2027 ABET-Accredited Engineering Degrees With Credit for Military Technical Training
Co-Founder and Chief Data Scientist
Choosing an electrical engineering degree means balancing ABET accreditation, transfer-credit value, lab access, and career goals - not simply finding a military-friendly school. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a $111,910 median annual wage for electrical engineers as of May 2024, making program quality and completion time important financial decisions.
This guide is for active-duty personnel, veterans, Guard and Reserve members, and military spouses considering electrical engineering. It explains how military training may count, which program features matter, and how to compare realistic degree paths before applying.
Key Things You Should Know
- Choose an ABET-accredited electrical engineering bachelor's program if you may pursue Professional Engineer licensure, government engineering work, or employers that require an accredited engineering degree.
- Military technical training can reduce general education, elective, computing, or introductory technical requirements, but it rarely replaces calculus-based circuits, electromagnetics, design, and required ABET laboratory courses.
- Electrical engineers had a $111,910 median annual wage in May 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; however, degree cost, remaining credits, location, clearance eligibility, and engineering specialization affect individual return on investment.
What is an ABET-accredited electrical engineering degree that accepts military technical training?
An ABET-accredited electrical engineering degree is a bachelor's program evaluated against standards set by ABET's Engineering Accreditation Commission. It prepares students to analyze and design electrical, electronic, power, control, communications, and computer-related systems through a calculus- and physics-based curriculum.
"Accepts military technical training" does not mean a school automatically converts a military occupational specialty into an electrical engineering degree. Usually, the institution evaluates a Joint Services Transcript (JST), Community College of the Air Force transcript, Defense Language Institute coursework, industry credentials, and standardized examinations. The school then decides whether credit fits its own degree requirements.
This path is usually a strong fit for veterans and service members with experience in avionics, radar, communications, electronics maintenance, nuclear power, cybersecurity, instrumentation, power generation, or test equipment. It may be a weaker fit for students seeking the fastest possible bachelor's degree, because electrical engineering has a tightly sequenced math, science, and laboratory curriculum.
The distinction matters: a degree in electrical engineering technology can be valuable and more applied, but it is not automatically interchangeable with electrical engineering for licensure, graduate-school prerequisites, or employer screening. Confirm the exact program name and the applicable ABET commission before enrolling.
How can military technical training translate into college credit for electrical engineering?
Military learning is commonly reviewed through an official transcript and, where applicable, American Council on Education credit recommendations. A recommendation is evidence for a school's evaluation, not a requirement that the school award credit. Engineering departments often make the final decision because they must document that graduates meet ABET outcomes.
The most useful strategy is to request an evaluation before committing to a program. Submit complete records early, then compare the written results from more than one school. Ask whether each award applies to your intended electrical engineering major, not merely as unrestricted transfer credit.
Use the following process to protect your time and benefits:
- Order your JST or other official military transcript and gather course syllabi, training descriptions, certifications, and any college transcripts.
- Apply as a transfer or military-affiliated student and ask for both a university-level and electrical-engineering departmental evaluation.
- Identify whether each credit fulfills general education, math and science, technical elective, free elective, or required engineering coursework.
- Request a degree map showing prerequisites and the earliest available terms for courses you still need.
- Compare the remaining credits, residency requirement, lab format, tuition after military benefits, and expected graduation date before accepting an offer.
A common mistake is assuming that a large number of accepted credits will substantially shorten the degree. Thirty transferred elective credits may improve affordability but may not move a student past the calculus, differential equations, circuits, electronics, signals, and senior-design sequence. Focus on credits that remove prerequisites or required courses.
Which U.S. universities offer electrical engineering programs that recognize military experience?
Several universities operate ABET-accredited electrical engineering programs and have established processes for evaluating military records. Program availability, online delivery, transfer rules, and accreditation status can change, so verify the current program listing directly with the institution and ABET before applying.
