What is Electrical Engineering?
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The following text is a slightly modified version by Dr.
Karen St. Germain of a document originally prepared by Professor Yu
Chang, Department of Electrical Engineering, Union College, Schenectady,
N.Y. Original Text Version 9/14/87. Latest Update: 8/2011.
Electrical Engineering is an extremely exciting field of
endeavor. Electrical engineers work with signal at frequencies from zero
to beyond the optical range, using tools such as computers, advanced
mathematics, and wire cutters. Electrical engineers are thinkers and
doers. Strictly speaking, Electrical Engineering is not just a single
field, but a collection of many fields fused into one unified
discipline. It is by far the most dynamic and most varied of all fields
in engineering. The best way to find out what Electrical Engineering is
to see what electrical engineers do and form your own definition. My
opinion has always been that electrical engineers can do everything.
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In the following paragraphs I'll try to list some of the
major fields in electrical engineering from my point of view. The order
of appearance has no significance, and the grouping of the major fields
is arbitrary. Today this grouping seems reasonable. A few years down the
road, new fields may appear, and my present grouping may look very
strange. After going through the following paragraphs, you might get the
idea that specialization at an early stage is the best thing to do.
Halt! Think again. If every field in Electrical Engineering is changing
rapidly, by the time you graduate, what is popular today might very well
become obsolete! In my opinion, the best way to go about it is not to
specialize early. Have a broad base like the pyramid and then you can
climb high. Take courses that will cement your foundation, such as good
solid courses in mathematics, physics, engineering, materials science
and computer science. Again, welcome to Electrical Engineering! Enjoy
it, and have a lifetime of excitement!
Power
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The picture on the left is from British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority.The
electric power field is primarily concerned with the generation and
distribution of electricity. The energy crisis and environmental
concerns provide excitement and challenges for power engineers to
develop new energy sources. There are opportunities in research and
development of high voltage transmission, and in the manufacturing and
maintainance of power equipment such as machines, drives, relays, and
converters. The rapid development of research into high temperature
superconducting materials is expected to have a great deal of impact on
the power industry. Utility companies, federal and state governments,
are major sources for employment. Among the many exciting areas of the
power field, the following four are particularly interesting:
- Energy: The emphasis is to find new energy sources
- Transmission: The emphasis is to find a more efficient way to transmit electricity
- Power Electronics: The emphasis is on developing new electronic devices and/or circuits to control machines and/or power flow
- Computational studies of most efficient usage
To prepare yourself for this field, you should try to have
some courses in power system analysis, machines, circuit theory,
electronics, microprocessors, and a couple of computer science courses.
Communication Systems
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Every time you find yourself talking on the telephone you are
using the products of the communication industry. Your voice is
converted to electrical signals and transmitted in the form of "bits" to
another location via metallic cables, or optical guides, or a satellite
link. Every time you watch CSI, Grey’s Anatomy, or the Super Bowl, you
are using cables and satellites again! The field of communication
systems is concerned with finding the best way to transmit and receive
signals. Voice, picture, and computer data are typical signals.
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There are challenging opportunities in space and satellite
communication, optical communication, signal analysis, digital signal
processing, data communication, and other related areas. Communication
systems is a big field, and satellite communication is already a
reality.
AT&T, IBM, DEC, GE, the federal government, and many
defense contractors are very interested in people with strong
backgrounds in communication and signal processing. The VLSI revolution
in electronics has prompted remarkable growth in many areas of
communication systems; the following three are particularly noteworthy:
- Data Communication: The emphasis is on moving a large amount of computer data efficiently
- Digital Signal Processing: The emphasis is on converting signals to digital form and processing them through digital systems to get the desired output
- Materials for high frequency transistors and for fiber optic communications; lasers, optical amplifiers, detectors, and switches
To have a good background, it is suggested that you have some
courses in advanced mathematics, system theory, communications,
microprocessors, probabilistic systems, and a couple of computer science
courses.
