Why Study Electrical Engineering?

Have you ever wondered how a CD-player works? How about cellular telephones, fax machines, the Internet, computers, high definition television, digital video, disk drives, microprocessors, lasers, photocells, or transistors? These are just a few examples of the applications and problems studied in electrical engineering.

Would you like to start your own technology company? Work for a leading edge technology company? Pursue a career in consulting, patent law, medicine, banking, or research? These are some of the careers that graduates from our department have pursued after graduation.

Electrical Engineering is a challenging, exciting and rewarding area of study. It is a rapidly advancing field that is having a significant impact on shaping modern society. By studying electrical engineering you will be able to understand the significant developments in modern technology and be prepared to play a role in shaping its future development and use.

What careers can I pursue after a degree in electrical engineering?

Our recent graduates have gone to work in a wide range of fields. These include engineering areas such as the design and fabrication of microprocessors and computers, the research and design of opto-electronic and integrated circuits, the design and management of communication systems, and advanced signal and imaging processing for environmental surveying, medical imaging and data transmission across the Internet. Many graduates have found that an electrical engineering background also forms a valuable basis for a career in business, finance, government, law, and medicine.

A significant percentage of our graduates go on to further their studies at the top graduate schools and professional schools in the country. 

What kind of background is required to study electrical engineering?

The normal prerequisite for entering the department in the sophomore year is a first year program that meets the requirements for all students in the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS). This includes first year Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, a writing course and an introductory computer science course.

To be adequately prepared to take these courses in your first year at Princeton, you should take high school mathematics through calculus (if possible), as well as high school physics and chemistry. Many students enter Princeton with advanced placement in one or more of these subjects, but this is not a requirement for admission nor for the success in the program.

The Department of Electrical Engineering offers an academic program spanning a wide range of disciplines. The program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). All students begin with a unifying foundation, and then specialize in areas ranging from communication theory, signal processing, computers and microprocessors; to solid state devices, opto-electronics, lasers and electronics. Students may select one of a long list of predefined concentrations, or tailor to suit their own special interests. Here are some example areas of concentration:

Special certificate-granting programs can be pursued in parallel with a degree in electrical engineering. These programs include:

• Engineering Physics,
• Engineering Biology,
• Materials Science and Engineering,
• Applied and Computational Mathematics,
• Environmental Studies, 
• Finance ,and
• Woodrow Wilson School.

Topical programs in Robotics and Intelligent Systems, in Photonics, and in Energy and Environmental Studies are offered within the School of Engineering and Applied Science and programs of preparation for professional study in medicine and law are also easily arranged.

Students enter our department with a variety of career objectives in mind. Some intend to enter industry directly after graduation or to continue their technical studies in graduate school. Others wish to take an electrical engineering program as a background for careers in non-engineering fields such as business law, and medicine. Many are not sure of their long range plans. Consequently, our program exposes students to a wide cross-section of electrical engineering before requiring specialization in an area of concentration.

Our program also provides the flexibility for a student to take advantage of the excellent liberal arts program at Princeton. A minimum of seven courses in the Humanities or Social Sciences must be included in a student's academic program. However, even with no advanced placement, as many as twelve such courses may be elected in a normal program. In addition, a Princeton student may combine electrical engineering and management systems, energy and environmental studies, economics and public policy, and several other fields.

Engineering is a creative process involving the design of systems, components, or processes to meet desired needs. Throughout our curriculum, students gain experience with both the fundamentals of design as well as realistic engineering problems. Creativity and design experience are introduced by means of open-ended problems, the study and use of modern computer-aided design (CAD) tools, and laboratory work. In the junior year, a laboratory design course takes each student through all phases of a design project, emphasizing hands-on experiences while providing classroom guidance. Currently, the students work in pairs to build a small microcomputer-controlled autonomous vehicle.

Each electrical engineering student is assigned a faculty program advisor. The program advisor consults in detail with the student to design an academic program that best meets the student's needs and goals. A minimum of 36 courses are required for the BSE degree in a 4-year program (or 28 for a 3-year program for a student granted advanced standing). This corresponds to four terms with five courses.

There is a design requirement which most students satisfy by taking at least one semester of design oriented independent work. This allows a student to work closely with a faculty member on a research project. A research experience outside of a structured lecture or laboratory course is a valuable educational experience, and is highly recommended for all students at either the junior or senior level. The projects are often extremely challenging on both personal and academic level, but also extremely fulfilling.

Last Modified Sept 23, 2001