I went to USF in Tampa b/c it was near where I was living at the time. They had a program of remote sites where you could watch the classes. I started in 2001 and finished in 2005. By the end of it, you most of it could be done online. The ability to meet in person other remote students in the Tampa area to collaborate was extremely helpful.

My school did not require a thesis. I thought my degree would be MEng, but my transcript and diploma read MSEE.

If I were you, I would find a really good school that you think would accept you and that has a remote learning program that would work with your situation. I would talk to people in the remote learning office about your situation and see how they respond. Then I would sign up for a class starting January. You can do the application process later.

In my case, my employer paid for most of the cost of the classes. I was laid off toward the end of the program. I took a part-time job teaching a lab that paid for my classes at that time. Unemployement plus $100/wk for teaching the class paid for my living expenses. It worked out really well. I ended up in a much better job in my hometown of Madison.
I believe in never having any debt and not having too many house projects because they limit your options. I want to focus on being a top engineer, not on fixing houses. (I am not saying I wouldn’t fix a house; it’s just not my primary focus.) I want the option to scale up and down paid work, school, and other projects as needed. I want the option to take a risky job that pays mainly stock options that will only be worth something if the business is sold. I could never have lived on unemployment for a semester and a half if I had had debt. I can’t understate the benefits of having a little money saved and having no debt.

I've often dreamt about returning to school, but only to do something completely and utterly different. In fact, I'd like to study philosophy. I was so traumatized by grad studies (Master of Applied Science in Elec Eng) with a mostly disengaged, though renowned, professor, that I gave up on the idea of a PhD long before my Masters ended. Perhaps I can do a double degree -- Ph.D. in EE & Bachelors of Arts in Philosophy. But first, I'll have to win the lottery.

From a techie point of view, I definitely view M.Eng as a lesser degree. There's real insight to be gained by doing research and writing a thesis. Course work is just that, course work. If you want to move into a job such an FAE or technical sales, M.Eng would probably be more useful.

I wrote the GRE and got into Stanford, my first choice, but I ended up staying in Canada for grad school where my tuition was C$4k/year. The cost of Stanford was simply more than I can bear.

I'd avoid online program if I were you. It's a watered down experience.

good luck!