Skip to content

Electrical Engineering Schools and Programs in The United States

90 schools in The United States teach Electrical Engineering.

  • Grove City College

    University Grove City, The United States In an official register

    Grove City College, created in 1876 is a leading college in America. The teaching method is centered majorly on Christian life and on improving students’ academic and moral life. The college is one of the most popular liberal arts colleges, and contains advanced…

Electrical Engineering Studies in The United States

Electrical engineering deals with electricity, electronics and electromagnetism, from power grids and motors to communication systems and microchips. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), electrical and electronics engineers design, develop and test electrical and electronic equipment, components and systems. In the United States the subject is often taught together with computer engineering in a single department of electrical and computer engineering (ECE). SpainExchange lists 91 colleges and universities in the United States that teach electrical engineering.

How the degree is organised

The usual first degree is a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Electrical Engineering. A bachelor's degree usually takes four years of full-time study, and each university sets the number of credits needed to graduate. BLS describes programmes that combine classroom, laboratory and field studies, with courses such as digital systems design, calculus and electrical circuit theory. Many universities also run cooperative education (co-op) programmes or internships, in which students gain practical experience with local companies while they study.

Degree names differ between universities. The University of Washington offers both a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering (BSECE). At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science is organised around three areas: electrical engineering, computer science, and artificial intelligence and decision-making.

The two main graduate degrees are the master's degree, which usually takes about two years, and the PhD. Some employers prefer to hire engineers with a master's degree, according to BLS. Several universities offer a combined route: Purdue University has a 4+1 BS/MS programme, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) a dual bachelor's and master's option, and Stanford University a coterminal programme alongside its BS, MS and PhD.

Accreditation and the engineering licence

In the United States, academic accreditation is voluntary and carried out by non-governmental organisations. For engineering, the main body is ABET, which accredits individual programmes, not whole universities, at associate, bachelor's and master's level. ABET states that it accredits 4,863 programmes at 950 colleges and universities in 42 countries, and that its accreditation is not a ranking.

Accreditation matters for the Professional Engineering (PE) licence. A licence is not required for entry-level electrical engineering jobs, but it allows experienced engineers to sign off on projects and offer services directly to the public. According to the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), licensing boards generally require a bachelor's degree from an EAC/ABET-accredited programme, most states require four years of work experience, and candidates must pass the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) and PE exams.

Admission, language and costs

Teaching is in English, and universities require an English proficiency test before admission. Each university sets its own requirements, so its international admissions page is the reference; EducationUSA advises starting the search 12 to 18 months before the planned start. For a full degree, international students need a student visa: once accepted by a school certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), the international student office issues the Form I-20 used in the visa application.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), average tuition and fees at 4-year institutions in 2022-23 were $9,800 at public institutions and $40,700 at private nonprofit institutions. The public figure is the in-state rate, so check what each university charges non-residents. Starting at a community college, which is usually cheaper, and transferring to a university after two years can lower the total cost of a bachelor's degree.

Where to study electrical engineering

Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore have the most schools in this directory (three each), followed by St. Louis, Dayton, Cambridge, Pittsburgh, Denver and Nashville (two each). The list includes large public universities such as The Ohio State University, the University of Michigan, Purdue University, which also teaches electrical and computer engineering in Indianapolis, and the Georgia Institute of Technology, whose School of Electrical and Computer Engineering describes itself as one of the largest producers of electrical and computer engineers in the world. It also includes private universities such as Stanford University, Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and Northeastern University in Boston; technical institutes such as MIT, WPI and Colorado School of Mines; and community colleges such as Broward College in Florida and the College of Southern Idaho.

Careers

Graduates work in power generation and distribution, electronics, telecommunications, semiconductors, aerospace and engineering consultancy. BLS counts 297,900 jobs for electrical and electronics engineers in 2025 and projects employment to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 16,300 openings a year. The largest employer of electrical engineers is engineering services, with 22% of jobs, followed by electric power generation, transmission and distribution.

Frequently asked questions

How long does an electrical engineering degree take in the United States?

A bachelor's degree usually takes four years of full-time study. A master's degree adds about two years, and combined bachelor's and master's programmes, such as Purdue's 4+1 BS/MS, shorten the total time.

Do electrical engineers need a licence in the United States?

Not for entry-level jobs, according to BLS. Experienced engineers can obtain a Professional Engineering (PE) licence from a state board, which generally requires a degree from an EAC/ABET-accredited programme, work experience and the FE and PE exams.

Can international students work while studying?

According to EducationUSA, international students may work on campus up to 20 hours a week in their first year, with permission from the international student office.