Electrical Engineering Courses overview
Our society is increasingly reliant on devices that use or create electricity. That’s why electrical engineering is a career path with the opportunity to understand and shape people’s lives for the better.
Electrical engineers work with electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. These tools allow the design of electronic systems, the function of electric devices, the power behind our lives. Cars, computers, machinery and communication systems are just a few of the essential tools for modern society that are made possible thanks to electrical engineering. And there are so many more - practically anything you can think of that uses electrical power, has a plug, or runs on a motor only exists because of an electrical engineer.
Electronic engineering ties cities together, allows us to communicate, gives people warmth, the power to cook, create, and move around. Electronic engineers design electrical items and systems to give us all these things, and more. They also ensure electrical items meet safety standards, and come up with solutions for electrical problems.
Is electrical engineering for me?
An incredibly complex job with great responsibility, electrical engineering is an interesting field for those who are fascinated by how things work.
Electrical engineering is a qualification that leads to many varied career paths. Due to the sheer breadth and volume of electronic systems and devices, there are many specialisations on offer in the field.
Study pathway
Those who wish to work as electrical engineers will first be required to complete a four year Bachelor of Engineering degree. Upon completion of an undergraduate degree in engineering, it is then possible to gain the specialised skills required of a electrical engineer in postgraduate studies.
Postgraduate certificates and diplomas will improve and develop the skills needed for careers in electronic and electrical Engineering. Postgraduate degrees thereafter in masters and doctorate programs further sharpen the knowledge required for specialised careers.
Potential careers involve working in manufacturing, the automobile industry, or designing an array of items from robotics to whitegoods. The study pathway you take will depend on which are of electrical engineering you wish to pursue. Check to see whether your chosen career path requires a specialised degree.
Those who wish to join the National Engineering Register with Engineering Australia must meet other requirements than simply holding a bachelor’s degree in engineering. Additionally, they must have relevant professional experience, be engaged in Continuing Professional Development, possess Professional Indemnity Insurance, and be proven to be committed to ethical engineering practice (read more).
Employment options & specialisations
Computer engineer
Computer engineering combines the practice of electrical engineering and computer science to design, build and create computer systems. Computer engineers combine knowledge of both hardware and software to do this. It is a complex field with room for growth, and computer engineers can be hired and paid well straight out of university (read more).
Signal engineer
Also known as a communication engineer, this field of engineering explores different ways to send communications via electrical means. This could be done as part of telecommunications, for railway signalling, or many other channels (read more).
Manufacturing engineer
Manufacturing engineers create products and services. They work to design, create and see out systems of communication, machinery and human input that works together to create useful items and products (read more).
Nanotechnology engineer
Nanotechnology engineers can work with nanoelectronics. This refers to computers that operate with the highest efficiency in combination with the smallest and most efficient chips, cards and parts available (read more).
Biomedical engineer
Biomedical engineers use electrical engineering concepts and skills to develop devices to further medical research and improve the lives of their patients. Often biomedical engineers work to create devices that aim to solve medical problems on a molecular level, as well as store biological samples for testing and control (read more).