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Overview
Explore
Career Options
Career Preparation
Hopkins Electrical Engineering Alumni
Graduate School
Honor Societies & Professional Associations
Links
The mission of the Electrical Engineering Program at Johns Hopkins University is to provide a stimulating and flexible curriculum in fundamental and advanced topics in electrical engineering, basic sciences, mathematics, and humanities, in an environment that fosters development of analytical, computational, and experimental skills. The program also involves students in design projects and research experiences, providing Electrical Engineering graduates with the tools, skills, and competencies necessary to understand and apply today’s technologies and become leaders in developing and deploying tomorrow’s technologies in a competitive global environment.
Degree Options
Undergraduate:
- B.S. in Electrical Engineering
- B.A. in Electrical Engineering
Graduate:
- Honors B.S./M.S. program in conjunction with Computer Science department
- M.S.E. in Electrical Engineering
- Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering
1
Your major in Electrical Engineering may influence the career path you choose, but it is not the only factor. Internship and research experience, extracurricular activities, and the skills you develop as a result of your academic and out-of-class experiences all influence the career paths of Hopkins students.
Internships and Research Experience
To be competitive in today’s job market, it is important you apply the knowledge gained through coursework to the workplace. Employers value the academic preparation Johns Hopkins University provides, but they want to see how you have applied your knowledge outside the classroom. Internships AND research experience are essential to showcasing this transference. Stay updated on research information and projects happening within the Electrical Engineering program at http://www.ece-jhu.org/index.php/research. To learn more about internships, consult the Career Center at http://www.jhu.edu/careers/students/internships/internships.html.
Extracurricular and Volunteer Activities
Employers want to see your ability to work on a team and to lead a project. Involvement in extracurricular and volunteer activities is the most effective way to develop and hone these skills.
Develop Skills and Abilities Associated with Electrical Engineering2As a JHU student, you will develop a diverse collection of skills transferable to your career despite your choice in majors. Here are skills and abilities you will develop as an Electrical Engineering major:
Communication
- Communicate effectively and develop the skills to work on multidisciplinary teams
- Propose prospective budgets based on engineering knowledge to fund foreseeable maintenance and other special projects.
- Teach/train others by providing knowledge, insight and help to understand ideas and/or procedures
- Facilitate groups by creating and implementing a structure to enable group to meet stated objectives
- Describe objects or events with few errors
- Be receptive to criticism
Work independently (Initiative)
- Maintain deadlines and manage time effectively
- Apply curiosity and creativity to projects and small groups/teams
- Make decisions that will maximize both the individual and collective good
- Appreciate the contributions of art, literature, science and technology to contemporary society
- Identify one’s own values and implement them in program structures
Organization and Accuracy
- Organize and conduct research with accurate, detailed information
- Predict future trends and patterns in areas related to engineering
- Accommodate multiple demands for commitment of time, energy and resources
Critical Thinking/Analytical Skills
- Apply appropriate criteria such as advanced mathematics, probability and statistics, basic and computer science to strategies and action plans
- Identify, formulate and solve problems using evaluations, report experiments, analysis of statistics, and interpretations of data
Research and Investigation
- Design systems after evaluating cost, safety, environmental and socio-political constraints
- Illustrate knowledge of research protocol and awareness of professional/ethical responsibilities and contemporary issues
- Apply a variety of methods to test the validity of data
- Appreciate the societal, economic, and environmental impacts of engineering
Technical/Lab Skills
- Use engineering tools: laboratory instruments, computer hardware, software
Additional skills may be pertinent depending on what career path you choose. Schedule an appointment with a Career Counselor to discuss the skills necessary for your individual career plan.
A major in electrical engineering can prepare you for a variety of careers that are responsible for a wide range of technological skills developed as an undergraduate at Hopkins. Electrical Engineers design, develop, test, and supervise the manufacture of electrical equipment and devices such as broadcast and communication systems, electric motors, machinery controls, lighting and wiring in buildings, automobiles, aircraft, computers, radar and navigation systems, and power generating, controlling, and transmission devices used by electric utilities.3
Many students seek internships and jobs directly related to their research and lab experience while others look for careers that draw upon their strong background in science and math to work in Government, Academia, Nonprofit and Private sectors. What you decide to do depends on your interests, values, skills and experiences. Taking the time to explore multiple career fields creates the foundation for an enjoyable career.
