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Tim Winston is a senior engineer with AtkinsRéalis, where he works in the Land Development group supporting complex commercial and municipal projects. He earned his bachelor’s degree in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and brings more than a decade of experience in commercial land development and utility design.
Winston has contributed to projects across Nevada, Texas, and Hawaii, with particular strength in municipal infrastructure. He regularly provides senior technical oversight and leads multidisciplinary project teams on large-scale developments. He also serves on the Nevada Society of Professional Engineers Southern NV Chapter Board of Directors.
OnlineEngineeringPrograms.com: What is something you wish the public understood about engineering education in Nevada?
Winston: I would like to share that engineering education in Nevada is coupled with exposure to real-world innovation and application throughout a student’s academic career. Formula One, the newest sports venue, the newest hotel and casino, the next entertainment experience, mixed-use developments—it’s all in Nevada. Nevada students are getting first-hand experience through internships, tours, and professional lectures.
OnlineEngineeringPrograms.com: What advice would you give to aspiring engineering students in Nevada?
Winston: I’ve been in the industry for a little over 10 years. I can say that within 10 years, many of my peers who applied themselves in school and joined professional organizations; they are the leaders in the industry. We are the presidents, commissioners, senior engineers, and senior project managers. Your degree followed by your PE license [can lead to] high-demand opportunities.
Although there are currently no online bachelor’s degree programs in engineering in Nevada, there are programs in nearby states offered online admission to students from the state:
Arizona State University located in Tempe offers an online bachelor of science in electrical engineering. ASU’s award-winning faculty integrate the fundamental courses with practical real-world experience in an online environment. Courses include integrated labs which incorporate knowledge of practical hardware with industry-standard design and simulation tools to enhance one’s skills for today’s engineering environment. The program requires completion of 120 credits. Notably, this online degree program is ABET-accredited. Courses include physics, the principles of programming, the fundamentals of electromagnetics, circuits, and signals and systems, among others.
Arizona State University also offers an online bachelor of science in software engineering. The degree program uses engaged hands-on learning and discovery-based education to increase professional skills in teamwork, critical thinking, and communication. The program requires completion of 120 credits. This distance-based degree program is also ABET-accredited. Courses include the principles of programming, calculus for engineers, engineering statistics, principles of database management, and web-based applications and mobile systems, among many others.
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
The master’s of science in materials and nuclear engineering at UNLV is a graduate degree designed to give students a strong foundation in two interrelated engineering disciplines: materials engineering and nuclear engineering. The program offers two primary tracks: materials engineering, which focuses on material science, metallurgy, and performance; and nuclear engineering, which centers on applied nuclear science topics such as used fuel management, criticality, and radiation detection.
Students can choose from several options, including thesis, non-thesis, integrated BS-MS, and online formats to fit academic or professional goals. Course requirements generally consist of 30 graduate credits with emphasis on advanced engineering coursework tailored to each track. Graduates are prepared for careers in sectors such as energy, advanced materials industries, national laboratories, government agencies, and consulting.
There are some online out-of-state options that accept Nevada-based students as well:
The University of Arizona in Tucson offers an online master of science n industrial engineering. The program is 100 percent online and built to develop skills for manufacturing operations and the supervision of high-tech production processes. The program consists of 36 credits.
Courses allow the flexibility of focusing on areas that best support each student’s professional goals and can include classes such as quality engineering; law for engineers & scientists; technical sales and marketing; simulation modeling and analysis; the fundamentals of optimization; and traffic modeling and simulation, among several others. Additionally, students must choose between three paths: completing a hands-on project, assembling and defending a thesis, or completing additional coursework. Program admissions requirements include holding a minimum 3.0 GPA in previous academic coursework; being a graduate of an accredited engineering bachelor’s program or a degree in a related discipline such as math or physics; and showing proof of specific prerequisite coursework.
