Electrical and Computer Engineering is a versatile degree that can lead to jobs and careers in many different areas. Visit the department website, watch the videos below, or scroll down and select an option under Related Career Fields to see more information about potential careers you can pursue.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Related Career Fields
Select a career field below to see some of the various areas it encompasses, types of employers, and some sample occupations.
Any Engineering Discipline
Career Areas
- Production
- Sales and Marketing
- Management
- Consulting
- Research and Development
- Teaching
- Law
Employers
- Industry
- Business
- Federal, state, and local government
- Colleges and universities
General Information
- Obtain related experience through co-op or internships for business/industry-related career.
- MBA degree provides best opportunities in technical management.
- Obtain a Ph.D. for optimal teaching and research careers.
- Develop strong verbal and written communication skills.
- Learn federal, state, and local government job application procedures.
Aerospace
Career Areas
- Propulsion
- Fluid Mechanics
- Thermodynamics
- Structures
- Celestial Mechanics
- Acoustics
- Guidance and Control
Employers
- Aircraft, guided missile, and space vehicle industries
- Communications equipment manufacturers
- Commercial airlines
- Federal government departments: Defense, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
- Business and engineering firms
General Information
- Keep abreast of status of federal funding for defense and space programs.
- Seek co-op opportunities.
- Develop effective verbal and written communication skills.
- Learn to work well within a team.
Biosystems Engineering
Career Areas
- Natural Resources
- Soil and Water Conservation
- International Consulting
- Environmental Control
- Agricultural Structures
- Power and Machinery
- Electronic Systems
- Food Engineering
- Genetic Engineering
- Engineering Technology
Employers
- Technological agricultural industries
- Land grant universities:
- Experimental farm stations
- Research laboratories
- Consulting firms
- Equipment design, testing, and manufacturing firms
- Equipment and food industries including processing, packaging, and storing
- Quality control for food, feed, fiber, etc.
- Biotechnology research firms
- Foreign Service
General Information
- Participate in internship or co-op programs.
- Acquire strong computer skills.
- Learn a foreign language for work in foreign service.
- Develop strong math and problem solving skills.
Biomedical
Career Areas
- Bioengineering:
- Design
- Development
- Manufacturing
- Medical Engineering:
- Instrumentation
- Materials
- Diagnostic/Therapeutic Devices
- Artificial Organs
- Medical Equipment
- Rehabilitation Engineering
- Bio-Environmental Engineering
Employers
- Manufacturers of medical and surgical devices
- Hospitals and healthcare facilities
- Federal government:
- Regulatory agencies
- Veteran's Administration
- National Institutes of Health
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
- Industry
- Research facilities of educational and medical institutions
General Information
- Develop strong team work skills.
- Many positions require a graduate or professional degree.
- Serves as a good background for medical school.
Chemical
Career Areas
- Administration:
- Design and Construction
- Project Engineering
- Control Systems
- Field Engineering
- Process Engineering
- Operations/Production
- Environmental and Waste Management:
- Development
- Design
Employers
- Independent research institutes
- Consulting organizations
- Chemical industry including:
- Agricultural chemicals
- Plastics
- Industrial chemicals
- Petroleum
- Pharmaceutical
- Cosmetic
- Food processing
- Atomic energy development
- Environmental
- Federal government including:
- Department of Energy
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Manufacturing plants including:
- Automotive
- Airplane
- Paper
- Microelectronics
- Textiles
- Metals
- Rubber
- Food
- Beverage
General Information
- Develop exceptional interpersonal skills.
- Acquire technical work experience during college years.
Civil
Career Areas
- Structural
- Urban and Community Planning
- Construction
- Environmental
- Water Resources
- Transportation and Pipeline
- Geotechnical
- Photogrammetry, Surveying and Mapping Materials
Employers
- Construction industry
- Engineering or architectural firms
- Utility companies
- Oil companies
- Telecommunications businesses
- Manufacturing companies
- Consulting firms
- Railroads
- State and federal government agencies
General Information
- Learn to work well within a team.
- Develop strong communication and interpersonal skills.
- Develop physical stamina for outdoor work.
- Get experience in organizing and directing workers and materials.
- Ability to visualize objects in three dimensions is helpful.
- Demand has remained steady due to broad nature of discipline.
- States may require licensing or registration.
Electrical/Computer
Career Areas
- Power Electronics
- Power Systems
- Communications
- Electronics
- Control Systems
- Digital Signal Processing
- Microelectronics
- Image Processing & Robotics
- Computer Engineering
- Plasma Engineering
- Computer Vision
Employers
- Manufacturing firms and industry including:
- Aeronautical/Aerospace
- Automotive
- Business machines
- Professional and scientific equipment
- Consumer products
- Chemical and petrochemical
- Computers
- Construction
- Defense
- Electric utilities
- Electronics
- Environmental
- Food and beverage
- Glass, ceramics, and metals
- Machine tools
- Mining and metallurgy
- Nuclear
- Oceanography
- Pulp and paper
- Textiles
- Transportation
- Water and wastewater
- Public utilities
- Federal government including:
- Armed forces
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
- National Institutes of Health
- Bureau of Standards
- Department of Defense
- Various commissions
- Consulting firms
- Free-lance consulting
General Information
- Develop effective verbal and written communication skills.