The institutions below are examples to investigate rather than a ranking. Their value depends on whether they can apply your prior learning to the specific degree requirements you need.
| University to investigate | Relevant program consideration | Military-credit question to ask |
| Arizona State University | Electrical engineering options with substantial online learning availability | Which JST, CLEP, or technical credits can apply to the BSE electrical engineering degree rather than free electives? |
| University of North Dakota | Known for distance-accessible engineering study and military student support | Which required labs have online, intensive, or campus-residency components? |
| Old Dominion University | Public university with distance-learning infrastructure and a military-connected student population | Can transfer credit meet prerequisites in the electrical engineering sequence? |
| University of Alabama | Large public engineering college with services for military-connected learners | What is the current delivery format for the ABET-accredited electrical engineering pathway? |
| University of Arizona | Engineering programs and veteran-focused student resources | Are prior military technical courses evaluated by the engineering department, and is departmental review available before enrollment? |
Do not select a school solely because it advertises military support. Ask for a transfer-credit evaluation in writing, confirm that the specific electrical engineering bachelor's degree is ABET-accredited, and determine whether your target specialization can be completed from your duty station.
For a lower-cost comparison beyond engineering-specific options, review most affordable online colleges while remembering that a low tuition rate does not offset a program that adds unnecessary terms or requires costly travel for labs.
ABET accreditation is the central quality check for a student pursuing a conventional electrical engineering career. Accreditation applies to a particular program at a particular campus or delivery arrangement; institutional accreditation alone is not the same thing. A university may be institutionally accredited while only some of its engineering programs hold ABET accreditation.
An ABET-accredited electrical engineering curriculum is expected to include rigorous mathematics and basic sciences, engineering topics, design, faculty oversight, facilities, continuous improvement, and assessment of student outcomes. These requirements help employers and licensing boards recognize that the degree provides an engineering foundation rather than only technical training.
Review these quality signals before using GI Bill benefits, Tuition Assistance, or personal funds:
- Confirm that the exact bachelor's degree is accredited by ABET's Engineering Accreditation Commission, not simply that the university has an ABET-accredited program somewhere.
- Check whether the accreditation applies to your instructional location and delivery pathway, especially if the program is primarily online or degree-completion based.
- Ask whether the curriculum satisfies educational expectations for Engineer Intern or Professional Engineer licensure in the state where you expect to work.
- Verify access to required laboratories, faculty office hours, tutoring, disability services, veteran support, and career services.
- Compare the institution's transfer-credit residency rules, graduation requirements, and policy for retaking courses completed long ago.
Licensure is most relevant in roles involving public-facing engineering services, signed plans, consulting, utilities, or certain government work. Many electrical engineers work successfully without a PE license, particularly in product development, electronics, defense, software-adjacent engineering, and manufacturing. Still, ABET accreditation preserves more options if your plans change.
Online electrical engineering programs can work well for disciplined service members and veterans, but "online" often means lectures and assignments are remote while examinations, hardware work, or labs require scheduled campus visits, approved proctoring, simulation tools, or residential sessions. A fully asynchronous format is not always realistic for an ABET-accredited engineering degree.
The comparison below helps identify which format matches operational tempo, learning preferences, and lab needs.
| Factor | Primarily online or hybrid program | Campus-based program |
| Schedule | Often better for shift work, relocation, and part-time pacing | Usually follows fixed class and lab schedules |
| Laboratory experience | May use mailed kits, remote instruments, simulations, or short residencies | Provides routine access to in-person equipment and lab teams |
| Networking | Requires intentional use of virtual office hours, veteran groups, and internships | Offers more spontaneous faculty, peer, and employer contact |
| Transfer disruption | Can reduce disruption after a permanent change of station if the degree is portable | May require transfer or commuting after relocation |
| Best fit | Independent learners with reliable study time and a verified lab plan | Students who want structured support, daily equipment access, and campus recruiting |
Choose online or hybrid study when flexibility is essential and the school can show exactly how it delivers every required lab and design experience. Choose campus study when you need frequent hands-on support, have access to a nearby engineering college, or want to build a local network in utilities, manufacturing, aerospace, or defense.
Shorter credentials can help a military learner test an area such as programming, project management, or cybersecurity before committing to a bachelor's degree. Compare relevant certificate programs online, but do not expect a general certificate to replace the accredited engineering degree needed for many electrical engineering positions.
