What is the SUNY BEE Electrical Engineering online program?

Our goal is to provide a complete online Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. Approval by the NewYork State Education Department will be sought for this degree and until that time, these courses carry SUNY credit but are not part of an approved degree program and all courses offered under this initiative are offered as individual courses.

All courses, materials, tests, labs, discussions, advising and contact with faculty will occur completely online.

The initiative is the result of a unique collaboration among faculties and the engineering schools of three of the most prestigious universities of the State University of New York - Binghamton University , University at Buffalo and Stony Brook University . It is funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and supported by the Office of Learning Environments, a program of the Office of the Provost and Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

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Will my courses online count towards a degree?

The full online Bachelor of EE degrees will seek – and expects to gain -- approval from the New York State Education Department beginning in the academic year Fall, 2007- Spring 2008, when all junior (third-year) and senior (fourth-year) upper division courses will be available online. 

The courses you complete in this program will count towards the online Bachelors of Engineering degrees from the three campuses when they are approved.

Will these degrees be accredited by ABET?

The universal accreditor of engineering programs in the U.S. is ABET -- Accreditation Board of Engineering Technology).  ABET accreditation is only granted after the first class of students graduates from the program.  Therefore, this online degree is not yet an ABET accredited program.  We plan to seek ABET accreditation upon the graduation of the first class of students. 

In designing our program we have been in close contact with and followed the strict advice and guidelines of ABET to help ensure eventual accreditation.

The same faculty who offer the EE degrees on their campuses will be teaching these online courses, so you are assured of a high-quality, challenging, engineering education , completely equivalent to what you would receive on one of the three campuses.

What institution will give me my diploma?

When the degree programs are approved – (expected next year) – you will get your Bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering from the campus you have chosen to be your home institution ( Binghamton University , University at Buffalo or Stony Brook University ). 

What will my diploma say?

Once the degree programs are approved at the three universities (expected for Academic Year 2007-2008) you will be asked to apply to one of the three campuses on which to complete your degree – your home institution.

Your choices will be as follows:

• Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering at Binghamton University

• Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering at the University of Buffalo

• Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering at Stony Brook University.

The course work for all the degrees will be the same and available completely online despite the different names.

Will my prior work or courses count for credit towards the BE degree?

  Transfer and acceptance of all prior credit will be approved on an individual basis. Each student’s coursework and work experience will be reviewed by an advisor on their home campus.

What are the requirements for admission?

Please read carefully all Admissions Requirements. You must be prepared to forward official transcripts and other proof of all courses and requirements before admission.

This program is designed for students who wish to complete their entire degree online. On-campus students will be admitted to online courses only if there is room and subject to the approval of their advisors.

Online students will be admitted to on-campus courses on a transfer basis, subject to on campus program of his/her home institution, standard admission policy of home institution applies.  Credits taken online may be transferred subject to standard on campus evaluation procedures.

What will it cost?

Students will pay the normal SUNY tuition rate for 2006-2007. Out-of-state tuition now is currently $442 per credit hour. New York State residents will pay the in-state tuition rate, currently $181 per credit hour. There will be additional required fees for administration and technology just as there might be fees on a campus. Discounts for veterans, military personnel, or other special needs students will follow SUNY campus policies.

What do you mean by “home campus”?

When the degree is approved, – students who apply to the SUNY Bachelors of Electrical Engineering Program Online will choose a campus to grant their degree from the three universities that are collaborating on this program. This will be the student’s home campus.

What do you mean by “matriculating students”?

A matriculating student is a student who is enrolled to complete a degree at a SUNY institution.

Why will the degrees granted by the three institutions have slightly different names? Will that affect the quality of my study or the degree itself?

The faculties on each of the three campuses wish to distinguish the name of the degree offered online from the similar on-campus degree in part because it makes keeping track of students easier and it symbolized the fact that courses from faculties on their partner campuses also contribute to the degree. For this reason, the degree programs will be named as follows:

Binghamton University = Bachelors of Engineering in EE

University at Buffalo = Bachelors of Engineering in EE

Stony Brook University = Bachelors of Science in EE

The three universities may also have slightly different requirements for admission to and completion of the program.

What is the SUNY Learning Network?

The SUNY Learning Network is a ten-year-old program supporting totally online (asynchronous) learning for 100,000 SUNY enrollments on 40 SUNY campuses. It is the most experienced and one of the largest university online programs, and has won national awards from the Sloan Foundation and Educause for its academic excellence and focus on teaching and learning. Its approach is to focus on the quality of learning by only offering courses from the SUNY campuses taught by SUNY faculty. It offers more than 100 complete degree and certificate programs.

When will SUNY’s BE courses be available?

The first twelve required courses for third-year study are available for Fall 2006 and Spring 2007 semester. The final complement of fourth-year courses will be available for Fall 2007 and Spring 2008. Please consult the Course Schedule for details.

Courses will run at the same time and last as long as the normal campus schedule of courses during the semesters.

When/how should I apply?

The application form and procedures are available on the web.

Registered students will be able to access course materials on the web on August 1, 2006 .

Who should enroll in these courses?

• Please take the self-assessment test Am I Ready to Take SUNY Engineering Courses Online?
• Are you one of the tens of thousands of workers in American industry who possess associate degrees in related fields, or who are working their way toward completion of bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering? This online degree program will provide a flexible, convenient opportunity for you to work towards your four-year degree, while continuing in your current job.
• Are you interested in exploring an engineering education or looking for specific knowledge and skills in electrical engineering? These course

Where and when can I take first- and second-year (Freshman and Sophomore-level) courses that will count towards the BEE Online program?

• For Spring and Summer semesters 2007, only third- and fourth-year SUNY EE courses are available online.

• SUNY is planning to create a cooperative curriculum with our outstanding community colleges that offer the two-year technical degree so that all four years of the Bachelors of EE courses, including electives and technical prerequisites, will be available completely online.  

• For now you may wish to look at the SUNY Learning Network catalog at http://sln.suny.edu where many first- and second-year level General Education courses are available online.

If I'm interested in keeping posted about this program?

Please check this website for changes and join our mailing list by filling out the BEE Contact Form and we'll keep you posted on any related announcements.

Will BEE courses be online during the summer semester?

Please check back with this website for announcements about summer courses. Eventually, the program will offer Summer courses every year.