- Gain experience in team work.
- Acquire capacity for details.
- Develop interpersonal skills.
- Obtain research experience.
Industrial
Career Areas
- Operations Research
- Applied Behavioral Science Systems
- Manufacturing Management
- Information Engineering
- Computer Systems Design and Development
Employers
- Manufacturing industries
- Accounting firms
- Retail distribution organizations
- Banks and financial institutions
- Hospitals and healthcare organizations
- Educational and public service agencies
- Transportation industries
- Construction industries
- Public utilities
- Electrical and electronics machinery industries
- Consulting firms
General Information
- Take courses in psychology, sociology and anthropology to learn more about people and how they behave.
- Earn an MBA for advancement in management or administration.
Materials Science and Engineering
Career Areas
- Metallurgy
- Ceramics
- Plastics/Polymers
- Composites
- Research
- Extractive
- Process
- Applications
- Management
- Sales
- Service
- Consulting
Employers
- Materials producing companies
- Manufacturing companies including automobiles, appliances, electronics, aerospace equipment, machinery, medicine
- Service companies including airlines, railroads, and utilities
- Consulting firms
- Government agencies:
- Department of Defense
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
- Research institutes
- Publishers
General Information
- Many positions require a graduate degree.
- Some areas benefited by additional study in business administration, medicine, management and/or law.
- Develop good communication skills.
- Gain laboratory and research experience as an undergraduate.
Mechanical
Career Areas
- Mechanical Power Generation:
- Internal Combustion Engines
- Jet Engines
- Steam Power Plants
- Rockets
- Energy Utilization and Conservation
- Thermal/Fluids:
- Thermodynamics
- Environmental Control
- Refrigeration
- Instrumentation and Control
- Machine Sciences:
- Mechanical Design
- Manufacturing and Production
- Robotics
- Operation and Maintenance
Employers
- Transportation
- Automotive industry
- Aerospace industry
- Military laboratories
- Utilities
- Steam driven electric power stations
- Equipment Design
- Plants
- Nuclear power stations
- Electronics industry
- Petro-Chemical
- Drilling & production, plant operations
- Manufacturing
- Consumer products
- Chemical products
- Farm equipment
- Industrial equipment
- Paper and wood products
- Textile equipment
- Consulting engineering firms
General Information
- Obtain related experience through internships or co-op.
- Take additional courses in area(s) of interest.
- Develop strong interpersonal and communication skills.
Environmental
Career Areas
- Design
- Planning
- Operations
- Administration
- Regulations
Employers
- Private industry and businesses involved with:
- Air pollution control
- Industrial hygiene
- Radiation protection
- Hazardous waste management
- Toxic materials control
- Water supply
- Storm water and wastewater management
- Solid waste disposal
- Public health
- Land management
- Private engineering consulting firms
- Construction firms
- Research firms
- Testing laboratories
- International organizations
General Information
- Consider a master's degree for advancement.
- Foreign language ability beneficial for international work.
Engineering Sciences and Mechanics
Career Areas
- Engineering Mechanics
- Biomedical Engineering
- Computational Mechanics
- Engineering Materials
Employers
- Industry
- Manufacturing
- Research organizations
General Information
- Interdisciplinary program with broad training in engineering science, mathematics, and physical or biological science.
Join Organizations
Being active in both student and professional organizations can help boost your career. You'll have the opportunity to network with and learn from peers, mentors, and professionals. Working within these groups helps build leadership, teamwork, and communication skills. You'll gain hands-on experience, showing employers your proactive attitude and commitment to growth, making you a stronger job candidate.
Student Organizations
Check out the organizations listed below, search Laker Life, or talk with a Career Coach to find others.
Search for Employers
General Guidelines and Strategies
- Bachelor's degree provides wide range of career opportunities in industry, business, and government.
- Graduate degrees offer more opportunities for career advancement.
- Bachelor's degree is good background for pursuing technical graduate degrees as well as professional degrees in Business Administration, Medicine or Law.
- Related work experience obtained through co-op, internships, part-time or summer jobs, or regular employment is extremely beneficial.
- Develop computer expertise within field.
- Engineers need to think in scientific and mathematical terms, have ability to study data, sort out important facts, solve problems, and be logical thinkers. Creativity is useful.
- Other helpful traits include intellectual curiosity, technical aptitude, perseverance, ability to communicate and work well with others, a commitment to teamwork, and a basic understanding of the economic and environmental context in which engineering is practiced.
- Develop excellent verbal and written communications skills including presentation and technical report writing.
- All states and the District of Columbia require registration of engineers whose work may affect the life, health, or safety of the public.
- Professional or technical societies confer certification in some areas.
- Join related professional organizations.
- Most fields offer overseas opportunities with businesses or government agencies.
- Because of rapid changes in most engineering fields, both continued education and keeping abreast of new developments are very important.
- Most states require an EIT (Engineer-In-Training) test before taking a state examination to become a Professional Engineer (PE).
- MBA degree provides best opportunities in technical management.
- Learn a foreign language for work in foreign service.
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