From what I've seen, EET and EE programs are very similar for the first 2-3 years, and then after that the EE goes into more depth. The EE program will have more math and more advanced circuit design techniques(more feedback concepts, pole/zero design, etc.), whereas the EET program most likely won't. If there were institutions that took my EET education and expanded it into an EE education without moving far from my city I would be happy.

 

From what I've seen, EET and EE programs are very similar for the first 2-3 years, and then after that the EE goes into more depth. The EE program will have more math and more advanced circuit design techniques(more feedback concepts, pole/zero design, etc.), whereas the EET program most likely won't. If there were institutions that took my EET education and expanded it into an EE education without moving far from my city I would be happy.

Back when I went to skool the first year of every science & engineering degree was identical, heavy on math & physics, with 1 course a semester degree specific. 2nd year is maybe 2 courses different. It's only in the 3rd & 4th year that things really get different.

One curious event came at the 3rd or 5th semester. The electromagnetics (Maxwell's equations) course was 2 semesters 4 credits each, and many people barely made it out of the first course. It was noted that the computer engineering course didn't require the 2nd semester, and about half my class changed majors to avoid this one course.

 

From what I've seen, EET and EE programs are very similar for the first 2-3 years, and then after that the EE goes into more depth. The EE program will have more math and more advanced circuit design techniques(more feedback concepts, pole/zero design, etc.), whereas the EET program most likely won't. If there were institutions that took my EET education and expanded it into an EE education without moving far from my city I would be happy.

At the uni I went to, the 2 were night & day different. The EET curriculum required an overview calc course, 2 quarters, where the EE required 6 quarters including 2 qtr of diff eqtn. The physics & chemistry for EE required were the same courses taken by phy & chem majors, i.e. the harder programs.

The EE program required e/m fields, not in EET, also EE required automatic controls, not in EET, as well as linear networks. The EE program required ME thermodynamics, not in EET, as well as science electives. I took solid state phy & modern phy, not reqd in EET.

The EE program has more breadth as well as more depth. I'm not dissing other programs, but if you can do the tougher math & related course work, I'd advise you to pursue EE as your first option. If it turns out to be the wrong field for you, then consider plan B.

Which one is better for you depends on your strengths/weaknesses. Are you more of a "hands on" person, or do you tend to be more "bookish". Like I said earlier, an EET degree, AAS or BS, can enable you to be very valuable to many companies. Likewise with EE, BS through Ph.D. If leading edge research is your thing, then EE is the path, at least an MS. If leveraging current technology and hands on practical work is your cup of tea, go with EET.

They are both valuable, and I've felt for years that a good technician is more valuable than a mediocre R&D or project engr. A great software engr is better than a mediocre hardware engr. Whatever you choose, you must be able to do it very well, not just ok.

I don't know your background, natural strengths/limitations, etc., so it is hard to give a definitive answer. How did you do in high school math? How far did you get? Algebra 1, 2, geometry, trig, pre-calc? Just wondering.

Claude

 

Agreed 100%.

 

I probably shouldn't have said very similar since there does seem to be some variance according to you guys. My younger brother just completed his second year of EE and he's only had 4 electrical/electronic related courses throughout the two years. The rest was just filler courses such as english, history, etc. whereas my 2.5 years focused directly on electrical/electronics subjects for the entire duration.

I really enjoyed the calculus and mathematics courses in my program that had direct applications in circuit analysis. I learn math at quite a slower pace than other students, but I can visualize the concepts very vividly once I learn them. However I do not like the unrelated physics/chem/statics/etc courses that my brother has to take in university which is why I preferred the EET program looking back. Like I said, I would like to pursue EE with am emphasis in signal processing, dsp, and analog design sometime in the future provided that I can bridge right into the actual engineering courses without the filler courses.

Currently I'm working in a position that I really like which involves circuit design, testing, prototyping, embedded programming, and PCB layout(as opposed to some of my colleagues from the same program grinding through an autocad desk job for 8 hours a day). A good mix of theory, practise, and interesting topics that I haven't even learned in my program.

