Electrical Engineering Overview - Preparation - Industries - Day In The Life -Earnings - Employment - Career Path Forecast - Professional Organizations - Profiles of Electrical Engineers - PowerPoint - Podcast

Electrical and electronics engineers conduct research, and design, develop, test, and oversee the development of electronic systems and the manufacture of electrical and electronic equipment and devices. From the global positioning system that can continuously provide the location of a vehicle to giant electric power generators, electrical and electronics engineers are responsible for a wide range of technologies.

Electrical engineers design, develop, test, and supervise the manufacture of electrical equipment. Some of this equipment includes electric motors; machinery controls, lighting, and wiring in buildings; radar and navigation systems; communications systems; and power generation, control, and transmission devices used by electric utilities. Electrical engineers also design the electrical systems of automobiles and aircraft. Although the terms electrical and electronics engineering often are used interchangeably in academia and industry, electrical engineers traditionally have focused on the generation and supply of power, whereas electronics engineers have worked on applications of electricity to control systems or signal processing. Electrical engineers specialize in areas such as power systems engineering or electrical equipment manufacturing.

Electronics engineers are responsible for a wide range of technologies, from portable music players to global positioning systems (GPS), which can continuously provide the location of, for example, a vehicle. Electronics engineers design, develop, test, and supervise the manufacture of electronic equipment such as broadcast and communications systems. Many electronics engineers also work in areas closely related to computers. However, engineers whose work is related exclusively to computer hardware are considered computer hardware engineers. Electronics engineers specialize in areas such as communications, signal processing, and control systems or have a specialty within one of these areas—control systems or aviation electronics, for example.

Electrical Engineering Resources

Online

Profiles of Electrical Engineers: Interviews of Professionals

Preparation: Concentrations in EE; Electives; Extracurricular Activities; Advanced Degrees; Coops / Internships / Research;

Industries: Industry sectors that employ electrical engineers, computer engineers and computer scientists.

Day in the Life: Job Functions; Types and Levels of Engineering Responsibilities; Teams

Earnings: Salary Overview; Location and Type of Employer; Alternative Compensation

Demographics: Environment and Location; Geographic Distribution; Sectors; Statistics for Employment Projects; Specialty Areas; Employer Size; Diversity; Working Abroad

Employment: Statistics, Industries, Employers

Career Path Forecast: Predictions for the Field

Professional Organizations: Resources, Networking, Support

Podcast: Overview of Electrical and Electronics Engineering

Internet Resources: Association for Computing Machinery Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Institution of Engineering and Technology IEEE Computer Society IEEE Virtual Museum IEEE-TV

Note: Some resources in this section are provided by IEEE and the US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.