Electrical and Computer Engineering

Electrical Engineering Bachelor's Degree

Electrical engineers defined the 20th century with society-transforming technologies like universal electric power, telecommunications, radio and television, electronic surveillance, medical imaging, computers, and the Internet.

Michigan Tech will prepare you to make your own contributions to the 21st century—in technological areas we can only begin to imagine. As an electrical engineering student, take advantage of some of the best opportunities in the nation for laboratory-based learning, sustainability, real-world design, and engineering entrepreneurship.

Electrical Engineering Concentrations

Electrical engineering majors can choose the general pathway or concentrate in various areas. You could choose to specialize in devising ways to efficiently take energy from turbines, fuel cells, or hydroelectric plants and transfer it to homes and businesses. You could develop sensors to detect IEDs—improvised explosive devices—saving thousands of lives. You could design autonomous vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles or smart electronic devices.

Electric Power Engineering Concentration

The concentration in Electric Power Engineering with the BSEE, provides students with strong knowledge and skills in the power and energy area. The concentration is more robust than our well-known certificate program it grew from. EE graduates who focus in power and/or control systems are in high demand in industry.

Photonics Concentration

Diversify your undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering with a concentration in photonics. Photonics is using light energy to make systems faster, more efficient and more accurate, in a wide range of applications from energy generation to detection to communications and information processing. Robotic sensing and vision, astronomy, medical instrumentation, imaging, and satellite communication are using photonics. Students study laser systems, optics, and the control of photons/light.

Biomedical Applications Concentration

The biomedical industry is in need of electrical engineers to help make advances in healthcare and related fields. Our Biomedical Applications Concentration prepares students to apply their electrical engineering skills in biomedical instrumentation, medical imaging, and/or biomedical electronic device design. Students take courses in anatomy and physiology, cellular and molecular biology, biomaterials and/or biomechanics, and at least one biomedical engineering elective course.

Environmental Applications Concentration

If you are aspiring to work as an Electrical Engineer in environmental applications, you may be interested in this concentration. Take basic environmental engineering, remote sensing, and elective courses in environmental quality (air, water). Our program better prepares the electrical engineer to work in environmental-focused applications and companies.

Engineering Enterprise Concentration

Pursue an Enterprise concentration as part of your degree by taking part in Michigan Tech's award-winning Enterprise Program. It's a great way to enhance your undergraduate degree with client-based teamwork. Enterprise is when students work in teams on real projects, with real clients, in an environment that's more like a business than a classroom. Choose any one of 20-plus Enterprise teams on campus to invent products, provide services, and pioneer solutions. Apply the skills learned in your major and gain some valuable new skills. Tackle real-world design projects for industry sponsors or take part in a national competition (or both). This concentration adds courses in business and entrepreneurship.

Electrical Engineering Focus Areas

Students taking the general pathway may mix and match choices as they like, or take more courses from one area for a stronger focus or area of specialization.

  • Power and Energy
  • Photonics
  • Robotics, Control, and Automation
  • Communication and Digital Signal Processing
  • Electronics
  • Electromagnetics
  • Computer Systems
  • No. 3
    3rd most popular degree program at Michigan Tech
  • 1
    student per bench in labs
  • 1,230
    square feet in our Plexus Innovation Lab and electronics makerspace

Tomorrow Needs 21st Century Electrical Engineers

Electrical engineers design, develop, test, and supervise the manufacture of electrical equipment for tomorrow. With a median annual wage of $100,420 and an annual job growth of 7%, you'll be in great demand. (BLS, May 2021).

Prepare to contribute from day one, by joining an Enterprise team to solve real engineering problems and explore new commercial opportunities. Develop marketing, business, and leadership skills. Teams are open to any major and operate like companies in the private sector. Many of Michigan Tech’s 20-plus Enterprise teams have projects that are a natural fit for electrical, computer, and robotics engineers, including the ones housed in this department:

  • Blue Marble Security Enterprise (BMSE)—Focused on securing the future through thoughtful use of technology to address challenges of security, the environment, and industrial process control.
  • Wireless Communication Enterprise (WCE)—Creates wireless, optical, and biomedical solutions utilizing lasers, RFID, wind/solar power, printed circuit board design, and embedded systems programming.
  • Robotic Systems Enterprise (RSE)—Integrate electrical and mechanical systems with embedded AI to solve a variety of problems, including creating a fully functional SAE Level 4 autonomous vehicle.
  • IT Oxygen (ITO)—ITO specializes in systems and information analysis, software development, database development, and web-based application development.

ECE majors also join:

You can also take a co-op semester and work with professional engineers gaining valuable experience and career direction. Electrical engineers at Michigan Tech are ready for what tomorrow needs.

Be Career-Ready

Students who graduate with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering are prepared with essential technical and leadership skills that are in very high demand in industry. When you graduate, you’ll bring immediate value to your employer thanks to outstanding lab-based learning coupled with real-world experience gained through internships, co-ops, Enterprise, and Senior Design.

