Masters in Electrical Engineering

Electrical Engineering is a branch of engineering that focuses on researching, studying, designing, as well as the application of devices, equipment, and systems that use the concept of electricity, electromagnetism, and electronics. With the commercialization of telephone, electric power generation, and electric telegraph in the second half of the 19th century, the world started recognising this field actively. People who study this field are called electrical engineers and typically hold an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering, electronics, or computer engineering. A strong aptitude and background in Physics and Mathematics is a must to succeed in this field.

Students can even go on to pursue a Masters in Electrical Engineering that helps students build upon their undergraduate knowledge of Electrical Engineering. This branch of engineering has given rise to multiple sub-branches, such as power engineering, radio-frequency engineering, computer engineering, as well as electronic engineering. Quite a few of these disciplines overlap with other branches of engineering. Today, electrical engineers are behind some of the most useful modern inventions that make our life easy - right from smartphones to television, electric cars, wireless communication, etc. 

An MS in Electrical Engineering from the USA is very popular among international students. The National Foundation for American Policy reports that the total number of international graduates in Electrical Engineering in 2015 was 32, 736. This is almost 81% of the total graduates in Electrical Engineering. So, if you have an excellent background in Maths and physics, have a related undergraduate degree, and love working with electricity, this field will welcome you with open arms. 

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Course Structure 

A  Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering is a course that focuses on helping students learn about the increasing ways in which electricity can be used and also about various applications of electricity, electromagnetism, and electronics too. The degree focuses on increasing the technical knowledge of the students in this field and might also require students to conduct research in the innovations taking place in this field. Most colleges combine classroom teaching with laboratory work so that students learn the application of the theory. Some of the classes or modules of this program might overlap with those of Computer Science as well as other disciplines too. The best courses for Masters in Electrical Engineering also include a year of hands-on industrial work for students. Students can choose to specialize in a certain topic while pursuing a Masters in Electrical Engineering. Some of the subjects taught in this program are as follows:

  • Electrical Machines
  • Control Systems
  • Power Systems
  • Power Electronics
  • Electrical Measurement
  • Electrical Drives
  • Image Processing
  • Circuit theory
  • Signals and Systems etc.

USA is one of the most popular international destinations for students pursuing MS in EE. Other countries such as Australia, Canada, and Germany too are popular destinations for this program. The fees for Masters in Electrical Engineering varies from University to University and from country to country. Students can refer here for more details on fees for popular courses in the top US and Australian Universities. The tuition fee for an MS in Electrical Engineering in Germany is highly subsidized in the public universities and to some extent, hence is fast emerging as a popular choice among international students.

Eligibility/ Entry Requirement

The Masters in Electrical Engineering requirements varies as per countries and universities. However, the basic requirement for all universities is that the student must have a Bachelor’s degree with good CGPA in a closely related subject. 
A majority of universities in the U.S and Canada also require students to submit a GRE score for admission to this program. Students who have a higher GRE score as well as a higher GPA have better chances of getting admission in top Universities. Popular universities in the US, such as MIT, have no minimum GRE score cut-off but typically consider students who have the highest  GPAs in their class and have scored 90th percentile or higher in GRE quants. Others like Stanford University need a verbal score of 159 and a quant score of 163 in GRE. 
Most Australian Universities as well as German Universities (barring a few) do not require a GRE score but the scores can be an added advantage. Students planning to pursue their MS in EE from Australia can refer here for additional eligibility conditions. 
Students also have to submit relevant scores of English language proficiency tests such as TOEFL, IELTS, etc., in most international Universities. US universities accept TOEFL scores while IELTS scores are accepted by universities in Canada, Australia, UK etc. 
In case a student has any doubts on whether their scores will get them admission in the University and program of their choice, they can also check our admit predictor tool to find out which universities they should apply to based on their scores in these exams. 
Candidates who meet the minimum score requirement of these exams need to then submit a Letter of Recommendation and a Statement of Purpose (SOP) for applying to international Universities. If their SOP and LOR meet with the approval of the university admission committees, they have to appear for a Personal Interview too. Those who clear the PI are granted admission to the program in the university applied for. 
Indian students, with a four year Bachelor's degree in Engineering, can also apply directly to German Universities like Technical University of Munich.  For this, they need to submit proof of German language along with English language proficiency. 

