Electrical Engineering Technologies Degree
Students study practical electrical systems including circuit design, power distribution, industrial controls, and electrical testing and maintenance. Graduates typically pursue careers as electrical engineering technicians, industrial electricians, power systems technicians, and electronic equipment maintenance specialists. Strong hands-on electrical skills are in high demand across manufacturing, utilities, and telecommunications.
What Electrical Engineering Technologies Graduates Do
Your degree prepares you for the hands-on work of bringing electrical systems to life. As an electrical engineering technologist, you’ll be in the lab building prototypes, soldering circuit boards, and running diagnostic tests on new hardware. Alternatively, you could find yourself in a high-stakes field role as a powerhouse repairer, inspecting and maintaining the high-voltage substations that keep the power grid running. These practical roles are the core of the profession, moving designs from the drawing board into reality.
Careers typically begin with focused tasks like testing or assembly under supervision. With experience, you can advance to become a senior technologist, leading complex projects or specializing in fields like automation. Paths centered on physical infrastructure, such as powerhouse repair, are growing steadily to meet grid demands. However, roles focused purely on creating digital blueprints, like electrical drafting, face significant headwinds as software automates more of the process.
With an average AI exposure of 42%, your job will change, not disappear. AI will increasingly handle routine diagnostics or initial schematic layouts, shifting your focus to complex troubleshooting, physical repairs, and the hands-on implementation where human skill remains essential. Adaptability is key, as your value will lie in solving problems that software can't and working with tangible, high-power systems.
Common Career Paths
Where Electrical Engineering Technologies graduates typically work, ranked by salary. Salary ranges show 25th–75th percentile spread. This field has roughly 24,100 combined openings per year.
| Career Path | Salary Range | Openings/yr | Growth | AI Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay | 2,000 | +5.5% | 34% | |
| Aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians | 900 | +8.1% | 32% | |
| Engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters, all other | 5,700 | +1.5% | 24% | |
| Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians | 8,400 | +0.6% | 41% | |
| Electrical and electronics drafters | 1,700 | -5.6% | 57% | |
| Electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians | 1,300 | +1.1% | 42% | |
| Sound engineering technicians | 1,200 | -1.7% | 43% | |
| Calibration technologists and technicians | 1,400 | +4.7% | 40% | |
| Disc jockeys, except radio | N/A | 1,500 | +3.8% | 53% |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. Salary range shows 25th–median–75th percentile (national).
Best Schools for Electrical Engineering Technologies
Top 20 of 46 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. Click any row for full AI scenario analysis and earnings projections.
| # | School | DW Score | Earnings | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California State University-Chico Chico, CA |
69 67–70 |
$77,965/yr | 29.3x |
| 2 | Wayne State University Detroit, MI |
68 66–69 |
$82,524/yr | 17.6x |
| 3 | Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver, CO |
68 66–68 |
$75,966/yr | 20.9x |
| 4 | University of Houston Houston, TX |
68 66–68 |
$74,835/yr | 22.7x |
| 5 | Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA |
68 66–69 |
$71,064/yr | 36.7x |
| 6 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, CA |
68 66–69 |
$68,815/yr | 30.4x |
| 7 | University of Maine Orono, ME |
67 65–68 |
$73,692/yr | 18.8x |
| 8 | SUNY Buffalo State University Buffalo, NY |
67 66–68 |
$71,894/yr | 25.5x |
| 9 | Valencia College Orlando, FL |
67 65–68 |
$64,538/yr | 85.2x |
| 10 | Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX |
66 64–67 |
$78,185/yr | 16.5x |
| 11 | Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN |
66 64–67 |
$74,981/yr | 20.0x |
| 12 | CUNY New York City College of Technology Brooklyn, NY |
66 63–67 |
$61,520/yr | 28.8x |
| 13 | University of Akron Main Campus Akron, OH |
64 62–65 |
$70,138/yr | 16.0x |
| 14 | California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA |
64 61–65 |
$57,069/yr | 27.7x |
| 15 | Indiana University-Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN |
63 61–63 |
$70,887/yr | 16.5x |
| 16 | Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI |
63 61–64 |
$68,334/yr | 15.2x |
| 17 | Farmingdale State College Farmingdale, NY |
63 60–64 |
$53,729/yr | 23.7x |
| 18 | SUNY Polytechnic Institute Utica, NY |
62 60–63 |
$52,336/yr | 23.0x |
| 19 | North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC |
62 60–63 |
$47,422/yr | 31.0x |
| 20 | DeVry College of New York New York, NY |
60 58–60 |
$67,395/yr | 11.2x |
Highest Earning Electrical Engineering Technologies Programs
Schools where Electrical Engineering Technologies graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.
| School | 1-Year Earnings | DW Score |
|---|---|---|
| University of Arkansas Grantham | $87,606/yr | 59 |
| Excelsior University | $83,479/yr | 47 |
| Wayne State University | $82,524/yr | 68 |
| Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | $78,417/yr | 56 |
| Texas A & M University-College Station | $78,185/yr | 66 |
| California State University-Chico | $77,965/yr | 69 |
| Metropolitan State University of Denver | $75,966/yr | 68 |
| Purdue University Northwest | $75,675/yr | 57 |
| Rochester Institute of Technology | $75,227/yr | 53 |
| Purdue University-Main Campus | $74,981/yr | 66 |
Best ROI for Electrical Engineering Technologies
Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Electrical Engineering Technologies.
| School | ROI Multiple | Earnings | DW Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valencia College | 85.2x | $64,538/yr | 67 |
| Kennesaw State University | 36.7x | $71,064/yr | 68 |
| Western Carolina University | 36.0x | $67,003/yr | 57 |
| Savannah State University | 33.4x | $26,868/yr | 43 |
| North Carolina A & T State University | 31.0x | $47,422/yr | 62 |
| California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | 30.4x | $68,815/yr | 68 |
| California State University-Chico | 29.3x | $77,965/yr | 69 |
| CUNY New York City College of Technology | 28.8x | $61,520/yr | 66 |
| California State University-Long Beach | 27.7x | $57,069/yr | 64 |
| SUNY Buffalo State University | 25.5x | $71,894/yr | 67 |
Related Majors
Explore similar fields of study.
Consider the Trade Route
Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Electrical Engineering Technologies offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.