Electrical engineering
Discipline studying and applying electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism.
Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the latter half of the 19th century after the commercialization of the electric telegraph, the telephone, and electrical power generation, distribution, and use.
- field
- Engineering
- known_for
- Study, design, and application of electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism
- key_standards_body
- International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
Lore & Background
Electrical engineering encompasses many different fields, including computer engineering, systems engineering, power engineering, telecommunications, radio-frequency engineering, signal processing, instrumentation, control engineering, photovoltaic cells, electronics, and optics and photonics. Many of these disciplines overlap with other engineering branches, spanning a huge number of specializations including hardware engineering, power electronics, electromagnetics and waves, microwave engineering, nanotechnology, electrochemistry, renewable energies, mechatronics/control, and electrical materials science. Machine learning and computer science techniques are also further studied due to being historically developed as fields of electrical engineering. Electrical engineers typically hold a degree in electrical engineering, electronic or electrical and electronic engineering. Practicing engineers may have professional certification and be members of a professional body or an international standards organization. These include the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET, formerly the IEE). Electrical engineers work in a very wide range of industries and the skills required are likewise variable, ranging from circuit theory to the management skills of a project manager.
Reader's Guide
The spread of alternating current set off in the United States what has been called the war of the currents between a George Westinghouse backed AC system and a Thomas Edison backed DC power system, with AC being adopted as the overall standard.
Did You Know?
- Electrical telegraphy may be considered the first example of electrical engineering.
- The first electrical engineering degree program in the United States was started at MIT in the physics department.
More in Electrical Systems 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record