The specializations offered in MS in Electrical Engineering differ from university to university. We have listed down some of the most popular specializations in Masters in Electrical Engineering. You can choose the specialization based on your interests as well as what the University offers. 

1. Telecommunications

In this specialization, students study optical signal processing and networks, microwave techniques, mobile communications, and radiation from ICs and PCBs. 

2. Robotics and Control

Robotics is a fast-developing field, and a specialization in Robotics and Control gives students the opportunity to study mathematics and computer programming in detail. They also study computer algorithms in detail along with control algorithms. 

Optical Sciences - Students opting for this specialization get to study the operation of fiber optic systems. This also includes studying about transmitters, receivers, and optical fibers too. 

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3. Embedded Systems

Students of this specialization study about essential embedded technologies as well as the latest developments made in embedded tools and trends.

4. Signal and Image Processing

Students learn how to design efficient and effective algorithms, architectures, and systems that will be able to describe and represent signals, extract information, reconstruct or recover content, and process or fuse signals and information. 

5. Medical Devices and Systems

Medical devices have immensely benefited from Electrical Engineering and students specializing in this field get to learn ways to develop and improve electrical engineering hardware and software tools and techniques that will be beneficial for the medical field. 

6. Electric Power

Students here learn about the various processes of analysis and design of electronic circuits and systems. Study of electronic circuits of digital, analog, radiofrequency, and microwave, VLSI and ASIC design, etc., are also some of the topics that are studied in this specialization. 

7. Electronic Circuits and Systems

Students here learn to design electronic circuits - ranging from basic ones like ICs that use semiconductor devices to complex ones such as ICs that use VLSI techniques. 

8. Communication Theory and Systems

A specialization in Communications Theory and System involves the study of various information transmission systems - from the radio to telephone, computer network system, and even the GPS system. 

9. Electric Power Systems

Students of this specialization study the generation, control and distribution of electric power systems, such as transformers, motors, generators, and electromechanical transducers. 

10. Electro-Optics & Photonics

This specialization provides students with in-depth knowledge about various electro-optic systems such as LCD, optical fibre communications etc. 
 

Global Rank

College Name Popularity Rank Global Rank Total Tuition Fees Deadline Annual RA+TA Unsecured Loan Offer Secured Loan Offer
University of Southern California 1 132 61805 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of Michigan 2 21 99016 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Arizona State University 3 209 60396 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of California, San Diego 4 38 53088 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
NYU Tandon School of Engineering 5 NA 53850 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Stanford University 6 2 108030 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
The University of Texas at Dallas 7 421-430 53704 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Columbia University 8 18 96864 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University at Buffalo, SUNY 9 318 45300 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Texas A&M University - Kingsville 10 NA NA Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of Minnesota -Twin Cities 11 163 42000 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
The University of Texas at Arlington 12 NA 38072 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of Colorado Boulder 13 182 66276 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
North Carolina State University 14 263 50810 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of Maryland, College Park 15 129 46440 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
New Jersey Institute of Technology 16 801-1000 59920 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Wayne State University 17 461-470 42720 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Texas A&M University 18 195 67333 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Rochester Institute of Technology 19 NA 91040 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Michigan Technological University 20 551-600 34290 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of Pennsylvania 21 19 86264 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
California State University, Fullerton 22 NA NA Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Stevens Institute of Technology 23 651-700 71920 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
San Diego State University 24 801-1000 28608 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 25 367 53648 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of North Carolina at Charlotte 26 NA 35540 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of Pittsburgh 27 142 88948 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of Wisconsin-Madison 28 55 48108 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of Houston 29 601-650 36612 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of California, Irvine 30 164 22884 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Northwestern University 31 28 108240 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Missouri University of Science and Technology 32 651-700 50164 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
California Institute of Technology 33 4 104466 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Iowa State University 34 471-480 51428 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of Rochester 35 186 49620 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Syracuse University 36 501-550 48600 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
George Mason University 37 801-1000 40380 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
The Pennsylvania State University 38 93 76932 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Stony Brook University 39 382 45300 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Clemson University 40 701-750 45952 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Boston University 41 81 105632 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 42 364 105100 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of Notre Dame 43 216 105492 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of Cincinnati 44 501-550 49064 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science 45 NA 84200 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Vanderbilt University 46 212 59010 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of Virginia 47 173 55548 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
William Marsh Rice University 48 NA NA Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Massachusetts Institute of Technology 49 1 103040 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Princeton University 50 13 102500 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
The State University of New York at Binghamton 51 801-1000 NA Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Illinois Institute of Technology 52 395 56700 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Source: GyanDhan's analysis, partner data & university's website. While deadlines are latest, other figures are as of 2018. Double-check deadlines from the university's website