Control Systems
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Every time you drive a car you are using the theory of
feedback control. As a matter of fact, driving a car is an extremely
complex control system. Your eyes see an obstacle down the road; the
information is transmitted to the brain for processing, and the new
information to avoid the obstacle is then sent to the arms and hands to
turn the steering wheel. The same principle is used in navigation and
guidance of rockets, missiles, spacecrafts, and toys. If you are
interested in robotics, this is the field to get started in.
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There are plenty of opportunities in robotics, navigation and
guidance control, process control and automation in a variety of
industrial plants and numerous military and space applications. Some
aspects of control theory are also used in nontechnical areas such as
business and social sciences. Two areas of control systems are expected
to grow substantially in the years to come:
- Digital Control: The emphasis is on the digital implementation of control systems
- Robotics: The emphasis is on building intelligent robots
The federal government, defense contractors, automobile
companies, chemical and steel companies, and computer companies are the
major employers.
If you are interested in this field, you should take courses
in advanced mathematics, control theory, probabilistic systems, digital
signal processing, microprocessors, and several computer science courses
such as artificial intelligence, computer graphics, operating systems,
etc.
Electronics
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The electronics field is still in the midst of a
revolution. In the early days electronics was a subject that included
physics and the circuitry of vacuum tubes. A great deal has changed
since the invention of the transistor. Except for high power and/or high
frequency applications, the vacuum tube is seldom used. In low power
applications the electronic circuits are not only entirely solid-state,
but also integrated. The Operational Amplifier is rapidly becoming the
basic building block for analog circuits, and the Very Large System
Integration or VLSI is the product of the latest revolution in the
development of integrated circuits. VLSI is becoming the basic building
block for digital and/or computer electronics. Customized VLSI signal
processing chips have been used to improve machine vision. The
electronics revolution has made high tech affordable.
Microprocessor-controlled instrumentation is already a reality. Four
areas of electronics have been receiving a tremendous amount of
attention:
- Computer Electronics: The emphasis is on computer-related electronics
- Communication Electronics: The emphasis is on the physical implementation of a communication system
- Electronic Materials: new materials and new atomic dimension transistors and circuit elements. New ways for processing materials with nanometer dimensional scales
- Computer-Aided Analysis and Design: filter design and optimization techniques
How to use electronics intelligently in other fields of
engineering is fertile ground in which to test one's creativeness and
imagination. There are plenty of opportunities in all kinds of
industries.
The dividing line between device and circuit has been blurred
considerably since the advent of integrated circuits. It is important
for every circuit designer to know something about how devices work. I
strongly suggest you take at least one course in device theory even if
you only want to be a circuit engineer and not a device engineer. You
should also have a wide spectrum of courses in communications, controls,
analog electronics, microprocessors, VLSI, etc.
Electromagnetics
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The rabbit-ear antenna on your TV set, the dish antenna for
satellite communication, remote-sensing radars, microwave and optical
communication links, are in the field of engineering electromagnetics.
Information-laden electromagnetic waves are transmitted and received by
antennas. The analysis and design of antennas and antenna systems is but
one of the many fascinating areas of electromagnetics. Another area
that has gained a great deal of attention is in remote-sensing.
Remote-sensing radars have been used extensively in target
identification, geological surveys, and weather forecasting. The basic
principle of radar operation is to find out something about an object
without physically touching it. How do you do that? Well, you send out
an electromagnetic signal to the object, and you can find out a lot of
interesting things about the object by analyzing the returned signal. To
study how an object scatters electromagnetic waves is very challenging
and rewarding work. Today, electromagnetic waves in the form of laser
beams are used to print the page you are reading and record and play the
CDs you listen to. Have you been wondering how this is accomplished?
Electrical Engineering will provide the answers.
So far we have been talking about electromagnetics on a
system level. It is also very important to have a solid understanding
about electromagnetics at the circuit and/or device level. For instance,
any time you want to design a high frequency amplifier, you have to
take into consideration the effect of traveling waves. Under certain
circumstances a piece of copper wire could behave like an open circuit, a
short circuit, an inductor, a capacitor, or a combination of things.