Career Opportunities for Innovative Electrical Engineers

More than 350 companies come to campus to recruit Michigan Tech students each year, and over  60 percent of those are looking to hire electrical and computer engineers. Our graduates have a job placement of nearly 100 percent within six months of graduation.

Companies interested in our graduates include: Amazon, Nvidia, Microsoft, ArcelorMittal, ITC, Ford, Boston Scientific, Rockwell-Collins, GM, Caterpillar, Dow Chemical, Mercury Marine, IBM, Google, Microsoft, and Consumers Power, among many others.

Electrical and computer engineers are at the forefront of the technological revolution, working in cutting-edge industries including:

  • Renewable-energy solutions
  • Hybrid-vehicle power
  • Control systems for unmanned aerial vehicles
  • Reliable, safe power grids
  • Robotics systems
  • Voice-activated control systems in automobiles

Ready to take the next step?

Learn more about studying electrical engineering at Michigan's flagship technological university.

 

Watch My Michigan Tech: Anna Browne video
Preview image for My Michigan Tech: Anna Browne video
"The thing that I love the most about my academic major is the overall flexibility of it, but also the ability to narrow down on a specific industry."Anna Browne, undergraduate electrical engineering student

Earn an ABET Accredited Engineering Degree

With ABET accreditation, you can be sure that your Michigan Tech degree meets the quality standards that prepares you to enter a global workforce.

And, because it requires comprehensive, periodic evaluations, ABET accreditation demonstrates our continuing commitment to the quality of your program—both now and in the future.

Sought Worldwide

ABET's voluntary peer-review process is highly respected. Its criteria are developed by technical professionals and focuses on what you, as a student, experience and learn. It adds critical value to academic programs in technical disciplines—where quality, precision, and safety are of the utmost importance.

Electrical Engineering Educational Objectives

Electrical Engineering is a broad field, containing many areas of specialization. A graduate of the Michigan Tech Electrical Engineering program is qualified to apply a broad base of engineering and science skills to create a variety of device and system solutions and solve an array of technical issues with an emphasis in areas of electromagnetic phenomena and/or information processing.

Graduates will have also developed a specialized emphasis in a particular area with specific knowledge, technical skills, and a capstone design experience that will allow them to provide support to focused areas of larger solutions.

Read more about electrical engineering accreditation, educational objectives, and student outcomes.

ABET logo

Electrical Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Electrical, Computer, Communications, Telecommunication(s) and Similarly Named Engineering Programs Program Criteria.

The ECE Department

Innovation is key in the growing fields of electrical, computer, and robotics engineering.

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Michigan Tech is a world leader in providing high quality education, something we’ve done for nearly 100 years.

During your time at Michigan Tech, you’ll experience the difference faculty mentoring has on the quality of your education. You’ll take the skills you learn in the classroom to the lab, shop, makerspace or out in the world— to create, innovate, and design.

Integrated with key courses, access to our multimillion-dollar labs will allow you to learn with cutting-edge equipment—from lasers and microcontrollers to robots, power stations, and more—along with industry standard software and current generation computer systems.

You’ll benefit from many additional opportunities for hands-on experience, ranging from Enterprise and Senior Design, to internships and co-ops. Our excellent programs give you the chance to work directly with industry well before graduation.

And you’ll gain the personal attention and support you need—not only for your academic success, but for a positive overall experience at Michigan Tech.

Electrical and Computer Engineering Programs

Or, start with our General Engineering option and give yourself time to decide.

MTU engineering

Real Engineering. Meaningful Work.

We are committed to inspiring students, advancing knowledge, and innovating technological solutions to create a sustainable, just, and prosperous world. With an entering engineering class of about 1,000 students, 17 degrees to choose from, and 160 faculty in the College of Engineering alone, we provide a world-class education with the trusted reputation of Michigan Tech.

As a student at Michigan Tech you’ll work closely with faculty mentors, immerse yourself in experience-powered learning, and gain a thorough understanding of engineering practice. Collaborate and innovate in laboratories, coursework, Enterprise, and Senior Design—you'll work with industry partners on real engineering projects and develop strong skill sets for your future.

You could study abroad, with engineering opportunities ranging from a few weeks to one full year. Or focus on problems facing disadvantaged communities in countries around the world. Michigan Tech’s D80 program offers you a range of options.

More than 400 employers regularly recruit our students for internships, co-ops, and full-time employment. Engineering students average seven interviews, and 98 percent are employed within their field of study, enlist in the military, or enroll in a graduate school within six months of graduation. A degree in engineering from Michigan Tech can take you anywhere.

Tomorrow Needs You

Engineers do a lot of things, but there's one thing we do first and foremost: we help people. We use creative ideas and technologies to solve problems in health care, energy, transportation, hunger, space exploration, climate change, and more—much more. Become an engineer who is ready for what tomorrow needs.

Student Stories

"The electrical engineering program at Michigan Tech helped me build the foundation necessary for a career in the electronics industry."Laura Ludwig '18, electrical engineering