 

The WIA grant will only pay for specific college courses at specific colleges. Id like to be an engineer working in green energy wind/solar/geothermal.
However there aren't any straight up engineering degrees that WIA pays for. But there are two degrees for "Mechanical engineering technology"
and "Electronic engineering technology". It is my understanding that neither of these transfer well into regular engineering bachelors degrees.
is that accurate?

I need to fully understand the difference between Electronic engineer, Electronic engineering technologist, Electronic engineering technician.
And also Mechanical engineer, Mechanical engineering technologist, Mechanical engineering technician.
It seems like a good analogy might be Doctor , Nurse, certified nurse technician. Would that be accurate to say?
Im kind of getting the gist that Mechanical engineering technologist = factory maintenance man.
And Electronic engineering technologist = kind of an electronic engineer but not really and you cant find work. How accurate is that?

Also this is the curriculum, does it seem worthwhile and legit? I don't know anyone who knows anything about engineering, I'm 29, dead broke and
on food stamps so I cant hire a counselor or anything. Going to mcdonalds and using their wifi to go on engineering forums and ask questions is the best I can do. So please help a guy out.
AAS – Electronic Engineering Technology
68-71 credit hours
FIRST YEAR
First Semester
CETT 1425 Digital Fundamentals
ENGL 1301 Composition I
ENGR 1201 Introduction to Engineering
MATH 1314 College Algebra1
RBTC 1305 Robotic Fundamentals
Second Semester
CETT 1403 DC Circuits
CETT 1445 Microprocessor
CPMT 2302 Digital Home Technology Integration
DFTG 1309 Basic Computer-Aided Drafting
MATH 1316 Plane Trigonometry

Summer
ECON 1301 Introduction to Economics (See other Social / Behavioral Science Core Options)

SPCH 1311 Fundamentals of Speech Communication ( See other Speech Core Options)


SECOND YEAR
First Semester
CETT 1405 AC Circuits
HUMA 1301 Introduction to the Humanities (See other Humanities Core Options)

PHYS 1401 College Physics I
SMFT 1471 Fundamentals of Solar Cell Engineering
Second Semester
CETT 1457 Linear Integrated Circuits
EECT 1448 Digital Signal Processing (DSP)
HART 2472 Alternative Energy Perspectives, Energy Sources, Energy Storage, and Energy Distribution (Capstone)
PHED/DANC Any activity course ( See PHED/DANC Core Options)

PHYS 1402 College Physics II2 -OR- Electronic Course*


Mechanical Engineering Technology
Associate of Applied Science Degree
Total Credits: 72

First Semester Credits
TECH^ 1100 Tech Success
CTEX^ 10XX Tech Success Seminars (3 as assigned) 1
INMT 1319 Manufacturing Processes2
3
MCHN 1201 Beginning Machine Shop
2
MCHN 1320 Precision Tools and Measurement
3
MCHN 1338 Basic Machine Shop I
3
ENGL 1301 Composition I
3
Semester Total 14
^Institutional credit only

Second Semester Credits
ENTC 1371 Engineering Computer Graphics I
3
MCHN 1354 Intermediate Machining II
3
MCHN 2303 Fundamentals of Computer Numerical Controlled (CNC) Machine Controls
3
WLDG 1307 Introduction to Welding Using Multiple Processes
3
MATH 1314 College Algebra
3
Semester Total 15

Third Semester Credits
IEIR 1371 Electrical Principles & Applications
3
MCHN 2335 Advanced CNC Machining
3
MCHN 2471 Specialized Equipment and Processes
4
MATH 1316 Plane Trigonometry
3
Semester Total 13

Fourth Semester Credits
ENTC 1443 Statics
4
INMT 1343 Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAD/CAM)
3
XXXX X3XX Program Approved Elective 3
ACGM X3XX Gen Ed Humanities/Fine Arts Course 3
ACGM X3XX Gen Ed Social Science Course 3
Semester Total 16

Fifth Semester Credits
ENTC 1410 Fluid Mechanics with Applications
4
ENTC 1423 Strength of Materials
4
MCHN 2338 Advanced Computer-Aided Manufacturing
3
ENTC 2310 Machine Design
3
Semester Total 14

 

Have you read the entire thread that you just brought back from the dead? If not, please do as there is actually quite a bit of good discussion that is very relevant to the question you are asking.

