Electrical and Computer Engineering

Electrical engineers design, develop, test and supervise the manufacturing of electrical and electronic equipment. Some of this equipment includes power generating, controlling, and transmission devices used by electric utilities and electric motors, machinery controls, lighting and wiring in buildings, automobiles, aircraft, radar and navigation systems, and broadcast and communications systems. 

Computer engineers are involved with digital technologies such as computer hardware and the development of more efficient circuitry on silicon computer chips. They research, design, develop, and test computer hardware and supervise its manufacturing and installation. Computer software engineers often work as part of a team that designs new hardware, software and systems.  As a computer engineering student at Northeastern you will study computer architecture, software engineering, computer-aided design (VLSI), microprocessor-based design, and applied algorithms.

Bachelor’s Programs 

• BS in Electrical Engineering 

◦ Semiconductor Engineering 

• BS in Computer Engineering 

Combined Programs: 

• BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering 

• BS in Electrical Engineering and Physics 

• BS in Electrical Engineering and Music with Concentration in Music Technology 

• BS in Computer Engineering and Computer Science 

• BS in Computer Engineering and Physics 

Accelerated BS/MS Programs (PlusOne) 

• BS/MS in Electrical Engineering 

• BS/MS in Computer Engineering 

Master’s Programs: 

• MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering 

◦ Communications, Control, and Signal Processing 

◦ Computer Systems and Software 

◦ Computer Vision, Machine Learning, and Algorithms 

◦ Electromagnetics, Plasma, and Optics 

◦ Hardware and Software for Machine Intelligence 

◦ Microsystems, Materials, and Devices 

◦ Power Systems 

Additional MS Programs (ECE-Affiliated): 

• MS in Applied Physics and Engineering 

• MS in Artificial Intelligence 

• MS in Data Science 

• MS in Extended Realities 

• MS in Internet of Things 

• MS in Robotics 

• MS in Semiconductor Engineering 

• MS in Wireless and Network Engineering 

• MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering Leadership (MSECEL) 

Doctoral Programs 

• PhD in Electrical Engineering 

• PhD in Computer Engineering 

• PhD in Cybersecurity (ECE-affiliated) 

• PhD in Interdisciplinary Engineering 

Entry-Level Positions 

• Electrical Engineer I 

• Electronics Engineer 

• Firmware Engineer 

• Embedded Systems Engineer 

• Test Development Engineer 

• Applications Engineer 

• Hardware Engineer 

• Associate Engineer 

Mid-Level Positions 

• Electrical Project Engineer 

• Senior Firmware Engineer 

• Control Systems Engineer 

• VLSI Design Engineer 

• Embedded Software Engineer 

• RF/Microwave Engineer 

• Power Systems Engineer 

• Systems Engineer 

• Product Development Engineer 

Senior-Level Positions 

• Senior Electrical Engineer 

• Staff Electrical Engineer 

• Principal Engineer 

• Senior Systems Architect 

• Engineering Manager 

• *Lead Research Engineer 

• *Senior Staff Engineer 

• *Chief Engineering Officer 

Positions that require additional education or training are indicated by a (*). Job qualifications are based not only on degree program, but on skills and experience. Students should seek out as many experiential opportunities in their fields of interest as possible, including Co-op and internships. 

This is a sample of the industries that often hire this major. 

The following resources include various websites and campus resources that will aid you in exploring this career field. 

Websites For Career Exploration 

• Bureau of Labor Statistics – Occupational Outlook Handbook 

• MassCIS – Massachusetts Career Information System 

• O*NET 

• TryEngineering – Electrical Engineering  

• Science Buddies Career Discovery – Electrical & Electronics Engineer  

• DiscoverE – Electrical Engineering  

• My Next Move – Electrical Engineers / Computer Hardware Engineers 

Websites For The Job Search 

• NUworks 

• NUsource 

• Handshake 

• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Job Site 

• EmbeddedJobs  

• FPGAjobs  

• Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Career & Job Center 

Campus Organizations 

• LEAD 360 

• Student Government Association 

• IEEE NU Student Chapter 

• Northeastern Robotics Club 

• Northeastern Electric Racing 

*For additional student organizations click here.  

*For additional student activities click here. 

Professional Associations 

Find valuable industry information, job sites, and professionals in the field you may contact for informational interview requests and networking opportunities. 

• IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)  

• ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) 

• IEEE Communications Society (ComSoc) 

• Society of Women Engineers (SWE) 

• International Microelectronics Assembly and Packaging Society (IMAPS)  

• Society for Information Display (SID)  

• SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics (SPIE) 

Social Media 

Groups providing resources such as industry trends, company information, job listings, and networking opportunities within the field: 

• EEP – Electrical Engineering Portal 

• Electrical Engineer – Oil & Gas sector 

• Computer & Software Engineering Professionals 

• Electrical Engineers Online 

• Automation & Control Engineering 

• IEEE (Official) 

• IEEE Young Professionals 

• IEEE Computer Society