By Dr. Colin Doyle
Program Director, Electrical Engineering at American Public University System
Electrical Engineering is a field of study that deals with the application of electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. Pretty much everything that can be plugged in, charged, or needs a battery have at least one electrical engineering influence. Consider items like a baseball, which seemingly has nothing to do with electrical engineering. An electrical engineer probably had some role in designing the equipment used to manufacture it.
A degree in electrical engineering provides versatile career options. For example, after graduating with my Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) in 1988, I received a job offer from a telecommunications company to design and install telecommunications equipment at a major oil company to build production plants near oil rigs. I decided to go back to school to get my master’s degree in electrical engineering.
While in school, the options continued. I had a choice of research projects with two different professors. The first project was to research and create new battery technology to fit into a small space. Alternatively, I could do some research in telecommunications. I worked for Rockwell Collins every other semester and applied for several graduate fellowships. I received a GEM fellowship from Notre Dame which included a summer internship at Texas Instruments. That summer I fell in love with my niche in engineering, image processing, and I still work in that area to this day.
After graduation, I accepted a job at Texas Instruments as a systems engineer working on image processing research. I completed my doctoral work in electrical engineering while working full-time at Texas instruments. I have also worked at Raytheon and Lockheed Martin as a systems engineer, which requires at a minimum a B.S. in Electrical Engineering I later worked as a software engineer And am currently using my industry experience in my role as the program director of electrical engineering at American Public University System.
So, if you want to know what you can do with an electrical engineering degree, the answer is, just about anything!
About the Author
Dr. Colin Doyle is a program director and associate professor of electrical engineering at the American Public University System which includes both American Military University and American Public University. He has a BS in Electrical Engineering from Oklahoma State University, an MS degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma, and a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Southern Methodist University. Dr. Doyle has over 20 years of engineering experience.
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