Electrical Engineering: What is Electrical Engineering?

Electrical engineers work in industry, government, and non-profit organizations to improve the world in which we live.  They are involved with all aspects of product development, from concept to design, analysis, implementation, and testing of electrical, electronic, and digital systems.

The electrical engineering major at the University of Portland encompasses a wide variety of specialties ranging from power, control, communication, digital signal processing, microwave, optical transmission, VLSI, analog electronics, computer architecture, operating systems, embedded systems, digital systems, to computer vision.  Students interested in electrical devices select the electrical track and students interested in computer systems select the computer track.  Both tracks will lead to a B.S.E.E. degree.  Students' transcripts will indicate the track.
 
Electrical engineers design, build, test, and operate modern electronic systems consisting of sophisticated electronic devices, integrated circuits, and computers to be used in areas such as wireless communications and telecommunications (cellular phones, remote controls, satellites, etc.), automotive and aerospace industries, military applications), power generation and utilization, embedded systems (microprocessor/microcontroller-based devices), robotics, and others.  Some electrical engineers start their own companies after some years of industrial experience.  Others choose to work as consultants for high-tech companies.

Computer engineers design and build computer hardware and software systems to be used in such diverse areas as computers (ranging from supercomputer, mainframe, workstation, desktop, laptop, palmtop, to personal organizer), computer peripherals, computer networks, telecommunications (ranging from fault-tolerant central computer control systems to cellular phones), consumer electronics, industrial control, military, and any intelligent devices (such as robots) using microprocessors.  Computer engineers also work in VLSI digital system design, software creation, hardware and software system integration, embedded systems (microprocessor/microcontroller-based devices), and fundamental research.