What do they do?

Research, design, develop, test, or supervise the manufacturing and installation of electrical equipment, components, or systems for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use.

Also known as:

Circuits Engineer, Controls Engineer, Design Engineer, Electrical Controls Engineer, Electrical Design Engineer, Electrical Engineer, Electrical Project Engineer, Electrical Systems Engineer, Engineer, Instrumentation and Electrical Reliability Engineer (I&E Reliability Engineer), Plant Engineer, Power Systems Engineer, Project Engineer, Substation Electrical Engineer, Test Engineer

Typical Wages

Projected Growth Rate

Employment of Electrical Engineers is projected to grow 4 percent from 2022 to 2032, more slowly than average compared to all occupations.

Projected Employment For All United States

No Data Available
  • 4.1%

    Change

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    11,000

    Job Openings

    Select a state to see its net job growth ranking

Best colleges for Electrical Engineers

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Education Level

Percent of workers in this field with these degrees:

  • Bachelor's degree  (50%)
  • Master's degree  (26%)
  • Doctorate or Professional Degree  (7%)
  • Associate's degree  (6%)
  • Some college, no degree  (6%)
  • High school diploma equivalent  (3%)
  • Less than high school diploma  (<1%)

Typical College Majors

Most Popular Majors that prepare Electrical Engineers

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People in this career often have these skills:

  • Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  • Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  • Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Mathematics - Using mathematics to solve problems.

People in this career often know a lot about:

  • Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
  • Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  • Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

People in this career often have talent in:

  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
  • Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Mathematical Reasoning - The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
  • Number Facility - The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.

People in this career often do these activities:

  • Design structures or facilities.
  • Design electrical equipment or systems.
  • Maintain electronic equipment.
  • Direct industrial production activities.
  • Direct construction activities.
  • Direct installation activities.
  • Direct equipment maintenance or repair activities.
  • Estimate technical or resource requirements for development or production projects.
  • Operate computer systems.
  • Confer with technical personnel to prepare designs or operational plans.
  • Discuss designs or plans with clients.
  • Test products for functionality or quality.
  • Inspect operational processes.
  • Investigate system, equipment, or product failures.
  • Design alternative energy systems.
  • Create electrical schematics.
  • Develop software or computer applications.
  • Develop software or applications for scientific or technical use.
  • Design control systems for mechanical or other equipment.
  • Prepare operational reports.
  • Estimate operational costs.
  • Prepare project budgets.
  • Devise research or testing protocols.
  • Train personnel on proper operational procedures.
  • Supervise engineering or other technical personnel.
  • Design energy production or management equipment or systems.
  • Design energy-efficient equipment or systems.
  • Survey land or bodies of water to measure or determine features.

This page includes data from:

O*NET OnLine Career data: O*NET 28.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (“USDOL/ETA”). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Logo Occupation statistics: USDOL U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics

careeronestop logo Videos: CareerOneStop, USDOL/ETA and the Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development

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