The University of Arizona also offers an online master of science in electrical and computer engineering, which could be a great choice for employed engineers wanting to enter a more design-oriented role. The program is 100 percent online and is flexible, allowing students choices to fulfill the 30 required credits. Areas of focus range from high-performance computing to holography and diffractive optics. Courses may include software engineering concepts; knowledge-system engineering; advanced topics in computer networks; computer architecture and design; and radar signal processing, among several others.
Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC)
The Engineering Pathways for Access, Community and Transfer Revolutionizing Engineering Departments (EPACT RED) program is a collaborative initiative funded by a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant that creates a streamlined and accessible pathway for community college students in northern Nevada to begin engineering coursework and transfer into a four-year engineering degree at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR).
Through EPACT RED, TMCC (in partnership with Western Nevada College and Great Basin College) offers key online 200-level engineering courses, such as statics, dynamics, and circuits, that count toward a bachelor’s degree and help students complete these foundational classes before transferring, saving time and supporting success. The program also focuses on building instructional capacity at community colleges and improving transfer success outcomes.
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas, offers a graduate certificate in nuclear criticality safety. The program requires 12 credit hours and is completely online. Classes include the introduction to nuclear criticality safety; nuclear criticality safety engineering; and Monte Carlo methods in nuclear engineering. Students must also complete three credits of an advisor-approved graduate-level nuclear engineering or health physics course.
The University of Nevada, Reno offers an online graduate certificate in renewable energy. The program requires completion of 12 credit-hours and is completely online. Student choose four classes from a selection, including alternative energy fundamentals; renewable energy policy; renewable energy in the local community & home; wind energy; principles of sustainability for business applications; solar and renewable energy utilization; geology of geothermal energy resources; fundamentals of biofuels; communicating innovation; and environmental law.
Prospective engineering students in Nevada should consider several factors when evaluating an online engineering degree. These include the quality of the teaching staff, the quality of the education, the total cost of the program, the institution’s reputation, the time required to complete the degree, and other factors.
Since online learning requires substantially more independence than traditional, on-campus degree programs, students pursuing an online engineering program should consider:
In addition to the above questions, aspiring students should determine their program’s accreditation and state authorization statuses before making a final decision.
Accreditation means a program has met the quality standards set by an accrediting agency. To receive accreditation, a school must meet several requirements, including strong student outcomes, availability of student services, a high-quality education, and the graduation of responsible students who understand their professional and ethical responsibilities to meet the needs of the citizens of Nevada and beyond. Therefore, accreditation is an indicator of academic quality. As a student, graduation from an accredited program may be required in order to qualify for certain graduate programs, certifications, or employment opportunities.
Since not all accrediting organizations are the same, aspiring students should seek out programs that have been accredited by an organization approved by the U.S. Department of Education’s Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). In addition, students should understand that accreditation is available from multiple organizations at the programmatic, national, and regional levels. Here is a list of prominent organizations that accredit online engineering programs in Nevada:
National accreditation
Regional accreditation
Programmatic accreditation
Students in Nevada are only eligible to enroll in online engineering programs that have been authorized to operate in Nevada. Also, some online engineering programs in other states may not provide admissions to non-residents, or have differing tuition for residents and non-residents. All online students should carefully review state policies (e.g., the University of Nevada, Reno) before applying to any program, or contact program coordinators to confirm out-of-state eligibility.
Admission requirements differ from university to university and program to program. Here are some typical admissions requirements for online engineering programs:
With a keen understanding of the challenges and opportunities in higher education, Kimmy Gustafson regularly contributes insightful articles to OnlineEngineeringPrograms.com, providing readers with a comprehensive view on the evolving landscape of engineering education since 2019. She has intervi...
After graduating from UC Berkeley, Jocelyn traveled the world for five years as an English teacher and freelance writer. After stints in England, Japan, and Brazil, she settled in San Francisco and worked as a managing editor for a tech company. She’s recently become interested in the underrepr...