Why Electrical Engineering?

Why not electrical engineering? Electrical Engineering has now become the second most popular engineering degree in the country right after software engineering. With technological advances continuing to be a big area of growth, electrical engineering has found itself to become a popular field of study for many students. For students that are looking for the fastest growing field of study, Electrical Engineering may be the right choice for any interested student.

The current status of jobs in the field is vastly growing and in the future is projected to have many job opportunities readily available for recent graduates. The program has a big demand for a strong foundation in physical science and mathematics, and students should be aware of engineering fundamentals. But the availability of jobs openings becomes its biggest benefit and also includes a very competitive annual salary.

What also makes this field very prospective is that current average salary of $85K depending on experience and expertise. According to 2009 job statistics, the Electrical Engineering bachelor degrees had entry level offers starting at $60K and master’s program graduates starting at $71K. With those averages just being in the starting salaries, there is definitely more potential to grow as one increases their experience and education levels.

As popularity for the field increases, there also becomes difficulty in choosing the right program that fits an individual and his or her lifestyle. Not only is it important to find a program that is in tune a student’s goals but also one that works well with the schedule of the student. Classes are now being offered on campus and online to best fit a student's schedule and programs that allow that are growing to be the most popular.

Stanford University has become quite a popular choice for many graduate prospective students due to its reputation for great educators as well as offering courses at the convenience of the student. Electrical Engineering graduate certificates that are available include: Communication Systems, Electronic Circuits, and Micro/Nano Systems. The Master’s degree program in Electrical Engineering requires 45 units among three categories: Breadth Courses, Depth Courses and Additional Electrical Engineering Courses. The Breadth requirements provide a foundation type training that allows the student to explore different areas and learn the basic engineering skills. The depth requirement takes the student further to learn more in depth about one subject area. And the additional Electrical Engineering Courses are a way for students to study in depth Electrical Engineering through hands on course work and further study class options.

Since Stanford also offers many of its graduate courses online including courses for Electrical Engineering, students have the great ability to gain a graduate certificate on-campus or online. This allows the student more freedom and more time to work the graduate program into their life and therefore make the process of obtaining an additional degree more at ease. But what truly makes the Stanford University Electrical Engineering program special is its ability to uphold education excellence while remaining accessible to any student.