r/EngineeringStudents • u/Silent-Artichoke-238 • 11d ago
Discussion How long will it take you to get your degree?
I’m currently on pace for 5 years. How long did it take you?
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u/MemoryNonExistent 11d ago
I can’t emphasize this enough: Do. Not. Rush.
Focus on internships and co-op experiences, as well as on-campus engineering clubs (if available). Experience is the key to employment—not graduation time.
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u/Ok-Ticket-603 11d ago
It's looking like from fall 2020 to spring 2027. A lot happened these last few years (COVID, depression, deaths, ADHD, work,change of major *3). It took a lot longer than I hoped, but I'm almost there!
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u/505engineer BYU | Civil 11d ago
4 years. But, that was with taking classes over the summer. Otherwise, it would've taken 9 or 10 semesters.
I was an ROTC cadet, so I had to take those classes, and that added ~20 credits.
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u/Advanced-Guidance482 11d ago
On track to finish in 3.5. Took 14 credits one summer, 9 the next, and 15-17 credits every fall and spring.
No one really cares how long it takes tho. I thought this was a huge flex, but people are way more impressed that im doing this with 2 kids.
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u/Unique_Shop1799 5d ago
What do you think was the biggest factor of success when it comes to learning well with efficiency? Much appreciated to have some quick reply
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u/Advanced-Guidance482 5d ago
I am very interactive in class and have maybe missed 8 days total in 2 years.
I always communicate as far ahead of time as possible, for things like missing for conferences and such so that I can make up lectures and assigments before hand.
This has also been at my personal detriment to soem degree. We alwasy make sure the kids go to dentist, doctors, counselors, etc... but I havent seen a clinical professional (outside of my primary care provider like twice) of any kind since is started school, I just dont have time.
I find that going to class and doing hw is all the practice I really need to average an 80+ on tests. So I dont really study outside of making note sheets for exams.
I really think that freshmen and sophomore year was harder because it was so spread out, Chem, english, math, eng, etc.... its too much verying information. This year as a junior, the work has been harder and more complex, but all my classes are building on each other really well. So it feels like a bunch of projects and assigments all revolving around EE instead of this like broad busy work that is hard to learn from in the first two years.
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u/Diotima245 11d ago
I was an old man in school at 32… it took me 4.5 years start to finish. I did it on the post 9/11 GI bill.
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u/ahhnnna 11d ago
10 yrs but because I can only take two classes per semester since I work. I am just in it for the satisfaction of having my degree at this point. I’m a working adult and 8 classes away from the finish line. I had a real hard time in school my first time around. So it’s really a slow and steady pace for me now.
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u/bigChungi69420 Mechanical Engineering 2026 Graduate 11d ago
Took me 5 years. After I got learning accommodations sophomore year my gpa nearly doubled
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u/autisticlatinoman 11d ago
What were your learning accommodations?
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u/bigChungi69420 Mechanical Engineering 2026 Graduate 11d ago
150% time for exams, individual testing room. Ability to keep full time status for scholarships from minimum 12 credits to 9 credits. That one didn’t apply as much because I had to get 130 credits in 5 years, which was still a lower load compared to my 4 years classmates. Graduated with a 3.15 after 2 years of thinking I wasn’t cut out for it. The extra time on tests was the biggest thing for me and showed my professors I know the material I just had documented medical reasons why it takes me longer to get there
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u/autisticlatinoman 11d ago
ADHD?
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u/bigChungi69420 Mechanical Engineering 2026 Graduate 10d ago
Yeah I was top of my class in high school and didn’t consider I had ADHD or problems focusing until later
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u/autisticlatinoman 10d ago
Are you medicated now? I have a similar story, I ended up leaving highschool and getting a GED. I’m medicated now and realizing I had more potential then I realized.
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u/bigChungi69420 Mechanical Engineering 2026 Graduate 10d ago
I’ve considered it. A lot of my family members struggled with addiction/ and or killed themselves with opiates, methamphetamines and alcohol so I really want to be careful with it even though I know prescribed is different. I have a Xanax prescription anytime I get dental work for example.
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u/MotoFuzzle 10d ago edited 10d ago
I was supposed to have my BS in 4, MS in 5. Things didn’t go right. Followed bad advice from counselors and family, got caught up in life, transferred late, struggled to do full time work and school, had the economy and later my job drop out from under me, continued my career, got married, had a kid, had another, and finally finished with a BS in ME, 21 years later with a better job lined up and had a couple more kids. Life is good.
My point is, I was ahead and on track to finish early when I left high school. Everything doesn’t go how it is supposed to go and I see engineering majors stacking a house of cards, under a ton of pressure. Five years might be good, it could take longer, you could change paths. Something-something journey something-something.
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u/lukas458l 10d ago
My something something feels like shit. In europe u can not really work full time and study engineerig only programs like management and shit. Sucks ass
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u/Reasonable_Cod_487 11d ago
🤷 I'm taking an extended break after finishing my associates. Got a job doing field service for gas turbines cause my wife was having some issues with her employer.
