Frequently Asked Questions
What is an electrical and computer engineer?
Electrical and computer engineers control and manipulate electrical currents and voltages to solve numerous problems. Electrical engineers do so in a variety of ways, from providing households and businesses with power, harnessing radio waves to send information, processing various signals and sensors, and even designing the integrated circuits that drive modern life. Computer engineers apply their focus primarily to understanding the programing and low level architecture of all computing devices, from smartphones, laptops, and desktops, to microcontrollers, and even custom hardware on Field-Programmable-Gate-Arrays (FPGAs) and Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs).
Can a computer engineer work as an electrical engineer?
Computer engineers can work as electrical engineers and vice versa in many capacities. Many EEs know how to program and how digital circuits operate, and many CompEs end up learning and understanding power generation, control systems, and electromagnetics. In a world of networked, programmatically controlled power distribution, electric vehicles, renewable energy, and automation, a blend of skills from both will be crucially important to many future jobs.
What can I do with an electrical and computer engineering (ECE) degree?
Many EEs end up working for electrical utilities, contractors, aerospace and defense, automotive, or manufacturing industries. CompEs end up working as computer system integrators, computer device manufacturers, in defense and aerospace industries, in computer networking, or as software developers.
What is the salary of an electrical and computer engineer?
According the the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the median salary of a EE in 2017 was $97,970 a year and the median salary of a Computer Hardware Engineer was $115,120. The median starting salary for an EE in 2018 was $67,833 and for a CompE was $73,873.
What laboratory experience does an electrical and computer engineer need?
Both EEs and CompEs need hands-on experience with basic electronic equipment like oscilloscopes, multimeters, power supplies, and function generators. EEs may also end up with lab experience using relays, motor drives, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), or radars and antennas. CompEs will also likely gain lab experience using microcontrollers, systems-on-a-chip like Raspberry Pis, and FPGAs.
