Purdue is taking engineering online with their latest Master’s course

Studying a Masters course is becoming common practice in many lines of work as professionals realise they need to skill up to stay relevant in today’s employment market.

For those working professionals, turning to online learning or distance learning is far from unusual. As the reach and efficiency of the internet have grown, so to have the online programmes. But Purdue University is offering something a little unusual.

In partnership with edX and supported by Kaplan Higher Education, Purdue is the first to offer an online Master’s in Electrical and Computer Engineering for under US$25,000. If students can trust anyone with this interesting curriculum, it’s Purdue. The university is ranked top 10 in the United States for engineering programmes and top five for online engineering courses.

“We were intrigued when edX approached us with an opportunity to serve potentially thousands of new engineering students who could never come to Purdue’s campus to earn these degrees,” said Gerry McCartney, executive vice president for Purdue Online. “This is an important milestone for online education at Purdue University.”

Purdue has long offered massive open online programmes through edX, but the online engineering courses will be the first time the two parties have partnered to offer a full degree.

The first of these courses will begin in January 2020 and offers a perfect opportunity for working professionals to take their career and expertise to the next level. Conducted online, graduates still complete the same degree as those studying on campus. The whole course is expected to take one to one and a half years for full-time online students, and up to four years for those studying part-time.

“We are delighted to launch advanced programs through this novel partnership,” said Dimitrios (Dimitri) Peroulis, the Michael and Katherine Birck Head of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and special advisor to the dean of engineering for Online Learning.

“Purdue ECE world-class faculty have teamed up with online learning experts to produce a thorough and flexible Master’s programme. By completing their desired combination of rigorous one- and three-credit-hour courses, ECE online students will be able to gain both the depth and breadth they need to lead engineering teams worldwide.”

The affordable online master’s in ECE is the first step, with Master’s degrees in mechanical engineering and civil engineering being planned for next year.

“At its core, civil engineering continually strives to move the world forward through advancements in both research and in education,  and we believe this partnership will do just that for our school,” said Rao S. Govindaraju, the Bowen Engineering Head of Civil Engineering and Christopher B. and Susan S. Burke Professor of Civil Engineering.

“With this new partnership, we intend to provide greater ease access to higher education to qualified students all around the world.”

Purdue will join institutions such as the Georgia Institute of Technology, Indiana University, Arizona State University and Boston University in offering master’s degrees on edX priced well below the institutions’ comparable in-person programs.