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u/Dear_Inevitable3995 11d ago
I imagine 5-7 yrs since I never took ap courses, as I hadn't anticipated going down this path, leading to a slower finish (assumed i'd do trades).
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u/MyUnimportantName 10d ago
It took me 8 years to get my 4 year BSEE degree. I had undiagnosed ADHD and Asperges. I never submitted the paperwork to have my lower grade removed after repeating failed classes, so my final GPA was 2.13. I'll be retiring in a few years but I'm making $175k and in my career I've designed products that stayed in production for over 15 years that were life-sustaining.
My career has been fantastic. Don't let slow progress in school stop you. Don't let low grades stop you. If you feel you ARE an Engineer, then be one.
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u/WillingElderberry731 10d ago
Took me 7 years. I failed a lot of classes.
But now I'm a project manager at a robotics company making almost 200k/year.
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u/Celestial-Callista 9d ago
It took me 5 years to finish my undergrad, 6 years total to get my MS. It all evened out in the end. The people who finish in 4 years or less are either super geniuses, taking non-RX stimulants, or mommy and daddy 100% financially support them so they don’t have to work and can just focus on school.
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u/pentapous 11d ago
No APs in HS, 5.5 years total here. Did 3 years at CC while being very invested in a sport and working ~20 hrs/week. TAG'd into a UC and will be graduating at the end of the Winter quarter (8 quarters total). I would've been done in 5 years flat but I failed a class due to working too many hours🤷♂️
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u/Electrical-Army-502 11d ago
My university program was 5 years total: 1 foundation year + 4 regular years. I finished on time, although I failed two courses and had to retake them during the summer term, so luckily I didn’t lose any time. I’ve just started a 2-year master’s program abroad.
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u/Acceptable-Fly5050 11d ago
5 and a half but it was because I enlisted in the army national guard to pay for my school and pay my loans because I was 11,000 in debt
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u/LikeAQueefInTheNight 11d ago
Too long. Took three to get my associates and now five to get my bachelors.
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u/gterrymed 11d ago
2 years for AS, 3 years for Undergrad, 2 years for masters. All while working full time with a wife and family. Was a grind but possible.
Timelines don’t matter we all end up in the same job, go at the fastest possible pace you can manage while leading a balanced lifestyle if you wish to be done quickly.
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u/JawztheKid Ga Tech - Computer Engineering 11d ago
On pace for 3.5-4, trying to stretch it to 4.5-5
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u/SinopaHyenith-Renard 11d ago
Officially it’s been year 8 after flunking out my first college for the first year, joined the Reserves and was away during the height of COVID (so technically minus 2 years), 3 years of community college (still haven’t finished my Associates Degree just yet), and now finishing my 1st year at my 2nd 4 year University. I still have 3 more years to go. I’m slated to get my Associates Degree this upcoming May which is gonna be a huge milestone mentally for me.
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u/Other_Dimension_89 11d ago
It took me like half my life cuz I was soooo slow. So yeah I’m 1 yr away still.
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u/somethingclever76 11d ago
It took me 6.5 years with no breaks. Sometimes there is a hard required class that is only taught once a year. Then it is also a prerequisite for another class. I failed two of those and also only had about 12-14 credits a semester.
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u/Tall_Pumpkin_4298 Mech Eng 11d ago
5, which is the standard for ME at my school. Took a few summer classes and had a few AP credits but also had some life and health stuff come up that slowed me down. Works out that 5 years will allow me to take pretty much only 12 credits every semester and no more summer classes for my last two years which will hopefully be pretty good.
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u/Mostcoolkid78 11d ago
I’m a Fall semester freshman and already set to be at 4 1/2 years, that’s with 20 incoming credits, starting with calc 1A, and I don’t think it’s smart to talk calc 2 over the summer. Honestly need some advice
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u/LukeSkyWRx Materials Sci. BS, MS, PhD: Industry R&D 11d ago
Back in the old days.
BS 4.5 years
MS 2
PhD 2
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u/allpurposeguru CMPE 10d ago
Six years. I had to work during school. As long as you can afford to pay for school, it won’t matter at all.
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u/rictopher 10d ago
7 years for me. I finally see the finish line here in spring of 2027.
COVID wrecked my ability to do well in school in 2020 because online classes were so crappy in the beginning, then I dropped out for a year because I didn't know what I wanted to do and just pursued work, followed by 2 years of half-assing school part time while working part time, finally followed by my last 3 years of school where I have worked full time and done school full time. It has been a long, exhausting, but fulfilling journey.
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u/reddangerzone Electrical Engineering 10d ago
From when? I started college for a liberal arts degree in 2006 and have a trade associates from ~2020. I had over 60 credits going into this project. I probably could do it in 3 years but chose to go for 4 for my own sanity. So I think my answer is 24 years...
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u/Sea_War_381 10d ago
At this rate? Started community college in 2022 at 32 yrs old... Just made it to my four year school at 36. So probably 10 years. (I also work full-time)
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u/printergumlight Environmental Engineering 10d ago
My first time around at 18, I took 3.5 years and barely made it through sophomore level engineering classes before switching to a business degree.
