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What Can You Do With an Electrical Engineering Degree? Jobs (2026)
Key takeaway: An electrical engineering degree leads into design and analysis roles across power, electronics, communications, and hardware. Electrical engineers had a median annual wage of $120,630, electronics engineers except computer $130,220, and computer hardware engineers $161,740 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). The gate is the ABET-accredited bachelor's, not a license: most electrical engineers never take the Professional Engineer exam. The technician and drafting roles that sound adjacent are a separate labor market with different pay and different hiring credentials.
Electrical engineering is the analysis-and-design discipline behind anything that moves electrons on purpose: power grids, motors, radios, sensors, integrated circuits, and the embedded electronics inside vehicles, aircraft, medical devices, and industrial equipment. The degree is credentialed rather than licensed for most work. Employers screen on the ABET-accredited bachelor’s, on coursework in the right subfield, and on evidence you have built and measured something.
Jobs you can get with an electrical engineering degree
| Occupation | Median annual wage |
|---|---|
| Architectural and engineering manager | $171,270 |
| Computer hardware engineer | $161,740 |
| Electronics engineer, except computer | $130,220 |
| Engineers, all other | $122,930 |
| Electrical engineer | $120,630 |
| Electrical and electronic engineering technologist and technician | $78,190 |
| Electrical and electronics drafter | $76,870 |
View the data behind this chart
| Occupation | Avg. annual openings |
|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineers | 18,100/yr |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | 14,500/yr |
| Electrical Engineers | 11,700/yr |
| Engineers, All Other | 9,300/yr |
| Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians | 8,400/yr |
| Electronics Engineers, Except Computer | 5,700/yr |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 4,700/yr |
| Electrical and Electronics Drafters | 1,700/yr |
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national medians. Median means half of workers in the occupation earned more and half earned less. Wages vary substantially by industry, geography, security clearance status, and experience.
Electrical engineer. The core occupation. Work spans power generation and distribution, motors and drives, lighting and building systems, instrumentation, and the electrical design inside vehicles, aircraft, and industrial plants. The national median annual wage was $120,630, with the 10th percentile at $76,550 and the 90th percentile at $184,300 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 192,000 in 2024, projected to grow 7.2 percent through 2034, with 11,700 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Common titles include power systems engineer, protection and controls engineer, electrical design engineer, and substation engineer. Utility and consulting roles are where the Professional Engineer license comes up most often.
Electronics engineer, except computer. Design of electronic components, circuits, and systems that are not computers: communications equipment, radar and navigation, instrumentation, medical electronics, and consumer devices. The national median annual wage was $130,220, with the 10th percentile at $81,840 and the 90th percentile at $206,960 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 95,900 in 2024, projected to grow 6.2 percent through 2034, with 5,700 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). A large share of this hiring sits with defense and aerospace contractors, where a security clearance is a practical requirement that you cannot obtain independently of an employer.
Computer hardware engineer. Processors, memory systems, circuit boards, and the physical machinery of computing, including firmware and hardware validation. The national median annual wage was $161,740, the highest of the engineering occupations on this page, with the 10th percentile at $92,940 and the 90th percentile at $225,330 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 76,800 in 2024, projected to grow 7.3 percent through 2034, with 4,700 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). It is a small occupation concentrated in a handful of metros and employers. Computer engineering is the closest-aligned degree, though electrical engineering graduates with digital and VLSI coursework compete for the same roles.
Engineers, all other. A catch-all BLS category that absorbs specializations without their own code, including some photonics, mechatronics, and systems roles. The national median annual wage was $122,930, with employment of 158,800, projected growth of 2.1 percent, and 9,300 openings per year (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS; BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). If your target title does not appear in the standard occupation list, this is often where the data lives.
Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians. Build, test, calibrate, and maintain electrical and electronic equipment, often supporting engineers rather than performing design. The national median annual wage was $78,190, with employment of 93,700, projected growth of 0.6 percent, and 8,400 openings per year (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS; BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). This is important to read correctly: these roles typically hire from associate degrees and engineering technology programs. A BSEE graduate can take one, and generally as an entry point rather than as the target.
