Online engineering degree candidates may be eligible for scholarships

Online engineering degree candidates may be eligible for scholarships

Individuals who choose to enroll in online courses to jumpstart their engineering careers may be eligible for financial aid opportunities, such as those available from the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), Memphis Daily News reports.

The council has announced it will begin accepting applications for its numerous 2010 scholarship programs.

Awards totaling $20,000 - including the ACEC Scholar of the Year, Kennedy/Jenks Consultants, Small Firm Council and Council of American Structural Engineers Scholarships - will be disbursed to students enrolled or planning to enroll in engineering or land surveying programs.

The Tennessee branch of the ACEC will also award one of the state's residents with a $1,000 scholarship.

To be eligible, students must be in their junior, senior or fifth year in a bachelors program, or pursuing a masters or PhDdegree in the fall 2010 semester.

Winners will be selected based on a points system. Academic qualifications, an essay, work experience, extracurricular activities and a recommendation will be the judges' criteria, but a demonstrable interest in the business and management of the engineering profession will be taken into consideration in the scoring process.

Online degree programs may help engineering students boost their qualifications in order to compete for similar awards.