I have no idea what a WIA grant is, so I can't say anything relevant about it.

After reading the thread, you will appreciate how impossible it is to evaluate a curriculum based just on the list of classes that it requires. But, having said that, the two lists you present don't impress me very much.

 

Why don't they impress you? You see that's part of the reason I asked in the first place.
To try and find out if the degrees were worth while. Which degree is better? which has
a better change of getting a job? I can quietly read through posts on similar topics or I can
actually ask and talk to someone about my specific questions and problems. This is why I hate forums most people refuse to help and in so many words say "figure it out yourself I'm not sharing". At least you guys didnt block me like eng-tips did for asking simple questions. Does anyone have anything helpful or useful to say at all?? Id appreciate it. Its just two years of my life and my last change to go to college, no big deal.

 

The WIA grant will only pay for specific college courses at specific colleges. Id like to be an engineer working in green energy wind/solar/geothermal.
However there aren't any straight up engineering degrees that WIA pays for. But there are two degrees for "Mechanical engineering technology"
and "Electronic engineering technology". It is my understanding that neither of these transfer well into regular engineering bachelors degrees.
is that accurate?

I need to fully understand the difference between Electronic engineer, Electronic engineering technologist, Electronic engineering technician.
And also Mechanical engineer, Mechanical engineering technologist, Mechanical engineering technician.
It seems like a good analogy might be Doctor , Nurse, certified nurse technician. Would that be accurate to say?
Im kind of getting the gist that Mechanical engineering technologist = factory maintenance man.
And Electronic engineering technologist = kind of an electronic engineer but not really and you cant find work. How accurate is that?

Also this is the curriculum, does it seem worthwhile and legit? I don't know anyone who knows anything about engineering, I'm 29, dead broke and
on food stamps so I cant hire a counselor or anything. Going to mcdonalds and using their wifi to go on engineering forums and ask questions is the best I can do. So please help a guy out.
Snip
Semester Total 14

EET. EE will put you in debt. If it ends in Technology, it's more along the lines of technician work, which is a faster flash-to-bang as far as getting employed. EE will require much more commitment, probably 5 years, and will be much more expensive. It's worth it if you're 20, but 29 and broke is not the time to be putting all of your eggs in the "I hope I'm good at Calculus" basket.

Further, EET and MET will not translate into actual engineering degrees. You'll have to go back to step one to do calculus and physics.

In my very limited experience there are more jobs in EET than MET. However, other people will know more, and the state unemployment office will have cold hard facts to help you out. EET involves many, many different jobs and is usually separate from engineering. EET involves repair, production, installation, and several other facets.

 

Thank you poopscoop. I read through the entire thread. I posted the same question to three other forums and you guys are the only ones that answered. I guess Im just
trying to understand what jobs these degrees will put me in. I have an Idea but its foggy.
They could very well be not worth my time and not very good programs.. but they are my only options. I guess whichever program seems more legitimate is the one Ill choose.
I owe 9000.00 in student loans for a 1 year sonography degree that was basically a scam. I cant go through that again.

 

And the WIA grant is a Workforce Investment Act grant in Texas that may pay for
a college degree if you are unemployed and cant fine work.

 

Why don't they impress you? You see that's part of the reason I asked in the first place.
To try and find out if the degrees were worth while. Which degree is better? which has
a better change of getting a job? I can quietly read through posts on similar topics or I can
actually ask and talk to someone about my specific questions and problems. This is why I hate forums most people refuse to help and in so many words say "figure it out yourself I'm not sharing". At least you guys didnt block me like eng-tips did for asking simple questions. Does anyone have anything helpful or useful to say at all?? Id appreciate it. Its just two years of my life and my last change to go to college, no big deal.

They don't impress me because there just doesn't seem to be much in the way of meaty technical content.