Electrical and electronics drafters. Prepare wiring diagrams, layout drawings, and schematics from engineers’ specifications. The national median annual wage was $76,870, with employment of 21,600 and a projected decline of 5.6 percent from 2024 to 2034, leaving 1,700 openings per year (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS; BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Design automation is visible in that projection. It is not a growth destination for a four-year engineering degree.
Architectural and engineering manager. The management destination for experienced engineers: leading technical teams, owning project scope and budget, and setting engineering direction. The national median annual wage was $171,270, with the 10th percentile at $120,810 and the 90th percentile at $262,760 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 212,500 in 2024, projected to grow 3.8 percent through 2034, with 14,500 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Entry is through years of engineering practice. If that is the trajectory you want, engineering management is the degree that formalizes it.
What the degree level changes
Electrical engineering is not a licensed profession for most of its workforce, which surprises people who assume “engineer” implies a license the way “nurse” implies one. Most electrical engineers work under an industry exemption in their state’s practice act and never take the Professional Engineer exam. Where the license matters is public-facing engineering: consulting, utility work, and anything requiring a stamped and sealed drawing.
The online bachelor’s in electrical engineering is the credential nearly every job posting names, and ABET accreditation of that specific program is what state boards recognize if you later pursue licensure. It is also the harder degree to complete online, because of laboratories.
The online master’s in electrical engineering is a specialization move: power systems, signal processing, controls, or microelectronics. It is common among working engineers and widely available online. It does not substitute for a missing ABET bachelor’s on the licensure path in most states.
Electrical engineering technology is a third credential that sounds like the first two. It is accredited under a different ABET commission, it is more available online, and it maps toward test, field, and controls roles rather than toward design positions at semiconductor and defense employers. Read the accreditation line before you assume the degrees are interchangeable.
Common questions
What jobs can you get with an electrical engineering degree?
Electrical engineer, electronics engineer, computer hardware engineer, and a wide band of specialization titles that BLS files under engineers, all other. Common job titles include power systems engineer, protection and controls engineer, RF engineer, analog design engineer, embedded systems engineer, hardware validation engineer, and test engineer. With experience, architectural and engineering manager is the common leadership destination.
How much do electrical engineering majors make?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national median for electrical engineers was $120,630. Neighboring occupations were $130,220 for electronics engineers except computer and $161,740 for computer hardware engineers. The range within the core occupation is wide: the 10th percentile was $76,550 and the 90th was $184,300.
Do you need a PE license to work as an electrical engineer?
Usually not. Most electrical engineers work in industry under a practice-act exemption and never license. The Professional Engineer credential matters for consulting, utility, and public-works roles, and for anyone who signs and seals engineering documents. Many graduates still take the Fundamentals of Engineering exam in their senior year to keep the option open.
Which of these careers pays best?
Of the occupations on this page, architectural and engineering managers had the highest national median at $171,270, followed by computer hardware engineers at $161,740 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Management is reached through experience rather than directly from a degree, and computer hardware engineering is a small occupation with 4,700 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). The highest median is not the widest door.
Is an electrical engineering degree worth it?
The wage data is strong and the projected growth for the core occupation is 7.2 percent from 2024 to 2034 (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). The honest complication is delivery: a fully online ABET-accredited bachelor’s is rare, so the practical question is whether you can complete the laboratory and prerequisite requirements a program actually imposes. The is an electrical engineering degree worth it page works through that trade-off.
Keep exploring
- Start at the electrical engineering program hub, then compare levels: online bachelor’s and online master’s.
- Walk through how to become an electrical engineer, including the FE and PE exams, or weigh the trade-offs on is it worth it.
- Check delivery and lab requirements on how online electrical engineering degrees work.
- Find programs near you at the state index.
- Compare related fields: engineering, computer engineering, engineering management, and technology.
Data verified: September 5, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.