Electrical engineering stands as one of the most applicable professions across a wide spectrum of industries. An electrical engineer is capable of studying and applying principles of electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism to make technology act the way we want and expect it to.

If you're studying or soon to study engineering at university, check out our Insight into the top 5 characteristics that make an engineer top of their class.

Career Opportunities

There are a seemingly countless number of subfields an electrical engineer can develop a prolific career in, including: power engineering, control systems, instrumentation, telecommunications, radio-frequency engineering, signal processing, electronics and microelectronics, digital computers, robotics, and many more. Many of these subfields also overlap with other engineering disciplines, which span a great number of specialisations.

Universities and Courses

The Electrical engineering master’s course you choose will depend heavily on what area of the subject you’re most interested in. For now, let’s start by looking at some of the most prestigious and highly regarded courses out there:

1. University of Oxford

Oxford is one of the oldest higher education institutions in the world and has an equally long-standing history and well-deserved reputation for its intellectual wealth. It is located in Oxford’s medieval centre, and has the largest British library system, with over 100 libraries.

Oxford offers an MSc in Microelectronics, Optoelectronics and Communications as a pathway to convert to an engineering career for students with the necessary background skills and education. The course is as flexible as it can be, since it's designed to reduce the time away from the work place to a minimum through its online learning environment. In addition, students must undergo six weeks as a resident in Oxford, which can be distributed over the span of two years.

The goal of this conversion course is to provide students with the critical and analytical abilities necessary to develop a career in the electrical and electronic engineering field.

2. Imperial College London

The Imperial College London, located in the city centre, is one of the UK’s leading science-based institutions. Imperial College is an international leading research centre with one of the largest departments dedicated to electrical and electronic engineering in the UK.

The university is committed to conducting internationally innovative and competitive research. In fact, 97% of the department’s research has been either regarded as ‘internationally excellent’ or considered ‘world leading’.

3. University of California, Berkley

California’s Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, is ranked by the U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, and Times Higher Education as one of the top 10 best universities in the U.S. Caltech is a small yet prominent school that has provided great contributions in the areas of astronomy, physics, environmental science, computer science, engineering, and more.

Its Master’s in Electrical Engineering is a fast-paced yet substantial program that can be finished in a year. In this time, the student will learn the basics of systems, mechatronics, and circuits, while getting unique first-hand education in its laboratories through collective research projects.

4. Stanford University

The U.S. News & World Report classifies the prestigious Stanford University as one of the top five best universities in the U.S. As a Silicon Valley neighbour, Stanford is the perfect location for business and technology development.

Stanford’s curriculum for the MS in Electrical Engineering degree is extremely customisable, to the extent that it’s possible to opt for a joint degree in engineering with law or business. The program is centred on three main research areas: information systems and science, physical technology and science, and hardware/software systems.

5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Hundreds of National Medal of Science Recipients, Field Medallists, astronauts, MacArthur Fellows, and other prestigious personalities have either graduated from or been hired by this polytechnic university. It’s a true leader in the education of technical fields such as physical sciences, economics, biology, management, and of course, engineering. All of this makes it hardly surprising that MIT sits on this top 5 list.

MIT’s Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department has an MS in Electrical Engineer degree like no other. Students can apply analytical, computational, and even physical methodologies for a variety of technical programs and models during their time there. MIT also provides different types of amenities like assistantships and fellowships for the teaching, laboratory, and research areas.

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