Looking just at the EET degree. It's ~70 hours which is well over halfway to a full-up B.Sc. in EE. But let's pull out just the directly relevant courses:

CETT 1425 Digital Fundamentals
CETT 1403 DC Circuits
CETT 1445 Microprocessor
CETT 1405 AC Circuits
CETT 1457 Linear Integrated Circuits
EECT 1448 Digital Signal Processing (DSP)

Depending on how much depth these courses actually get into, there is somewhere around one semester's worth of material here, perhaps two if they are going deep.

And I'm concerned about how deep you can really get into any of this material given the level of math that is implied by the curriculum. For many aspects you are going to be stuck with just memorizing formulas and never understanding what they mean, where they come from, and what their limitations are.

Then there are some other classes that, going off just the names and that they don't appear to be integrated in any way, appear to be survey courses of broad areas:

RBTC 1305 Robotic Fundamentals
CPMT 2302 Digital Home Technology Integration
SMFT 1471 Fundamentals of Solar Cell Engineering
HART 2472 Alternative Energy Perspectives, Energy Sources, Energy Storage, and Energy Distribution (Capstone)

There doesn't appear to be the opportunity to develop any depth in anything.

But, as I pointed out earlier, it is really impossible to tell just from a list of courses because the course name says nothing about the depth and quality of the content or the expectations under which the student will operate.

 

Once again I would recommend that you study EE. It will be more in depth and detailed, giving you a good background/foundation for industry as well as grad school. If EE proves to be not your cup of tea, then an EET degree may be your option.

EE will prep you better for grad school. Comparing EE courses to that of EET is not an apples to apples comparison. The EE courses utilize more intense math, and they usually go into the subject with more depth. Also, the EE students you compete with are generally the top science and math students from high school. Having said that, not everybody wants to do leading edge R&D. An EET degree can enable you to do some good and useful things to help a company succeed.

Like I said, I have given a perfect performance review to just 1 person, who happened to have an AAS-EET. He was not an R&D person, but he did everything else very well. I wish I still had him. I wouldn't trade him for anyone.

I say this for a good reason. If a person understands why the EET degree was invented after EE had been around more than 8 decades, and goes into EET knowing what they are studying, that is great. If less intense math and theory is what you want, EET is good. The one thing I urge that all consider is that if one does not wish to study EE because they do not want the intense study, or because they don't have the math chops, the EET degree is not an alternative path. An EET grad is not technically as astute and that is why job opportunities are different between the two.

But most jobs do not require the intense math, so ET could get you some good job offers. Just be aware that the difference between the two is not slight, it is noticeable. I taught both, and I was shocked at the difference. After taching EE, working as a grad asst while going for the MSEE, I taught EET courses around 10 yrs. later.

I expected the EET students to be a little less advanced math-wise and science-wise. I was shocked at how limited the EET students were in math. I had to explain things to them that I had learned in 7th-8th grade! I'm just sharing my personal experience here, not putting anybody down.

If you can, go for the EE as your plan A.

Claude

 

Contra,

I'm picking up a sense of urgency regarding your finances. I certainly know what it's like to be broke, but getting a higher paying job doesn't fix that (though it can help). I'm speaking from experience. In fact, A higher paying job can make the situation of being broke worse. Going to school can help, but also consider the risk. I easily spent $50k just in tuition going to engineering school - and I didn't go to a big school. That's a lot of money to put up on top of your $9k that you already owe on school loans. Grants and scholarships can help, but are rarely a sure thing when starting a curriculum.

This is not a finance forum - so I won't elaborate much more, but I will suggest www.ynab.com and www.daveramsey.com to help you get your finances in order before you go to school. IMHO, that's the first step!

As far as weather the EE or EET is best...

I don't know you personally, so consider this: Most of the engineers I work with are highly detailed, self motivated, and excel in math and science. The technicians I work with tend to be more care-free, have good math and science skills, but excel in hands-on work. Many of them have worked with cars, building computers, or some other hobby that is hands-on.

In your situation I might consider getting a EET first to get a taste for the field without investing a lot of time and money, then consider going for a EE, and build from there. Some companies will even pay for your school in exchange for a x-number of year commitment.

Good luck!