undergradly.
Major · Engineering

Where chip design meets the systems that compute, sense, and connect

Electrical and Computer Engineering is a combined ABET-track major covering hardware design — VLSI, embedded systems, RF, power, control — alongside computer architecture, systems, and signal processing. About 780 degrees are awarded annually across 22 colleges, almost entirely at the bachelor’s level.

Schools offering
22
Annual completions
780
Typical degree level
Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
—

About this major

Electrical and Computer Engineering is a combined-department major that merges traditional electrical engineering with the computing side of computer engineering into one ABET-accredited curriculum. CIP 14.4701 defines the program as preparing graduates to apply mathematical and scientific principles to the design and development of computer systems, with explicit coverage of computer architecture, cybersecurity, electronic circuits, electromagnetism, electronic materials and design, micro-fabrication methods, signal and image processing, and wireless communication networks. The curriculum starts with calculus, differential equations, and physics, then moves through circuit analysis, electromagnetics, digital logic, and computer organization. Upper-division work typically splits across hardware-side electives — VLSI, embedded systems, RF, power electronics, control — and computing-side electives like computer architecture, operating systems, signal processing, and wireless communications.

The major attracts students who want to work at the intersection of hardware and computing rather than choose one or the other. The combined department structure — used at Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Michigan, and UT Austin — means graduates leave with both circuit-level fluency and computer-systems depth. Lab work runs throughout: breadboards, oscilloscopes, FPGA development boards, microcontrollers, SPICE simulation, and PCB design tools, culminating in a senior capstone project where teams design, build, and test a working hardware system.

Scale is the key context here. About 780 degrees in this specific CIP are awarded annually across 22 colleges, all at the bachelor’s level — small relative to the 14,891 annual completions in pure Electrical Engineering (CIP 14.1001) or the 9,312 in Computer Engineering, General (CIP 14.0901). The low completion count reflects how few schools brand their combined departments under this CIP code; most ECE department graduates are coded into the parent EE or CE categories instead. Career destinations include electrical engineers at a $111,910 median wage with 7.2% growth, computer hardware engineers at $155,020 with 7.3% growth, and the specialized roles captured in the engineers, all other category at $117,750.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Architectural and engineering managers $168k +3.8% Bachelor's degree
Electrical engineers $112k +7.2% Bachelor's degree
Engineers, all other $118k +2.1% Bachelor's degree
Computer hardware engineers $155k +7.3% Bachelor's degree
Engineering teachers, postsecondary $106k +8.1% Doctoral or professional degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Earnings data is not yet available at this major's level of granularity. See the concentration hub for family-level figures.

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if hardware and computing both pull you and choosing one over the other feels like a false trade — if you want to understand both how a transistor switches and how a processor schedules instructions. The major rewards students who are comfortable carrying mathematics as a working tool through circuit analysis and electromagnetics rather than treating it as coursework to clear. Hands-on labs are continuous, so an interest in building physical things — soldering, debugging with an oscilloscope, programming an FPGA — separates students who finish strong from those who lose momentum mid-program. The earnings ceiling is high on both sides: electrical engineers post a $111,910 median, computer hardware engineers $155,020, and the AI-hardware and CHIPS Act buildouts have made the combined-program credential particularly valuable.

Think twice if you’re primarily drawn to software development, data systems, or applied machine learning — Computer Science (CIP 11.0701) maps better to those interests, and a meaningful portion of this curriculum is spent on electromagnetics and circuit analysis that won’t feel relevant for a software-only career. Reconsider also if you want a faster credential or a vocational path; ECE is bachelor’s-only at scale, with no associate’s pathway in this CIP and graduate work expected for senior research roles. And if working in regulated infrastructure — power utilities, civil-adjacent systems — is the goal, the pure Electrical Engineering CIP (14.1001, 14,891 completions annually) is more commonly the credential employers screen for, even though the underlying coursework overlaps substantially.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Electrical and Computer Engineering

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA 0 169 169
Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY 0 100 100
Brigham Young University Provo, UT 0 69 69
University of Missouri-Kansas City Kansas City, MO 0 61 61
University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO 0 54 54
University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA 0 50 50
Baylor University Waco, TX 0 37 37
Western Washington University Bellingham, WA 0 34 34
Wichita State University Wichita, KS 0 32 32
University of Wisconsin-Stout Menomonie, WI 0 29 29
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Mechanical Engineering

