry
- Fluid Dynamics and Thermodynamics
- Calculus
Careers In Mechanical Engineering
Like we stated earlier, mechanical engineering is truly a diverse field. You could work in the aerospace or auto industry, medicine, manufacturing, defense, bioengineering, cryogenics, and much, much more. This is definitely a degree that will give you a lot of opportunities, simply because there are so many different places you can take it.
An associate degree in mechanical engineering can definitely help you get your foot in the door at an engineering firm. You'd mostly like be an assistant to the main engineers, and the salary for this career varies widely.
CNN, however, reports a fairly high compensation in some parts of the country. The average salary for someone with an associate degree in mechanical engineering is around $50,000.
You'll definitely earn more, and have far more opportunities for advancement, if you stay in school and get your Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering.
Payscale.com estimates that the starting salaries for mechanical engineers (that have their 4-year degree) are around $53,000. But, once you've hit your five-year mark in the industry, the average goes up quite significantly to $66,000.
Because you can take a degree in mechanical engineering into so many different industries, the one you choose is obviously going to affect your salary.
For instance, some mechanical engineers work for school districts. They earn around $43,000 per year. Self-employed consultants earn almost $61,000, while engineers working for a private practice averaged out at $58,000.
With this degree you could work as a product designer, CAD or CAM designer, tool designer, R&D technician, or manufacturing technician.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that this industry will grow only by 4% in the next decade, which is slower than the national average. But, don't let this dissuade you. Many experts feel that green technologies are about to take off, so if you can position yourself in this emerging industry you'll have a good chance at doing some very exciting work in the years to come.