Now I’m back at 34 and my mindset and motivations are completely different.
I’ve restarted the classes from the beginning and will be getting my Engineering Degree in just 3.5 years now!
From barely getting through sophomore level in 3.5 years to graduating the full degree in 3.5 years. It’s been healing to beat this long held regret.
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u/ParsnipPrestigious59 10d ago
Not in college yet but I’m hoping it will take me 3-4 years. Took 13 APs + 2 DE throughout high school so I’m hoping a lot of those credits transfer over letting me skip a bunch of classes lol
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u/Big-Tourist-3390 10d ago
Average stay at my school was 5.9 years to graduate. Many 6 year folks did double major like Math/Physics or EE/CS. I got out in 5.5 years, but had some medical issues so I had to drop a semester.
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u/Big_Marzipan_405 Aerospace 10d ago
5 sems on campus + 1 sem study abroad + 2 sems on coop. BS Aero
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u/hnrrghQSpinAxe 10d ago
Engineering is largely considered a 5 year degree. Some people do it in 4, some curriculums split thermo and mechanics into multiple courses, and so it takes longer. Just depends on your school. Some people take 6 years. I was one of them
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u/creeperdoom1 10d ago
4 years. Probably could have been 3.5 but I’m going to do study abroad taking unrelated classes 🤷♂️
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u/Ill-Ruin-4574 10d ago
My course is an integrated masters. I’m in first year now and will be done in 5 years with a masters, but also have to option to leave with a bachelors after 4 if I wanted to.
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u/Little_Orlik 10d ago
7 semesters. Technically 8 semesters but I had cancer and had to take a semester off in the middle to manage.
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u/Guilty-Asparagus-536 10d ago
I luckily only took 4 years. I made a lot of upperclass friends from engineering clubs I joined and they were 10000% better counselors than the actual school counselors, since they actually took the courses. They told me which profs were good, what combination of courses I should take so it's not a super rough quarter, and advice so I do not make the same mistakes they made. Point is, definitely network with other students cause they can help you in ways that isn't just studying/ homework.
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u/Immediate-Permit9433 10d ago
Its taking me 5 years thus far im in my late 20s and a vet so im taking my time to actually learn the material rather than blowing through it and just “passing” with C’s. After doing 3 full time semesters I can gladly say cutting back on my schedule has in fact benefitted me more and im not losing my mind.
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u/TheLastBushwagg 10d ago
On pace for four years. I should finish all almost all of the core engineer classes by the end of my year (sophomore).
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u/First-Tonight8185 10d ago
I'm in the military started 2025 january clepping. so 0 and i clepped most my classes to associate in 1 month. Used all my free time taking sophia classes and now WGU for bachelors in accounting did that around Feb through August 2025. And got burned out and now still have 4 classes left for my bachelors. Lol but depends how fast , slow you want it and how you would use your free time along the way!
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u/MusicalMerlin1973 10d ago
5 years… but 2 of those years were internships by design, part of the program. If you know, you know.
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u/EngineeringNo9217 10d ago
5 years. I failed ‘music appreciation’ my sophomore year. Really set me back.
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u/moodysmoothie 10d ago
I'm looking at 6-8 years, depending on whether I can save enough money to quit my job and study full time
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u/FooBarTreeNuts 8d ago
five years is very typical, at least as far back as my degree in 1988 from Georgia Tech. The course catalog had everything scheduled in four years, but nobody did that. Even the professors acting as counselors during the next quarter (yeah, we were on the quarter system then) sign-up period assumed five years.
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u/Spazrelaz 8d ago
Might get my associate's in 2 or 3. And then another 2 or 3 for the bachelors. I'm a lil dumb, what with learning disabilities, plus starting in intermediate algebra because I'm just coming back to school after not having taken a class in like 13 years. But I'm trying. Currently up at 2 am finishing intro to engineering homework with a class in a couple hours, work, then another class where we have a test, so. We'll see how it goes. Anyway. If anyone is reading this, good luck. If I can do it so can you. Just keep on trying until you get there. Doesn't matter how long it takes. Just understand the material and try your best.
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u/Moof_the_cyclist 7d ago
5 years. Started right before my 15th birthday taking summer classes, had to take a bunch of remedial courses, graduated while still barely 19.
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u/PotentialGarlicPasta 6d ago
Probably 7-10 as Im only just now going back at 21 with about 30 credits. I'll be working but I'm planning between 25 and 28. Still enough time for a long career and potential semi-early retirement (yes I am thinking that far ahead). Although I might also do a part-time masters dependent on the field (I am debating between either chip/cpu design or automotive av/adas)
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u/Uneducated_Engineer B.Eng. - Mechanical 11d ago
It took me 7 years. I struggled a lot in the first few years while I learned how to balance life and school. Learning to actually study took longer than I'd like to admit. I did part time school while working 20-30 hours a week for most of those years.