Abstract:

Many mid and later career learners want to go back to school to enhance, or even redirect, their career. But for the adult student, putting their career on pause or even taking significant time and expense to travel to and from university centers is simply not a option. This has driven the demand for online programs in engineering. Yet the online engineering program environment is not straightforward either. Offerings are sparse and programs can have varying requirements, quality, and presentation formats. At the heart of many issues is whether universities treat online offerings as an inferior offering designed to generate income or a viable and modern alternative form of education.

The George Washington University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science has had a long history of educating adult learners and so it was a natural extension of the School’s mission to develop a comprehensive quality online engineering program to meet the needs of working professionals. The program has developed and successfully deployed 15 educational programs:

3 graduate certificates
- Graduate Certificate in AI Engineering
- Graduate Certificate in Systems Management
- Graduate Certificate in Cyber Security

7 master’s degrees
- Masters of Science in Electrical Engineering
- Masters of Science in Engineering Management
- Masters of Science in Systems Engineering
- Masters of Engineering in AI and Machine Learning
- Masters of Engineering in Cloud Computing Management
- Masters of Engineering in Cyber Security Policy and Compliance
- Masters of Engineering in Cyber Security Analytics

6 doctoral degrees
- Doctor of Engineering in AI and Machine Learning
- Doctor of Engineering in Cyber Security Analytics
- Doctor of Engineering in Engineering Management
- Doctor of Engineering in Systems Engineering
- Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering Management
- Doctor of Philosophy in Systems Engineering

These programs rank among the highest rated online engineering programs in the US, however, their development, approval, and launch did not come without a significant learning experience.

In this poster, we present an expository and lessons learned approach to the development of these programs in an effort to provide a roadmap for other universities considering developing an online venture. We discuss the markets for each degree and how that determined the degree structure, methods for ensuring academic standards, enrollment trends, and a synopsis of the type of students that are attracted to the programs. Further, we discuss how student feedback was incorporated to upgrade the programs and lessons learned from dealing with academic ranking agencies like US News and World Report. It is our hope that others can learn from our journey.

Keywords:

Engineering Education, Online Education.