Best Electrical Engineering Degrees

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Updated on January 31, 2023

So you want to change the world? Become an Electrical Engineer.

Electrical Engineering (EE) is a very large umbrella—it is, in fact, the largest technical profession—and the work done by electrical engineers has a deep and broad impact on our lives.

From the every day to the yet-to-be-imagined, a Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering can prepare you for a rewarding future of innovation.

Electrical Engineering (EE) is a very large umbrella—it is, in fact, the largest technical profession—and the work done by electrical engineers has a deep and broad impact on our lives.

Electrical engineering encompasses numerous disciplines such as microelectronics, photonics, computer engineering, signal processing, control systems, and communications.

And a degree in Electrical Engineering prepares you for a multitude of career opportunities. EE programs are usually flexible and broad-based, providing a rigorous grounding in the analytical and experimental foundations of engineering.

Graduates from Electrical Engineering programs go on to work in almost every industry imaginable, including health-care, the space industry, gaming, renewable and other forms of energy, and national security.

Accredited Online College Programs

Explore our featured online programs and find the right match for you today.

What kind of Electrical Engineering degree should you get?

There are numerous options to consider. B.A. or B.S.? Tech School or Liberal Arts University? And then the big question: online or campus-based program?

Most of us imagine the college experience taking place in brick and mortar buildings. But if that is not a feasible option for you, be sure to check out our list of the Best Online Electrical Engineering Degrees.

Getting a degree online is no longer the shady proposition it may have seemed a decade or two ago. There are now many high-quality, accredited programs that are designed to be flexible for nontraditional students. You'll get the same credentials without having to uproot your entire life to attend school.

How much money do people make with an Electrical Engineering degree?

Like all technology and science careers, education and experience make a huge difference in salary and job opportunities. However, the reality is that Electrical Engineers can command a pretty healthy salary right out of college. The Bureau of Labor Statistics places the median pay for 2016 at $96 270 per year. But even with no experience, BSEE-holding electrical engineers average a starting salary of $61,420.

What can you do with a degree in Electrical Engineering?

Electrical Engineers are problem solvers working at the frontier of technology innovation. They work in industry, government, and academic settings. They are involved in leading-edge research—creating new ideas and designing and developing new products and technologies. Here are a few ways electrical engineers really do change the world:

  • They help preserve the environment by developing alternate energy sources. Hybrid vehicles, smart houses, clean energy—all in the purview of electrical engineers.

  • They help save lives by designing new medical technologies physicians rely on. Look around your doctor's office and see the work of EEs.

  • Smartphones, GPS, cars, and even national security…need we continue?

What are the requirements for a degree in Electrical Engineering?

You'll notice, as you peruse our ranking of the Best Electrical Engineering degrees, that the schools on our list are some of the most prestigious universities in the country—even the world.

That means that entrance requirements will be highly competitive.

You'll need an excellent overall GPA for admittance to these programs. Once you're accepted to the university you want, some majors programs will have separate requirements for acceptance to the EE major (this usually includes prerequisite courses and minimum GPA).

What are the best Electrical Engineering degrees?

If you've already begun your search, you'll have noticed that there are a lot of Electrical Engineering programs out there. And slogging through hundreds of program websites really isn't an effective use of your time. So we've done the work for you.

These are the 25 best programs laid out in a readable format. But what makes the best program? Our research methodology takes into account institutional reputation, return on investment, and student satisfaction.

At College Choice, we take data seriously. We collect the numbers—reputation scores, tuition costs, early career earnings, and peer assessments—from a variety of sources. We then weigh the data to come up with a composite score that balances academic excellence with the return on your tuition investment.

Rankings

See our rankings methodology page.

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Best Electrical Engineering Degrees