Online Engineering Schools in New Mexico

Aspiring engineers in New Mexico may find their home state to be an excellent location to begin a career in this field. For one, New Mexico is home to strong engineering programs, including those at New Mexico State University and the University of New Mexico. While not every engineer in the state will study at these schools, those nearby can enjoy the benefits of proximity, including the chance to network with other professionals, continuing education courses, and even potential employment opportunities, as well.

Of course, there are a number of other reasons as to why New Mexico is a great place to be an engineer. For one, the engineering industry both in the Land of Enchantment and the rest of the United States is strong, and will likely continue to grow in the future. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (March 2017) reported that there were 21,250 engineering and architectural professionals working statewide—comprising more than 2.5 percent of all jobs in NM. Furthermore, the BLS reported that the following subfields of engineering would grow significantly in the coming decade:

Industrial engineering – 10 percent growth in openings nationally, 2016-2026
Civil engineering – 11 percent
Mechanical engineering – nine percent
Environmental engineering – eight percent

Additionally, Projections Central predicted that New Mexico would experience a rapid growth in engineering opportunities, as well. For example, openings in biomedical engineering in NM were expected to increase 17.3 percent between 2016 and 2026, while environmental engineering was anticipated to have 12.8 percent growth in the same timeframe. To put this into perspective, all fields nationally were slated to experience only seven percent growth on average.

Finally, New Mexico engineers have access to a wealth of professional organizations, including:

Overall, engineering is a high-growth field nationally and in New Mexico—one of the forces contributing to the explosion of educational programs, both on-campus and online. While many engineering students in New Mexico still attend traditional brick-and-mortar classes, others now complete online programs due to their relative flexibility and other conveniences.

This article highlights online engineering programs in New Mexico, as well as the professors, admissions criteria, and additional factors to consider.

Featured Online Engineering Programs
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Online Bachelor’s Degrees in Engineering in New Mexico

For most engineers, a bachelor’s degree is generally the first step to begin a career in this field. In addition to the abundance of campus-based programs nationally, here are two standout online bachelor’s programs in engineering based in NM:

Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering Technology – Eastern New Mexico University

Eastern New Mexico University of Portales currently offers an online bachelor of science (B.S.) in electronics engineering technology—an excellent program for those interested in solving problems pertaining to the design, analysis, and implementation of electrical and electronic circuits and systems. The program is conducted entirely online, and includes courses in control systems, linear systems analysis, semiconductor devices, logic circuits, and industrial electronics, among many others. Students in this program must complete a total of 128 credit-hours, and the cost of attendance is $2,958.84 per semester for New Mexico residents, including student fees.

Bachelor of Information and Communication Technology – New Mexico State University

Although not a traditional engineering program, the bachelor’s of information and communication technology at New Mexico State University of Las Cruces is offered through the College of Engineering, and may be an ideal choice for anyone looking to specialize in computer-based information systems. Students must complete 128 credit-hours in topics such as application software, computer networking, Linux system administration, web technologies and multimedia, and database technology, among others. It is important to note that applicants must already hold an associate degree or at least 62 postsecondary credits from an accredited institution. Tuition for the spring 2018 semester was set at $2,850 for students taking 15 credit-hours and above, although this does not include additional student fees or online course delivery costs.

Online Master’s Degrees in Engineering in New Mexico

While many engineers seek employment after earning a bachelor’s degree, others continue on and obtain a master’s or doctorate. The following are two online master’s degrees available in New Mexico for aspiring engineers:

Master of Science in Industrial Engineering – New Mexico State University

New Mexico State University offers a master of science (M.S.) in industrial engineering, which can be completed entirely online. Students in this 30-credit-hour program may choose one of two tracks—a thesis program or a course-only program—and also have the option to specialize in areas such as computer modeling, operations research and systems engineering, engineering management, and others. It’s important to note that students in this program must visit the Las Cruces campus for the final oral exam for the program. Tuition for NM resident graduate students taking 15 credit-hours per semester is set at $3,133.50, not including fees; otherwise, tuition is $243.90 per credit-hour.

Other Online Engineering Programs

A number of other online programs exist in NM and surrounding states, including these two distance-based graduate certificates:

Graduate Certificate in Systems Engineering – New Mexico State University

New Mexico State University offers a graduate certificate in systems engineering, which can be completed entirely online. Students in this 12-credit-hour program must take two required courses and two electives. The required courses are electrical engineering 461 (systems engineering and project management) and industrial engineering 537 (large-scale systems engineering). There are three different tracks for the electives, including modeling, simulation, and decisions; applications; or systems analysis. Tuition for this program is set at $243.90 per credit-hour, excluding additional fees.