There is a huge demand for students who have completed their Masters in Electrical Engineering. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average Master of Science in Electrical Engineering salary is $97,970. The same report predicts this profession to grow by 7% by 2026.  
Some of the roles offered to students who study this program are as follows:

1. Software Engineer

A Masters in Electronic Engineering graduate can work as a software engineer in the embedded systems field, robotics or even high power systems too. They can also work as hardware engineers who are behind designing new computers and perform tasks like updating the hardware to work with new software and creating blueprints for new computers. Or they can even take up the role of a computer network architect and design communication networks. The average salary of a software engineer in United States is 103,035 USD per year while it is CA$ 85000 per year in Canada. 

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2. Design Engineer

Design engineers use their problem-solving skills and technical knowledge to come up with innovative solutions to a range of problems. They are involved in designing a solution from the stage of conceptualization to implementation and management too. They can work in a number of sectors such as software, environment, machinery, components, materials, and vehicles. Many of them have to use CAD, CAM, and CAN systems to design as well as visualize projects. The average salary of a design engineer with an MS in EE, in USA, is 75,827 USD. Design engineers in Canada earn CA$ 72,000 per year while  A$ 86,116 per year in Australia. 

3. Component Design Engineer

These engineers work to design and develop electronic components. They might need to conduct device evaluation, device characterization, plan and organize design projects or the different phases of the design project. Taking care of prototype circuit - right from designing and stimulation to testing - to fall under role. Component design engineers in US annually earn USD $94,541 while in the UK they earn £42,673/yr. 

4. Electrical Engineer

The primary role of an electrical engineer is to design as well as manufacture all kinds of products that provide electricity to the end consumer. They are also responsible for incorporating electrical components in devices that use electricity. Electrical engineers can work in product development industries, system management, consumers’ electronics industry, wireless communication industry, etc.  Electrical Engineers in the United Kingdom earn £34,252 every year and $86,153 per year in the United States. In Australia, electrical engineers, on an average, earn A$90,396 every year. 

5. RF Engineer

RF (Radio Frequency) engineers work with devices that receive and transmit radio waves. These include cellular phones, radios, and wireless equipment. RF engineers find themselves very useful in today’s tech centred society. Since most RF engineers work in public telecommunications company, they need to obtain their State Licence before working as one. In the United States, RF engineers are annually paid $80,405 while they get paid CA$120K every year in Canada. 

The highest earners in this field from the US are concentrated in areas like California, Massachusetts, Alaska, Washington state, and the District of Columbia. Students can choose their city of work wisely and then have an increased scope of growth in the future.

Global Rank Employability Range Salary Range
1-10 Log in Log in
11-25 Log in Log in
26-50 Log in Log in
51-100 Log in Log in
101-200 Log in Log in
201-500 Log in Log in
500+ Log in Log in
Source: GyanDhan's proprietary analysis
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