Doctorate in Electrical Engineering: is it right for you?

There are some places where an electrical engineer may have difficulty finding work. The Sahara desert, for example. Or maybe Antarctica. But for most of the places that humans inhabit in the modern world, electricity is critically important. With so much electricity everywhere, the work of an electrical engineer never ends, and that's just good news for an electrical engineering career.

Also, because a Ph.D. in electrical engineering has never been easier to obtain, thanks to undergraduate engineering programs, it's an even bigger opportunity

Electrical Engineer vs. Electronic Engineer

An electronic engineer is an individual who deals with electronic systems, specifically in terms of hardware. For example, an electronic engineer could deal with a computer or anything else that has an integrated circuit board.

Electrical engineers, on the other hand, would work in electric power transport systems throughout the country, or even systems to distribute electrical energy in a single device.

Value of a PhD in electrical engineering

A full doctorate in electrical engineering may not be worth the time and money associated with obtaining a doctorate, unless the student has a specific goal that he can not achieve without the degree. Specifically, an electrical engineer who hopes to enter the academic field and possibly teach the next generation of electrical engineers would need a Ph.D. in electrical engineering.

Like many other forms of engineering, electrical engineering can be done within the undergraduate school, probably as one of the possible options within the engineering department of the university. A bachelor's degree in engineering, science or technology with a focus in electrical engineering could be enough for the electrical engineer to be in a good position in the field.

A master's degree in engineering or a master's degree in science with a focus in electrical engineering is probably the most commonly pursued option to obtain a graduate degree, simply because in general a master's degree will probably cost less time and money. In addition, it is also very likely that a master's degree is suitable for a number of positions, including most positions, for which an electrical engineer is likely to apply.

However, if you discover that a PhD is the only way to achieve your own professional goals, you should not be dissuaded from your goal.

The next step after the doctoral programs in electrical engineering

Obtaining any type of degree in electrical engineering, doctorate or otherwise, will not be enough to start working. As with other types of engineering doctorates, such as a doctorate in civil engineering or a doctorate in financial engineering, aspiring engineers must demonstrate a certain level of competence. A PhD graduate will still have to obtain some type of certification.

But there are often requirements for such certification that are not satisfied by the program to obtain the degree. For example, work experience in the field is not satisfactory for many doctoral programs in electrical engineering, and the result is that even after obtaining that degree, the engineer must work harder to obtain certification.

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