Starting a career in electrical engineering can give you a wide variety of career options. North Dakota has three different schools that can help you get started in this career. One of these schools offers an Associate’s degree in electrical engineering, and all three schools have Bachelor’s degree programs. Two North Dakota schools have Master’s degree and Ph.D. programs.
Since electrical engineering involves lots of hands-on work, all degrees in this field include lab courses in addition to traditional courses. An Associate’s degree requires you to complete 60 credits over the course of two years. Many of your credits may transfer to a Bachelor’s degree. To earn a Bachelor’s degree, you can plan on spending about four to five years completing 120 credits. Courses required at this level include Circuits and Systems Design, Fundamentals of Power Systems, and Communication Systems.
If you want to start a career in research or teaching, a Master’s degree or Ph.D. may be the next step for you. If you want to earn a Master’s degree, you have to complete 30 credits in courses like Feedback Control Design and Nanophotonics. Earning a Ph.D. takes an average of seven years, but your completion time depends on how quickly you write your thesis.
The overall average cost of tuition in North Dakota is $6200. Your costs may be lower if you are a North Dakota resident. Many schools also have reciprocity agreements with Minnesota, so Minnesota residents can pay a much lower cost of tuition.
Applying for North Dakota scholarships can help you pay for your education. The North Dakota Petroleum Council awards the Al Golden Memorial Scholarship every year to qualified, dedicated engineering students. The Rocky Mountain Coal Mining Institute is another local group that provides engineering scholarships.
After you have graduated from your program of choice, you can start thinking about earning your license from the North Dakota State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. This involves passing a comprehensive engineering exam and having your scores sent to the board. After they process your application and approve it, they will send you your license in the mail.