Admission requirements vary by institution, but electrical engineering applicants generally need evidence that they can begin or return to a demanding quantitative sequence. Transfer applicants are often evaluated on prior college performance as well as high-school preparation when they have completed relatively few college credits.
Typical requirements include an application, official transcripts, military transcript, placement information or prior college math credit, and proof of English proficiency when applicable. Schools may also require prerequisite courses such as college algebra, trigonometry, precalculus, calculus, calculus-based physics, or chemistry before allowing enrollment in core engineering courses.
Before applying, prepare the materials that most affect an accurate evaluation:
- Official JST, Community College of the Air Force transcript, and transcripts from every prior college or university.
- Course descriptions, training records, certifications, and syllabi for technical education that is not fully described on a transcript.
- A list of completed CLEP or DSST exams and score reports where the institution requests them.
- A realistic explanation of your intended attendance pattern, including deployments, shift work, and possible relocation.
- Questions about math placement, expired prerequisites, transfer-credit appeal procedures, and the maximum number of credits accepted.
Older learners and career changers should not assume that age is a barrier. The more important issue is current readiness for calculus and physics. Students returning after a long break may benefit from refresher coursework, tutoring, or a part-time first term. Programs designed for adult learners, including some degrees for seniors, can be useful for comparing support models, although the electrical engineering curriculum itself will remain mathematically intensive.
Employer Confidence in Online vs. In-Person Degree Skills, Global 2024
Military training and examinations can be most valuable when they satisfy broad requirements around the engineering core. Credit decisions are institution-specific, and an ABET program may require students to complete its own version of a foundational course even when military experience covers similar equipment or procedures.
This table separates areas that are often more transferable from courses that commonly require direct university completion.
| Academic area | Potential sources of credit | Likely evaluation outcome |
| General education | CLEP, prior college work, military coursework | Often transferable when course equivalencies and minimum scores are met |
| Computer programming or information systems | Military technical schools, certifications, prior college courses | May meet an introductory course or elective requirement after review |
| Technical electives | Avionics, electronics, communications, instrumentation, maintenance training | May count as technical or free electives, depending on curriculum fit |
| Calculus and calculus-based physics | Accredited college coursework; occasionally examination credit where accepted | Usually requires clear equivalency because later courses depend on it |
| Circuits, electronics, electromagnetics, signals, controls | Prior ABET-equivalent college coursework | Military training alone is less commonly accepted as a direct substitute |
| Senior design and advanced labs | Rarely transferable | Typically completed at the degree-granting institution |
CLEP can lower the number of general education courses, particularly in areas such as composition, history, psychology, and introductory business subjects when accepted. It is usually not a substitute for the upper-level engineering science sequence. Confirm score thresholds, expiration rules, and whether a CLEP award creates credit that actually fulfills a degree requirement.
A frequent red flag is a recruiter who promises that military occupational training will replace core electrical engineering labs without a documented departmental review. Ask for course-by-course equivalencies and retain every written decision.
A traditional electrical engineering bachelor's degree is commonly designed as a four-year, approximately 120-credit program. Military transfer credit can reduce the total credits remaining, but completion time depends more heavily on where you enter the prerequisite chain than on the number of electives accepted.
For example, a student who transfers general education credits but must begin at precalculus may still need several sequential terms before reaching senior design. A student who has completed transferable calculus, physics, and introductory programming may have a substantially shorter route. Summer offerings, course rotation, lab availability, and part-time enrollment also affect the timeline.
Use this planning framework when evaluating an offer:
- Start with the school's official degree audit, not its maximum-transfer-credit policy.
- Mark the prerequisites for calculus, physics, circuits, electronics, signals, electromagnetics, and senior design.
- Check whether each required class is offered every term, once a year, or only on campus.
- Build a term-by-term plan that accounts for duty obligations, deployments, travel, and benefit eligibility.
- Compare the earliest realistic graduation date with the total out-of-pocket cost and your desired employment timeline.
