MS in Electrical Engineering in USA

Our life now, with its conveniences, including the portal you are currently reading this article on, would have never been possible without the field that revolutionized the world in the 19^th century. The profession of Electrical Engineering (EE) began taking shape with the telegraph and the need to pay attention to electrical power and its potential.

Over the many years, it has branched into various fields. EE is all about dealing with research, design, manufacture and installation of electronics, electrical systems, computer, telecommunications, circuit design, microelectronics and anything that has to do with electrical components and equipments. It has even found its way in other disciplines such as nanotechnology, environmental engineering, renewable energy and so on.

It is a well seasoned field with over a century spent in producing some of the smartest people in this world, some of them with even a Nobel among their mantlepieces.

To become one, you will need to have a bachelors in electrical, electronic or computer engineering. Also required is a strong background in Math and Physics. But in a pinch, if your undergraduate research or coursework has had a major emphasis on electrical systems, you can also check with the recruiters for customized information.

In this article, we will try to summarize the basic information on the current needs for you to apply for an MS/Masters in Electrical Engineering and also crack the window for a sneak peek at what the future holds. And for completeness sake, you should familiarize yourself with the encyclopedia of Masters applications in the Guide to an MS in USA.
 

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Masters (MS) in Electrical Engineering in the USA

Industry Profile, Salaries, Top Schools and other information

 
Well qualified Electrical Engineers need only blink twice for a job paying over $90,000. With about 178,580 electrical engineers, employed in 2015, even the lowest salaries were about $60,000. So, your return for getting that EE degree is certainly rewarding. In fact according to the article on How to select the right MS/Masters program and specialization, the industry is predicted to grow 4 – 15% in the next ten years, depending on the subfield of EE.

Here’s a list of industries that are known to hire electrical engineers and the average salaries each industry provides as per the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS.gov) records for 2015.
 

Industry	Number Employed	Average Salary
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services	41,880	$95,740
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution	18,430	$92,670
Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing	12,390	$108,170
Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing	11,670	$97,270
Scientific Research and Development Services	11,380	$114,290
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing	5,960	$113,970
Electrical Equipment Manufacturing	5,370	$86,660
Wholesale Electronic Markets and Agents and Brokers	1,830	$113,640
Wireless Telecommunications Carriers	960	$115,410
Oil and Gas Extraction	240	$129,630

 

Even in India, the starting salaries begin at 3.5 lakhs and go up to over 15 lakhs with a few years of experience (from Payscale).

So when you walk into your office wearing the Project Manager, Field Engineer, Testing Engineer, Design Engineer, R&D Head or even the CEO hat of your company, you can be certain of two things – you are the smartest person in the room and your salary reflects that.

 

So how to get your hands on one those degrees, you may ask. Well everywhere. But as is the case with our obsession with lists, there is a list for this one too – The top Universities in the US, that offer the best Electrical Engineering program. And we won’t stop just there. Included in the table are the GRE/TOEFL scores accepted, tuition fees and application fee you will need to shell out to get your application looked at.

 

University	GRE	TOEFL	Application Fee	Tuition Fee
*Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)	Not required	**iBT: 100 PBT: 600 CBT: 250 IELTS: 7	$75	$46,400 (MIT)
Stanford University (Read EE Handbook)	V 159 Q 163 (MBA Crystal Ball)	iBT: 89 PBT: 575	$125	$50,424
University of California, Berkeley (UCB)	V: 157 Q: 165	iBT: 90 PBT: 570 CBT: 230 IELTS: 7	$125	$54,685
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)	V: 154 Q: 165	iBT: 87 PBT: 560 CBT: 220 IELTS: 7	$125	$31,427
Harvard University	V: 160 Q: 167	IBT: 80 Additional Information	$105	~$49,000 (Harvard)
California Institute of Technology (Caltech) MSEE Degree	No minimum specified	No minimum specified	$100	$43,710 (Caltech)
Georgia Institute of Technology	V: 155 Q: 164 (Average in 2016) V: 146 Q: 155 (Minimum Needed)	iBT: 100 PBT: 550 CBT: 213	$75	$27,872 (US News Rankings and Review)
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign	No minimum specified	iBT: 96 PBT: 590 CBT: 240 IELTS: 6.5	$90	$52,285 (UIUC)
University of Michigan	V: 154 Q: 167 Writing: 3.4 (Average)	iBT: 84 PBT: 560 IELTS: 6.5 ***MELAB: 80 ECPE: Certificate of Proficiency	$90	$21,393 (UMich)
*Princeton University	V: 162 Q: 166	No minimum specified	$90	$47,220 (Princeton)

* No Terminal Masters degree offered. All students are admitted to a PhD program and can receive an MS once the requisite credits are completed.

** iBT: Internet Based TOEFL, PBT: Paper Based TOEFL, CBT: Computer Based Test, IELTS: International English Language Test

*** MELAB: Michigan English Language Assessment Battery, ECPE: Examination for the Certificate of Proficiency in English
 
You are now only a few steps removed from applying for the much regarded Masters program in Electrical Engineering, namely your undergraduate final examination, your recommendation letters, your SoP and of course the time to sit down and get on the applications you have been pushing off. And when you do manage to land that cushy job, do send us a few positive thoughts from your corner office with the 270º view.

Meanwhile solve this riddle please.

How many electrical engineers does it take to change a light bulb?

Good Luck!

Also read Best undergaduate Engineering Schools in the world