33,431 completions/yr

Electrical and Electronics Engineering

14,891 completions/yr

Civil Engineering, General

13,488 completions/yr

Computer Engineering, General

9,312 completions/yr

Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering

8,569 completions/yr

Chemical Engineering

7,914 completions/yr

Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, General

6,386 completions/yr

Engineering, General

5,416 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do electrical and computer engineering majors actually study day-to-day?
The curriculum builds from calculus through differential equations and linear algebra, then layers on circuit analysis, electromagnetics, signals and systems, digital logic, and computer organization. Upper-division work typically splits across two tracks: a hardware path (VLSI design, embedded systems, RF, control, power electronics) and a computing path (computer architecture, operating systems, signal and image processing, wireless communications). Labs run continuously — breadboards, oscilloscopes, FPGAs, microcontrollers, and SPICE simulation — and most programs end with a senior capstone where teams design and test working hardware. The combined ECE structure means you carry both circuit theory and systems-level computing further than a pure EE or pure CS curriculum would.
How is this combined ECE major different from Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering on their own?
CIP 14.4701 — Electrical and Computer Engineering — is a unified department program offered by schools like Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Michigan, and UT Austin, where hardware and computing curricula are merged. CIP 14.1001 (Electrical and Electronics Engineering, about 14,891 completions annually) is the purer EE track focused on circuits, power, and electronics. CIP 14.0901 (Computer Engineering, General, about 9,312 completions) sits closer to computer science with more emphasis on architecture, embedded systems, and hardware-software interface. CIP 11.0701 (Computer Science) is the software-side path. The combined ECE program splits the difference — you get more computing depth than pure EE, but more hardware grounding than CS or even general Computer Engineering.
What kinds of jobs do electrical and computer engineering graduates end up in?
Graduates compete in two adjacent role markets. The traditional EE side covers electrical engineers at a $111,910 median wage with 7.2% projected job growth, working in semiconductors, defense, utilities, and automotive at firms like Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, Lockheed, and Tesla. The computing-adjacent side includes computer hardware engineers at a $155,020 median with 7.3% growth, designing processors, ASICs, and accelerators at firms like NVIDIA, Apple, and Intel. The catch-all engineers, all other category at $117,750 absorbs roles in robotics, ML hardware, and specialized embedded systems. Engineering management at $167,740 is a mid-career ceiling reached after roughly ten years, and engineering teaching at the postsecondary level requires a doctoral degree.
Do I need a PE license to work as an electrical and computer engineer?
It depends entirely on the sub-field. The PE path — pass the FE exam, work four years under a licensed engineer as an EIT, then pass the PE exam — matters most in power systems, utilities, and any work touching public infrastructure. For the bulk of ECE jobs in semiconductors, embedded systems, ASIC design, consumer electronics, and computing hardware, a PE license is uncommon and rarely required. Most graduates of the combined ECE programs who go to firms like NVIDIA, Apple, Intel, or Qualcomm never pursue licensure. Take the FE exam senior year if power, utilities, or infrastructure roles are on your radar; skip it without consequence if chip design or embedded software is the target.
How competitive is the job market for ECE graduates right now?
Hiring conditions are unusually favorable on the hardware side. The CHIPS Act, AI accelerator demand, and EV power electronics have driven a semiconductor manufacturing and design build-out, and computer hardware engineering posts 7.3% projected growth — above the 4–5% average across occupations. Electrical engineers track close behind at 7.2% growth. The combined ECE major is the targeted credential for AI-hardware and embedded-systems roles where firms specifically want graduates who know both circuits and computer architecture. With about 780 annual completions in this CIP nationwide, the candidate pool for combined-program graduates is small relative to demand from the AI hardware sector — though graduates also compete with the much larger pools from pure EE and CS programs for adjacent roles.
What about graduate school — is a master’s or PhD worth it after ECE?
It depends on what role you want. A bachelor’s in ECE is the functional credential for most industry hardware engineering positions — chip design, embedded systems, and circuit design teams hire bachelor’s graduates directly, often at $85,000–$110,000 entry depending on company and region. A master’s adds value for specialization in areas like RF, VLSI, or computer architecture, and is common in semiconductor research roles at firms like TSMC, Intel, and Apple Silicon. A PhD is the prerequisite for senior research scientist work at industrial labs, faculty positions (engineering teachers, postsecondary, $106,120 median), and roles at DARPA and the national labs. About 22 colleges award the bachelor’s in this CIP — the same departments are typically the source of the strongest graduate programs.