Why did you choose Missouri S&T for your educational needs?
"I was first introduced to Missouri S&T through the university’s partnership with the Army’s Engineer School at Fort Leonard Wood (FLW). I was attending engineer captains career course at FLW and S&T conducted a short presentation on the certificate program for military construction management through the university.
From there, I was able to research S&T’s additional programs where the environmental engineering master's sparked my interest. Pursuing an MS in environmental engineering had always been a professional goal and S&T made the application and acceptance process very easy via the Army/FLW partnership program."
What unique or distinguishing features do our distance programs offer?
"S&T’s distance program allows the ability to work from anywhere in the world. During my journey towards graduation, I worked and studied from six different states as well as Scotland, Germany, Rwanda, Jordan and Kuwait. The Canvas and Panopto environments worked great and allowed me to continue to work in my normal everyday capacity while pursuing my educational goals."
What are the benefits of being able to complete your degree/certificate through distance education?
"Flexibility. I have been a working professional for ten years. Under the traditional resident educational model, achieving a higher education degree would have been impossible. I travel a lot for both my civilian and military careers – almost monthly. The ability to watch lectures at my convenience and communicate with professors outside of class was instrumental to my success."
Would you recommend Missouri S&T’s distance education programs?
"Yes, I would. However, I would stress that a high level of maturity and self-discipline are required to be successful. Distance learning is not for everyone. You must be a self-motivator and strive for perfection without the classroom setting. That being said, S&T’s remote environment makes the rest of the equation, the online application, professors and staff, and remote community, seamless and easy. I will be the first to say that this degree was not easy. I put in long hours, lost sleep, gave up some of my social life, etc. but the end goal has made it all worth the sacrifice."
What was the highlight of your educational experience with Missouri S&T?
"My undergrad in civil engineering (BS civil engineering ’10, Rose-Hulman) focused on the math and science behind engineering. The master's program at S&T focused on the higher-level conceptual aspects of the engineering profession. I have written more technical writing in the last year than my entire career, both academic and professional, combined. I have a new appreciation of engineering and I can confidently say that I am much better equipped as a professional to represent the engineering profession."
Any other comments/statements you would like to make about Missouri S&T?
"The professors within the engineering department have an immense amount of experience and knowledge. Having the ability to network with these individuals as a fellow professional will have lasting benefits on my career and development as an engineer. The only way any of this was possible is from the S&T remote program."