Graduate Certificate in Engineering Management – University of Arizona

Nearby University of Arizona in Tucson offers an online graduate certificate in engineering management, which may be an excellent choice for individuals not interested in completing a full master’s degree. This 12-credit-hour program includes three required courses and one elective; the required courses include financial modeling for innovation, engineering decision making under uncertainty, and project management. The electives include cost estimation, simulation modeling and analysis, technical sales and marketing, quality engineering, and a survey of optimization methods. Tuition for this program is a total of $13,788, although this may not include additional fees.

Online Engineering Programs – What to Consider

When searching for an online engineering program, prospective engineers should examine the specifics and ask the following questions:

What is the total cost of the program? Applicants should determine the cost of the program, including fees, before enrolling.
Can the program be completed on a part-time basis? How long does it take, on average? This will help students develop a timeline for their studies and future careers.
Are campus visits required? Some programs require students to visit the campus periodically, while others can be completed entirely online.
Will the school assist with job placement after graduation? Being able to rely on job placement assistance after graduation can be highly valuable for a student.

Furthermore, aspiring engineers should learn about two program features: accreditation and state authorization status.

Accreditation

Although prospective students are not required to graduate from an accredited program, doing so does have significant benefits. For example, future employers may search for candidates who studied in an accredited program. Also, engineering students looking to secure financial aid for graduate school may find that enrollment in an accredited program is a prerequisite. It’s important to note that not all accreditation is recognized; instead, aspiring engineers should look for programs that have been accredited by one of the organizations approved by the U.S. Department of Education’s Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). A number of other accrediting agencies exist, but validating their legitimacy can be difficult.

In general, accreditation is split into regional, national and programmatic levels. This is a list of organizations that provide accreditation for schools in New Mexico:

National accreditation

Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC)
Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET)
Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC)

Regional accreditation

Higher Learning Commission (HLC)

Programmatic accreditation

State Authorization

Online engineering students in New Mexico may only study in programs that are eligible to operate in the state. This is known as “state authorization” status, and is an important factor to research before enrolling in a program. This information is usually available on a school’s website (e.g., New Mexico State University), and for schools which don’t have a state authorization page, students should contact admissions offices to ensure eligibility.

Admissions Requirements for Online Engineering Programs

The admissions requirements for online engineering programs vary by degree level and institution. For example, applicants to New Mexico State University’s master of science in industrial engineering should have:

A bachelor’s degree in engineering from a school accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) with coursework in calculus-based probability and statistics
If the student does not have a bachelor’s degree in engineering, they must meet the math prerequisites of the industrial engineering department, which are nine hours in calculus, three hours in differential equations and three hours in calculus-based probability and statistics
An undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 in their last 60 credit hours

Additional common application requirements include admissions essays; proof of additional coursework; letters of recommendation; test scores; and even candidate interviews.

Online Engineering Professors in New Mexico

Although online degree programs may be relatively new, they are still staffed by highly skilled educators who are renowned in their field. Here are three professors who lead courses in schools that currently offer online engineering degree programs in New Mexico:

Dr. Phillip De Leon – New Mexico State University

Dr. Phillip De Leon is the Paul W. and Valerie Klipsch Distinguished Professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at New Mexico State University, where he also serves as the associate dean of research. He is a senior member of the IEEE and serves on the Industrial Digital Signal Processing Technical Committee. He teaches courses on digital speech processing, embedded DSP, advanced linear systems, and adaptive filtering, among many others. He has received a wide array of awards during his career, including the Fulbright Faculty Scholar Award in 2008 and the Foreman Faculty Excellence Award in 2014.

Dr. Edward Pines – New Mexico State University

Dr. Edward Pines is a professor within the Department of Industrial Engineering at New Mexico State University, where he also serves as the academic department head. His research interests include quality and continuous improvement, large scale systems, and engineering and public policy. He teaches courses on quality control, business for engineers, senior design, and topics in engineering administration. Dr. Pines also serves as an Enterprise Adviser for the Arrowhead Innovation Network, as well as on the Board of Directors of Quality New Mexico. Notably, he’s the president of the High Tech Consortium of Southern New Mexico.

Dr. Dennis Engi – New Mexico State University

Dr. Dennis Engi is a professor within the Department of Industrial Engineering at New Mexico State University, where he teaches graduate-level courses on complex, adaptive systems engineering. His research focuses on the modeling and analysis of national security issues, as well as identifying, understanding, and managing issues that have significant impacts on our quality of life. Prior to working at New Mexico State University, he served as a senior scientist at Sandia National Laboratories, and as a professor and head of the School of Industrial Engineering at Purdue University.

Jocelyn Blore

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...