Skip to main content

Online Programs

Online Undergraduate Courses
The ECE Department offers approximately 20 online ECE courses each summer. These courses are offered during Summer Session I (May 14 - June 21 for 2024), Summer II (June 27 - August 5 for 2024), or Long Summer (May 14 - August 5 for 2024). Students from universities other than Clemson can also take online classes as transient students and transfer the credits to their home institutions. Lectures are in downloadable or streaming media file formats, and students can watch lectures at their leisure. 

For more information about these courses, please visit the Online Course page

Online Bachelor of Science Electrical Engineering (BSEE) Degree Completion Program
This program enables students to combine Clemson online courses with courses taken elsewhere to complete the BSEE degree. (Clemson offers most but not all 128 credit hours required for the online BSEE degree completion program.)  

Prospective students must complete a set of prerequisite courses with at least a B average before submitting a Preliminary Application to the online BSEE degree completion program. Since Clemson does not currently offer all these prerequisite courses in an online format, at least some of these courses must be taken from other schools, then transferred to Clemson.

The online BSEE degree completion program is intended for persons who work full time with an organization that does engineering work. It is not intended for students who have just graduated from high school. 

The program is rigorous and has the same expectations as the on-campus program. In order to succeed, a student must have strong skills in mathematics, a diligent work ethic, and a passion to obtain the degree. 

The Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Electrical, Computer, Communications, Telecommunication(s) and Similarly Named Engineering Programs Program Criteria. The online format is one mode of delivery of this accredited program. Visit our accreditation information page to learn about the Program Educational Objectives and Student Outcomes. 

For professionals in the energy industry, the Clemson ECE department provides an online pathway to completion of the BS in Electrical Engineering via EPCE. EPCE serves as a national resource for online access to energy education.

For more information about this program, please see our Frequently Asked Questions

Online Energy Certificate Programs
To break the nation’s heavy dependence on carbon-based fuel, efforts are underway to significantly increase the use of renewable energy sources (e.g., solar and wind). The potential widespread use of renewable resources represents a major paradigm shift for the electric power industry (i.e., centralized power generation substantially augmented by distributed generation). It is widely recognized by both the electric utilities and governmental policy makers that this paradigm shift requires that the current power grid be revised considerably to be smarter (e.g., integrated communications, advanced components/sensors, novel control methods, etc.). Given the situation described above, the demand for engineers with knowledge in energy-related areas is on the rise. For example, power companies are searching for new employees who can help them integrate renewable forms of energy into the grid; furthermore, power companies are searching for ways to enhance the energy-related skill set of their existing employees.

To address the above issues, the Holcombe Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering has developed three certificate programs. The Renewable Energy certificate program and a Power Systems Engineering certificate program each include three undergraduate level ECE courses, which are available online as well as being taught on campus. These programs were developed to allow industrial personnel to broaden their knowledge in renewable energy generation and/or power systems engineering. These programs are also open to qualified Clemson students. Undergraduates at other institutions will also be considered for entry into the above two certificate programs. These students may also be able to use these courses to satisfy requirements at their home institution, subject, of course, to the approval of the home institution.

In addition to the certificate programs that involve undergraduate courses, the Holcombe Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering has developed a graduate certificate program for post baccalaureate engineers seeking to understand the complex, highly dynamic phenomenon present in a modern power system. For example, a major disturbance in an electrical distribution system may cause a major blackout and loss of power over a wide area. Recent blackouts around the world led the power engineering community to develop new, innovative methods for wide area monitoring, protection and control, wireless communication, and smart grid systems. Discussions with leaders in the power industry and academia indicate that many power engineers do not have the necessary background to tackle these challenging problems related to modern power systems. To address this need, the Advanced Power Systems Engineering certificate program provides power engineers with an opportunity to attack more sophisticated problems associated with power systems protection, dynamics/stability, transients, and distribution.

The certificate courses can be used to help satisfy the continuing education requirements for Registered Professional Engineers in many states. 

The following links provide a description of the three energy certificate programs: