Advanced engineering/science courses for working professionals

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around options for working professionals seeking to enhance their knowledge in advanced engineering and science topics, specifically numerical methods and electrodynamics. Participants explore various educational avenues, including university courses and private instruction, while considering the practicality of pursuing formal degrees.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant inquires about effective ways to catch up on graduate-level knowledge without pursuing a full degree.
  • Another participant mentions that many US universities offer continuing education courses for professionals, sometimes funded by employers.
  • A participant shares personal experience taking courses at UC Berkeley and Stanford, highlighting their relevance to work in EMC compliance and nuclear fusion.
  • It is suggested that private instructors, often professors, may offer tailored courses outside of traditional university settings, especially for companies with sufficient interest.
  • Specific universities, such as the University of Florida and Washington in Seattle, are noted for offering evening graduate courses attended by professionals from local industries.
  • Participants discuss the importance of investigating specific university policies regarding non-degree-seeking students, with examples provided from Clemson University and Johns Hopkins University.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that there are multiple avenues for continuing education available to professionals, but no consensus exists on the best approach or specific programs to pursue.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the variability in course offerings and policies across different universities, as well as the potential for differing experiences based on individual circumstances and company support.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for working professionals in engineering and related fields seeking to enhance their skills through non-degree educational opportunities.

elgen
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Greetings, forum users. I have been working as an electric engineer for more than ten years. There is a potential project at work that demands graduate level knowledge in numerical methods and electrodynamics. I wonder if there is any good way to catch up in these fields.

It is not practical to get a graduate degree at this stage in my career. The closest I have found is some course pages that post the notes and homework. In the meanwhile, I wonder if any university offers non-degree courses, and students can interact with instructors and other students. Interactions benefit the learning experience.

Thank you for the attention.
 
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A number of universities in the US offer "continuing education" courses that are open to professionals and other applicants. And sometimes the larger companies will cover the cost of such courses, and help you with registration.

When I worked at HP here in Silicon Valley a number of years ago, I took such courses from UC Berkeley (and maybe Stanford). One class was on Antennas, which I used in my work on EMC compliance at HP. One other was in Nuclear Fusion (which I may have paid for myself, since I wasn't working in that area when I was at HP).
 
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OP: In addition to the university option discussed above, there are also private instructors (often moonlighting professors) that teach courses outside of a university (e.g., in a conference room at a hotel). If your company is large enough and there are enough students within the company, they will teach tailored courses at your company.
 
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Thank you both for sharing the experience!
 
University of Florida offered graduate courses, evening hours, in their palm beach gardens campus. Attended by mostly Pratt & Whitney and FPL engineers. They catered to both degree seeking or not.
 
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Washington in Seattle does something similar, popular with Boeing.

There is surely a lot out there if one looks.
 
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