Major: Electrical Engineering
Imagine a blackout. You’re in the dark and without the gadgets you normally take for granted. There’s no better time to appreciate electricity.
As an electrical engineering major, you’ll go far beyond an appreciation of the awesome powers of the electron. You’ll learn how to harness that power and use it to perform a few miracles of your own invention.
As an electrical engineering major, you’ll study electricity: how it works, how it’s generated, and how it’s used to power everything from lightbulbs and radios to cell phones and robots. You’ll also learn how to design your own electric-powered projects.
“With this major, I’m always at the very forefront of cutting-edge technology.”
Ray, junior, electrical engineering,
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Are You Ready To...?
- Juggle projects, lab exercises, and reading assignments
- Spend hours building detailed, complicated systems
- Design your own gadgets or software
- Try, try, and try again when at first a project doesn’t succeed
- Work as part of a team
- Write reports and give oral presentations
- Do an internship in which you’ll have real job responsibilities
It Helps to Be...
A fan of science and math who’s curious about the way things work. And electrical engineers often work in groups, so build teamwork skills.
College Checklist
- Is the department accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology?
- Does the program stress practical skills, abstract ideas, or both?
- Are the labs up-to-date and big enough for all the students to get their work done?
- Does the department have a co-op program through which you can get real-world work experience?
- Do professors or grad students teach undergrads?
- What are recent grads doing now?
Did You Know?
- Your brain puts out enough electricity to turn on a small lightbulb.
Course Spotlight
Although you’ll take a lot of lecture courses as an electrical engineering major, you’ll also have labs where you can put the theories you learn to use. You’ll get to build things like logic circuits, processors, amplifiers, and even small vehicles and security systems. While you play, though, you’ll also be learning important engineering career skills, such as the proper way to experiment. And you’ll practice writing and presenting reports that explain your work to others.
Explore this major in more depth on MyRoad™