Returning to school - need some advice (bachelor's, degree, MBA)

[rockhart]

I'm 27 years old and dropped out of college six years ago. I've been looking into going back to school and have done a ton of research, but i'm still confused about what to major in. I saw an, "academic adviser" today from the community college I was going to, and found out that i'm much closer to a transfer to degree than I thought.

I'm a couple of quarters away from my Associates in Integrated Studies (A generic transfer degree), but from what i'm reading, it sounds like a liberal arts degree is the worst choice you can make right now. Can I get into an engineering program at a university with this kind of transfer degree? I'd imagine I wouldn't have any of the pre-reqs needed.

Engineering seems like a wise decision, but i'm not sure if my math is where it needs to be. I'm around a pre-calculus level right now, but even with that I still need a couple of quarters to be where I should be, if I decide to go that route.

I could be done in a couple of quarters with a general DTA, or be in school for a good year and a half before I get an associates in electrical engineering. The main goal is to transfer to a university and get my Bachelor's

My biggest obstacles are: My weakness in math relative to what it should be for an engineering path, unsure about what career I want, hesitant to decide a major when i'm not sure what I want to do, and borrowing money for a worthless education if I stay with the integrates studies route.

I work at Microsoft (but not for them), and i'm good with computers. I just don't know if I want to see myself 20 years down the road sitting in front of a computer screen the whole time. Lots of things interest me, it just seems difficult to make this decision with the cards I have

I also received a degree in Medical Assisting and am waiting on a transcript to see if those credits are transferable

Any ideas and thoughts are welcome, thanks

[FlyiMetro]

I think you should go for it. An just try to do well you know?

[Hamish Forbes]

Would it be possible to finish your Integrated Studies AA with courses that would be useful in an engineering program? For example, could you finish the AA with calculus, English, and so forth? Remember that an engineering degree requires a certain amount of general education as well as the specialized stuff. That way you would have the AA credential, as well as satisfy (by transfer) some of the requirements of the engineering degree. Also, is there a transfer counselor at a local engineering school you could talk with about your situation?

[TyroneBiggums]

Your liberal arts credits may transfer, but your math/science credits most likely will not. I say this only because you mentioned your math is at a pre-calculus level. When I pursued my engineering degree, the math started at calculus. If math is not a strong point, then you will need to make it one, as you will have at least 4 semesters of math at or above calculus. The EE coursework draws heavily on that as well, just to give you an idea of what to look forward to.

If you have an idea of where you would like to get your engineering degree from, you should call the admissions office there to see what credits would transfer, as not all credits transfer. Different schools have different standards.

[joe from dayton]

Have you looked at the math required in an engineering program? My brother is very good at math, and he said the math in a four year engineering program is very difficult. He did well in all of his classes, but there were more than a few who did not. I've never heard anyone who was weak in math say they wanted to go to engineering school. A few of your Gen Ed classes will probably transfer towards an engineering degree, but for the most part you will be starting over.

[opsec]

If you are going to pursue engineering, you would be wise to really decide on the 4-year school you plan on transferring to so you can have all the pre-reqs that you need. Some schools engineering programs are "lighter" than others, and IMO that means their program is weaker. But each to his/her own opinion on that. My thoughts are if I'm going to be an engineer, I want the right training so I don't screw something up and get labeled a reject in my career field. So I think the quality of programs matter greatly when looking. Just saying.

I was looking at Oklahoma State for Civil Engineering. First their BS program requires 136 hours to graduate vs the traditional 120 hours. Of the 136 hours, 60 must be completed at OSU. To give you an idea of the math/science required, here is the "Gen Ed/Core Body" requirements of that program I was looking at:

> Calc 1 (College Algebra & Trig or combo course of Alg/Trig req'd before you can enter)
> Calc 2
> Calc 3
> Differential Equations
> Biology for Majors
> Chemistry 2 (don't recall if Biology class will suffice as pre-req, or Chem 1 is required)
> Physics 1
> Physics 2
> Engineering Statics
> Strength of Materials
> Thermodynamics
> Engineering Dynamics
> Computer Programming
> Electrical Science
> Comp I (and Comp II if less than B grade)
> History
> Federal Gov't
> 6 hours of Humanities (free choice)
> 3 hours of Social Science (free choice)
> Speech I

I am not saying this to scare you, but to inform you. Be sure to plan accordingly. In my case, I could take all the above classes at a community college and then transfer into OSU for the main degree.

I think an engineering degree rocks. Couple with an MBA and I think lots of doors open for you. But you have to be willing to commit to some killer classes on the front-end. Only you can decide if this is something you are capable of doing and really want to do. It is a tough decision, but if you have the abilities and desire to push through for the engineering degree, I think you will be happy with the choices that are available to you afterwards.

Good luck!