by Karin Ash
Applying to Electrical Engineering Programs: Graduate School Admissions Overview
A master’s in electrical engineering is a versatile degree that can unlock diverse career opportunities in multiple industries and roles, including
- Software or hardware development and product design
- Renewable energy, power generation, and energy storage
- Robotics
- Global positioning systems
- Telecommunications
- Electronics
- Biomedical and bioengineering
- Artificial intelligence and machine learning applied in healthcare, education, automotive aerospace, marketing, finance, agriculture, transportation, and gaming
Who is the ideal candidate for an electrical engineering master’s degree?
These programs seek applicants with a strong background in engineering, math, and physics. If you are coming from another discipline, consider taking some engineering and math courses at a local college or online to prove your capabilities or to fulfill prerequisite requirements. The admissions team will also be looking for evidence of your critical thinking and problem-solving skills as well as your creativity. As in most engineering jobs, you will be working on team projects during the master’s program, solving complex problems and innovating newly designed products.
How can you prove you are a strong admissions candidate?
Here are some ways to show the admissions committee that you are a strong applicant for a master’s in electrical engineering program:
- Write a well-crafted essay that includes your short-term and long-term goals, shows how your experience supports your career goals, and demonstrates how the school’s curriculum matches your interests.
- Develop a resume that details the results of your work and shows how you have added value.
- Secure effective letters of recommendation, usually from professors and/or managers who can provide examples of your work that demonstrate the desired attributes for admission.
The top ten engineering schools have the luxury of selecting applicants who, in addition to having compelling accomplishments, have earned very high GRE scores and GPAs – although more schools are now listing these tests as optional. If your GPA or GRE scores are lower than a top-ten school’s average, consider adding some other high-quality engineering programs (those ranked in the 11-25 range) to your list of target schools. Keep in mind that many professors and industry leaders graduated from these same schools.
Do your due diligence: research, research, research!
It is crucial to research graduate programs that offer courses or concentrations in the subfield you want to pursue. Reach out to these programs’ students and alumni to learn more about the research opportunities available and the professors who are most aligned with your research and career goals. If you prefer a more applied program, look for a school that offers the terminal Master of Engineering degree, which is less research focused and more project oriented, or a Master of Science degree (non-thesis track). Students in these programs usually head directly into the industry upon graduating. If you are thinking of eventually pursuing a PhD or you know you would like to conduct research, look for two-year Master of Science programs that require you to write a thesis.
With 30 years of career and admissions experience at four universities, including Cornell University’s College of Engineering and Johnson Business School, Dr. Karin Ash facilitated students’ entry into the world’s best companies. As an adcom member, she also evaluated applications and therefore knows what schools and employers seek. Want Karin to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!
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