Students can now earn a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) through Stony Brook’s new electrical engineering online program, which is the first New York State-approved undergraduate online engineering degree program that can be completed entirely online. The University of North Dakota and the University of Washington Bothell campuses are the only two universities in the country that have similar programs.
The online program started in 2007 as a collaboration among Stony Brook University, the University of Binghamton and the University of Buffalo, with SUNY Central as the lead agency, and was funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, a philanthropic, not-for-profit grant-making institution in New York City. Under the leadership of Yacov Shamash, Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Stony Brook took the principal role with support of faculty from Binghamton, Buffalo and its own campus.
For theoretical courses, no special requirements other than access to high-speed Internet are needed. For courses with a laboratory component, students will be given a list of equipment to purchase.
Because the program runs in asynchronous mode, students can follow course materials at their own pace, offering flexibility and convenience—ideal for professionals who are short on time. In most cases, PowerPoint slides with voice narration are available to teach lessons, and students can pause or stop as they choose.
Each instructor teaching a class with a laboratory component selects a technological platform suitable for his or her discipline. When needed, the instructor also interacts with students by video conferencing to offer real-time assistance.
The tuition for the online program is the same as it is for programs offered on campus. There is a course fee for online courses but students do not incur other charges such as laboratory and parking fees, nor do they pay for room and board.
Course material is available on Stony Brook’s Blackboard Web site. The courses are those typically offered during the third and fourth years of a four-year undergraduate program in electrical engineering, and are taught by the same faculty who offer them on campus.
“For success, online students need strong self-discipline, good time-management skills, experience using computers and the Internet and access to both,” said Wendy Tang, director of the BSEE online program.
The program only contains upper division courses. Therefore, students would need to complete some prerequisite courses and general educational courses elsewhere. Students in the program are expected to work and study independently with minimal face-to-face interaction with faculty and classmates.
For more information, email BSEEOL@ece.sunysb.edu or call (631) 632-1647.
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