Electrical Engineering: All You Need to Know

Electrical Engineering is the field of engineering that generally deals with the study and applications of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. This field became an identifiable occupation in the latter half of the 19th century, after the commercialization of technologies like electric telegraph, telephone and most importantly, electric power distribution and its various applications. Subsequently, the recording and broadcasting of the media made electronics a vital part of our daily lives. Furthermore, the invention of the transistor, and later, the integrated circuit or the IC, brought down the cost of electronics to such a point that they could be used in almost any and every household object.

Today’s Electrical Engineers design electrical devices and systems using basic components such as conductors, coils, magnets, batteries, switches, resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes and transistors etc. Nearly all electrical and electronic devices, from the generators at a power plant to the microprocessors in your phone, use these few basic components for their functioning.

Advent and Development

As mentioned previously, the research into the domain of Electrical Engineering started to intensify in the 19th century. Some notable developments in its domain during this century includes the pioneer work of :

• • Georg Ohm, who in 1827 quantified the relationship between the electric current and potential difference in a conductor,

• • Michael Faraday, who discovered the concept of electromagnetic induction in 1831, and

• James Clerk Maxwell, who in 1873 published a unified theory of electricity and magnetism in his publication Electricity and Magnetism

However, Electrical Engineering became a substantial profession in the latter part of the 19th century. By that time, inventors created a global electric telegraph network and the first professional electrical engineering institutions were also founded in the UK and USA to support this new but rapidly emerging discipline. Although it is impossible to precisely pinpoint the first Electrical Engineer, Francis Ronalds stands ahead among the crowd here, who created the first working electric telegraph system in 1816 and documented his vision of how the world could be transformed by electricity.

It was during the development of radio that many scientists and inventors contributed to electronics technology. The mathematical work of James Clerk Maxwell during the 1850’s had previously shown the relationship between different forms of electromagnetic radiation, including the fascinating possibility of invisible airborne waves (later called as “Radio Waves”). Furthermore, the invention of the Transistor in late 1947 by William B. Shockley, John Bardeen and Walter Brattain of the Bell Telephone Laboratories opened the door for more compact devices and led to the development of the Integrated Circuit in 1958 by Jack Kilby and independently in 1959 by Robert Noyce. And starting in 1968, Ted Hoff and a team at the Intel Corporation invented the first commercial microprocessor, which foreshadowed the personal computer of today and initiated a paradigm revolution in this field, changing the world forever.

About the Course

The duration of the Bachelors level course in Electrical Engineering usually takes four to five years. After completion of this undergraduate degree, the students are accorded the degrees of Bachelor of Science, or Bachelor of Applied Science, or Bachelor of Engineering, or Bachelor of Technology depending on the University. And then there are many specializations or sub-disciplines in Electrical Engineering to choose at the higher degree programmes after the completion of the Bachelor degree.

You can choose this stream of Electrical Engineering once you have completed either your 10th Standard or (10+2) level examination with Mathematics and Science (in 10th Standard), or Physics and Chemistry (in 10+2 level examination) as the qualifying subjects. The academic criterion of Electrical Engineering is divided into three courses/programmes as mentioned follows:

1. Diploma courses leading to the polytechnic diploma of 3 years duration (after 10th or 12th Standards)
2. UG courses leading to the B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) or similar degree of 4 years duration (after 12th Standard)
3. PG courses leading to the M.Tech (Master of Technology) or similar degree of 2 years duration (after the graduation level)

Beside these, it is also one of those broad research fields which can lead to the PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) degree. However, for entering in any PG (M.Tech) or higher level programme in Electrical Engineering, a graduation degree in Electrical Engineering is must.

Specializations or Sub-Disciplines

Electrical Engineering includes the following major specializations:

• Power Systems
• Control
• Electronics
• Microelectronics
• Signal processing
• Telecommunications
• Instrumentation
• Computers
• Mechatronics

Top Institutes

The top institutes carrying the baton for Electrical Engineering in India are as follows:

Jobs & Career

Lots of job opportunities are available in the field of Electrical Engineering. An Electrical Engineer can comfortably work with the industries engaged in product development, systems management, product design, sales, amusements, consumers’ electronics, transportation, wireless communication, manufacturing, chemical, automotive, defense and pharmaceuticals. Additionally, some reputed firms which are the constant recruiters for Electrical Engineers are SAIL, BHEL, NTPC, Tata Motors, ISRO etc. The average starting salary of Electrical Engineers in India can range from 2-7 lpa and can end up touching the sky depending upon the required knowledge, skill and experience level of candidates.

That’s all for now. All the best!