Students seeking speed should be cautious about choosing a non-ABET program simply because it accepts more credits. That trade-off can make sense for some technician or technology-focused goals, but it may limit options for traditional engineering roles. If earnings potential is your primary comparison point, review majors that make the most money alongside required credits, debt, and the type of work you actually want to perform.
An electrical engineering degree can turn military technical experience into design, analysis, test, systems, and leadership opportunities. Veterans may bring useful strengths in troubleshooting, documentation, safety procedures, mission-focused teamwork, operating complex equipment, and working under formal standards. Those strengths complement - but do not replace - the mathematical and design skills developed in the degree.
Common career directions include the following:
- Power systems engineer roles supporting utilities, renewable energy, substations, protection systems, and grid modernization.
- Electronics or hardware engineer roles designing, testing, and improving circuits, embedded devices, sensors, and electronic products.
- Systems engineer roles integrating hardware, software, communications, testing, requirements, and reliability across complex projects.
- Controls and automation engineer roles supporting manufacturing, robotics, industrial processes, and instrumentation.
- Communications, radar, or RF engineer roles in telecommunications, aerospace, satellite systems, and defense.
- Test engineer roles validating equipment performance, diagnosing failures, and supporting production or field deployment.
Defense contractors and federal agencies may value an existing security clearance, but clearance status does not guarantee employment and job eligibility varies by contract, citizenship requirements, location, and employer. Civilian industries such as utilities, semiconductor manufacturing, transportation, medical devices, and renewable energy can offer equally relevant paths.
Artificial intelligence and automation are changing engineering workflows by improving simulation, test analysis, documentation, and predictive maintenance. They are not eliminating the need for engineers who can verify physical systems, make safety-critical design decisions, interpret requirements, and communicate with multidisciplinary teams. Build practical experience through internships, undergraduate research, capstone projects, or technician-to-engineer roles while studying.
What salary ranges and job outlook can veterans expect with an electrical engineering degree?
Electrical engineering can be a financially strong degree when the program is accredited, the remaining time to completion is manageable, and the student targets roles aligned with the curriculum. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a median annual wage of $111,910 for electrical engineers in May 2024. A median is the midpoint across workers, not an entry-level offer or a prediction of any individual's pay.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 7% employment growth for electrical and electronics engineers from 2023 to 2033. This outlook reflects demand across areas such as power generation, communications, manufacturing, and technology development, but local hiring conditions and specialty demand can differ considerably.
Use salary information as one ROI input, not as a guarantee. Geographic location, clearance requirements, industry, prior experience, graduate education, job function, and cost of living can change pay substantially. A veteran with substantial technical experience may be competitive for some engineering-adjacent roles while finishing school, but employers generally expect the completed degree for positions formally classified as electrical engineer.
To compare the investment, calculate the tuition and mandatory fees remaining after grants, GI Bill benefits, Tuition Assistance, scholarships, employer assistance, and transferred credits. Then include travel for labs, lost work hours, housing changes, and the cost of extra terms caused by prerequisite sequencing. The best-value program is often the one that applies legitimate credit efficiently while preserving the ABET credential and the courses employers expect.
Other Things You Should Know About Electrical Engineering
No. Military electronics training can support transfer credit, strengthen an application, and provide valuable practical context, but employers typically require a bachelor's degree for electrical engineer roles. Core engineering theory, design, and laboratory requirements usually must be completed through the university.
Not always, but it is strongly recommended for students seeking broad engineering career options. It is particularly important when PE licensure, government requirements, graduate-school preparation, or employer screening may be relevant. Check the requirements for your target role and state.
Programs usually require an official Joint Services Transcript, military course syllabi, and an AARTS or Community College of the Air Force transcript if applicable. Some schools also ask for a DD Form 214 and a credential evaluation. The faculty department then decides credit, often using ACE recommendations and a course-by-course review.
Possibly, but verify the full lab, examination, residency, and course-rotation plan before enrolling. Some programs are online or hybrid, while others require in-person labs or scheduled campus sessions. A workable option must fit both your duty schedule and the degree's required sequence.
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