To design new machines and to improve the existing ones, it
is important to know how the magnetic fields are distributed in a
conducting structure. Finding a simple and efficient way to compute the
magnetic fields in a complex structure is always a challenging problem.
Computers and other electronic equipment may not function in a
noisy electromagnetic environment. The study of electromagnetic
interference is the subject of another area of specialization called
Electromagnetic Compatibility. This involves interdisciplinary
solutions. For example, materials scientists can help construct more
efficient shields.
There are many fascinating areas in electromagnetics. The following is a sample list of three areas:
- Radiation and Scattering: The emphasis is on the analysis of antenna arrays and radar cross-sections
- Electro-Optics: The emphasis is on the development of optical devices and integrated optics
- Remote Sensing: The emphasis is on the development of special purpose radars
If you are interested in electromagnetics, get a good background in advanced mathematics and numerical methods.
What is Electrical Engineering?
Electrical
engineering is an exciting field that has been on the cutting edge of
technology for more than a century. Electrical engineers design,
develop, build and test electrical and electronic devices such as high
definition television, embedded computer systems, solar power
generators, microprocessor chips, electronic amplifiers, laser sources,
robots and intelligent systems. Electrical engineering majors learn the
physics of electricity and magnetism; mathematics of circuits and
systems; and engineering tools of analysis and design. They are trained
in the design and manufacture of economical and safe products that
enhance the quality of life of human beings.
Career Opportunities in Electrical Engineering
Electrical
engineers are needed to develop, design, manufacture, test, evaluate,
market, sell and manage electrical and electronic systems. Job prospects
for electrical engineers are quite good. Tech EE graduates have gone to
work for companies including Boeing, Raytheon, AdTran, Motorola, Intel,
TVA, AEDC, Bell South, Nashville Electric and Square-D.
Salary Trends
According
to a Winter 2005 issue published by the National Association of
Colleges and Employers, the average beginning annual salary for
electrical engineering graduates was $51,113. The range of salaries for
recent TTU ECE grads is $40K - $56 K.
High School Preparation
All
Tennessee Tech freshman applicants are considered within a competitive
admission process for Summer, Fall, and Spring semesters. The primary
criteria for admission are the applicant's performance in high school as
indicated by class rank or grade point average and performance on the
ACT. For direct admission to the electrical engineering program an
applicant should have at least a 2.25 GPA and a 20 ACT score in math and
physical sciences.
To Major in Electrical Engineering at Tennessee Tech
Students
who satisfy the above GPA and ACT requirements may choose electrical
engineering as a major when they apply for admission to Tennessee Tech.
They will be assigned to the Department of Electrical and Computer
Engineering and an ECE faculty member will serve as their academic
advisor. Those may be admitted to the Basic Engineering Department and
start their first year in Basic Engineering. Once they decide on their
major, they may transfer to the department offering that major. Those
who do not meet the minimum requirement for admission to an engineering
program may pursue their studies at TTU in the General Engineering
Curriculum. After successfully completing the Calculus I course and
achieving a grade point average of 2.25, they may transfer to the ECE
Department to pursue electrical engineering. An ECE faculty advisor will
work with students to set up a program of study and plan course work
for the major.
General Curriculum Requirements
To receive a
Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering, a student will
have to successfully complete the BSEE curriculum, which has been
developed to meet the University General Education requirements as well
as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology requirements.
This requires the completion of English composition (6 hrs.), literature
(3 hrs.), speech (3 hrs.), humanities and fine arts (6 hrs.), social
and behavioral sciences (6 hrs.), mathematics (18 hrs.), physics (8
hrs.), and chemistry (4 hrs.). In addition, students are also required
to take ENGR1020 Connections to Engineering and Technology (1 hr.) and
CSC 2100 (3 hr.), C-Programming courses.
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