Career Paths for Electrical Engineering Majors
There are many recognized specializations within the field of Electrical Engineering providing you with a variety of career paths as an Electrical Engineering major. Examples of specializations include:
Communications
Design transmission systems and switching centers. Develop, manufacture, market and service communication products. Analyze system capabilities regarding fluctuations in demand for service. Set and regulate government policy and balance rates and revenues. Design electrical and electronic aspects of a manufacturing facility. Address sound levels and noise pollution at work sites.
Control systems
Analyze and design automatic regulators, guidance systems, numerical control of machines, computer control of industrial processes, and robotics to identify system stability, system performance criteria, and optimization.
Electronics
Design circuits, components, equipment, and computer programs, and produce electronic devices toward the goals of improving the safety of travel navigation or the effectiveness of bionic replacements of body parts or the enjoyment of consumer and home electronics.
Power
Work with power generation, transmission, distribution, application or a combination of these tasks toward the goal of efficiently converting static forms of energy, such as waterpower, solar power, fossil fuels, and chemical agents, into usable electric power.4
Industry Applications of Electrical Engineering Majors
As an Electrical Engineering major, your skills can apply to a wide array of industries, some of which include: Biomedical Engineering, Communications and Networking, Computer design, Electromagnetic Engineering, Electronics, Electronic Materials and devices, Power systems and energy conservation, Premedical, Robotics and controls, Signal and image processing, Computer design, Embedded systems, Software Engineering: Foundations, Software Engineering: Systems, and VLSI Design.5 There are many fields directly related to your degree in Electrical Engineering:
Biotechnology
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices
Engineering
Scientific Research
Teaching
Hopkins Electrical Engineering alumni go into a variety of career fields. Since 2003 the Career Center has surveyed recent graduates about their academic and career plans 6 months after graduation. Here is a summary of their responses.
Hopkins Alumni in Electrical Engineering
Jim Beauchamp
President, Xxcelerate, Inc.
Mechanical Engineer & Electrical Engineering, Class of 1966
Chris Aldrich
President / CEO, Aldrich Consulting
Biomedical Engineering and Electrical Engineering, Class of 1996
inCircle - a professional and social networking site for Hopkins students and alumn where you can identify alumni by career field, major and orgnaization.
LinkedIn.com -a professional networking site where you can identify Hopkins alumni. Join the LinkedIn Johns Hopkins University Alumni Group to add over 4000+ alumni to your network.
The Career Center is here to help you navigate the graduate school search process. Click here for guidelines and preparing for Graduate School and Professional School.
For information on the specific programs, the best people to talk to are the experts in your field you wish to study, faculty members and graduate students in that specific discipline. We strongly encourage you to talk with your advisor and other faculty members with whom you have a good working relationship. This will also help when you request letters of recommendation. The Career Center has a handout to guide you in asking for letters of recommendation.
Involvement with professional associations is a great way to further explore your potential career paths as an Electrical Engineering major. These groups will not only provide materials and further resources to help you make your career decision, but they also provide essential networking benefits. In addition, many professional associations have student chapters at JHU. Listed below are resources for professional associations and the student chapters for electrical engineering at Hopkins:
Engineering Honor Societies: Eta Kappa Nu and Tau Beta Pi
The Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE) and IEEE’s Job Site
Other Electrical Engineering Student Groups at JHU:6
Stay up to date on JHU student chapters of professional associations for electrical engineers at: http://www.ece-jhu.org/index.php/about/content/groups
If you are interested in joining any of these groups, contact the group and/or its advisor. Find this information at: http://jhu.mystudentgroups.com
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Electrical Engineering Overview
What Can I Do With a Major in Electrical Engineering?
Hopkins Career Profiles
Hopkins Career/Major Information Sheets
inCircle - a professional and social networking site for Hopkins students and alumni where you can identify alumni by career field, major and organization.
LinkedIn - professional networking site for where you can identify alumni by career field, major and organization.
Sloan Career Cornerstone Society Electrical Engineering Specific at http://www.careercornerstone.org/eleceng/eleceng.htm
The Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
Endnotes:
1 Undergraduate Program Information in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University
2 ibid
3 Electrical Engineering in the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center
4 What Can I Do With A Major In..., Career Exploration Center, University of Texas - Austin
5 ibid
6 Whiting School of Engineering Brochure, Johns Hopkins University
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