The Best Online Engineering Community Colleges

The Top 4 Best Online Engineering Community Colleges
RankSchoolLocationScore
#1Central Texas CollegeKilleen, Texas99
#2Orangeburg Calhoun Technical CollegeOrangeburg, South Carolina97
#3Massachusetts Bay Community CollegeWellesley Hills, Massachusetts96
#4SUNY Westchester Community CollegeValhalla, New York96
Learn About the Best Online Engineering Master’s Degrees

Community colleges that offer engineering degrees online are growing in number and diversity. An affordable associate degree in engineering is more accessible today than it has ever been. Community college engineering programs are available in numerous specializations. This means that you can earn a 2-year engineering degree and immediately begin working as a technician in a wide range of settings, including automotive engineering, electrical engineering, software engineering, and a host of other high-growth fields. The best engineering community colleges will also help you make the jump from your 2-year degree into a 4-year degree program, which is an important threshold if you ultimately plan to become a licensed Professional Engineer (PE).

The Best Online Engineering Community Colleges Ranking

#1

Central Texas College

Killeen, Texas

Central Texas College's School Logo
Score 40
Relative Cost
Adult Friendly
Online Experience
Disability Friendly
First-Generation Friendly

Online Associate Degrees

#2

Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College

Orangeburg, South Carolina

Score 38
Relative Cost
Adult Friendly
Online Experience
Disability Friendly
First-Generation Friendly
Military Friendly
Predominantly Black
#3

Massachusetts Bay Community College

Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts

Score 37
Relative Cost
Adult Friendly
Online Experience
Disability Friendly
First-Generation Friendly

Online Associate Degrees

#4

SUNY Westchester Community College

Engineering Department

Valhalla, New York

Score 37
Relative Cost
Adult Friendly
Online Experience
Disability Friendly
First-Generation Friendly
Hispanic Serving

Online Associate Degrees

The Best Online Engineering Community Colleges FAQ

What Is an Online Associate in Engineering Degree?
An online associate in engineering is a practical degree program where you’ll learn the basic principles of engineering and build a foundation of technical skill in areas such as mechanics, electronics, and computing. You can also expect a math-intensive program, including classes in calculus, physics, differential equations, and more. The associate in engineering will qualify you for entry-level work as a technician or drafter, and it can prepare you to transfer into a bachelor’s degree in engineering program.

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What Can I Do With an Online Associate in Engineering Degree?
Many engineering associates use their degree to begin accumulating field experience as working technicians. As an engineering technician, your responsibilities might include building machinery, setting up equipment, collecting data about functionality, testing products, conducting quality control, and more. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Electrical Engineering Technicians earned a median salary of $65,260 in 2019; Mechanical Engineering Technicians earned $56,980; and Civil Engineering Technicians made $53,410.

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How Long Does It Take To Get an Online Associate Degree in Engineering?
The typical online associate’s degree in engineering will require you to earn 60 credits. For full-time students, this can typically be completed over the course of two years, though some engineering associate’s degrees are designed to be completed over three years.

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What Is the Best Online Associate in Engineering Degree?
If you plan to pursue a career as a technician, machinist, drafter or one of the many other high-growth entry-level positions open to graduates with an associate degree in engineering, choose from our ranking of The Best Online Engineering Community Colleges.

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Career Information

Engineer Career Information

Engineer Hourly Wages by Percentile
PercentileHourly Wage
Mean$48 per hour
Tenth Percentile$28 per hour
Twenty-Fifth Percentile$35 per hour
Fiftieth Percentile (Median)$45 per hour
Seventy-Fifth Percentile$59 per hour
Ninetieth Percentile$74 per hour
Engineer Annual Wages by Percentile
PercentileAnnual Wage
Mean$100,770
Tenth Percentile$58,210
Twenty-Fifth Percentile$72,940
Fiftieth Percentile (Median)$94,500
Seventy-Fifth Percentile$122,420
Ninetieth Percentile$154,870
Engineer Employment Outlook 2019-2029
MeasurementEmployment
2019 Employment1,810,100 people
2029 Employment1,879,100 people
Employment Percent Change from 2019 to 20294%

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Updated: .

Published: .


An institution’s program specfic score is calculated with seven data points: (1) its student-to-faculty ratio, (2) its the graduation rate, (3) its retention rate, (4) its percentage of online students, (5) its concentrated Influence (a measure of the academic importance of a school), (6) its desirability (a measure of how many students chose to go to an institution), and (7) its exclusivity (a measure of how selective the insitutionis).
 
For each data point, we score schools based on where they fall compared to the other institutions on our site. Because our scores are based only on institutions with engineering programs and not tied to institutions without these programs, they accurately reflect an institutions’s value to the engineering student. Institutions with missing data receive a zero for that data point.
 
We weigh each data point and calculate an institution’s raw score. Then we create an adjusted raw score by combining a schools's score with a base score of 50. Finally, we score and rank institutions based on their adjusted score’s comparison to the top scoring relevant program.
 
Check out our detailed methodology here.

We weren’t able to get all the data we needed for this institution. This score is based on the information they have reported. An institution’s program specfic score is calculated with seven data points: (1) its student-to-faculty ratio, (2) its the graduation rate, (3) its retention rate, (4) its percentage of online students, (5) its concentrated Influence (a measure of the academic importance of a school), (6) its desirability (a measure of how many students chose to go to an institution), and (7) its exclusivity (a measure of how selective the insitutionis).
 
For each data point, we score schools based on where they fall compared to the other institutions on our site. Because our scores are based only on institutions with engineering programs and not tied to institutions without these programs, they accurately reflect an institutions’s value to the engineering student. Institutions with missing data receive a zero for that data point.
 
We weigh each data point and calculate an institution’s raw score. Then we create an adjusted raw score by combining a schools's score with a base score of 50. Finally, we score and rank institutions based on their adjusted score’s comparison to the top scoring relevant program.
 
Check out our detailed methodology here.

Focused on online engineering colleges, our relative cost score compares the average in-state tuitions of institutions with online engineering programs.
 
Check out our detailed methodology here.