Recommend
Read full review“… Use office hours, find a study group, and don’t be afraid to build side projects. If you like understanding how things actually work, this major is worth it.”
Difficulty
Demanding
Average difficultyBased on 9 students across 4 schools.View review makeup
4.1/ 5
Share of students at each rating
Class-year breakdown needs more responses.It appears after at least two class years have 5 difficulty ratings each.
What makes this major demanding?
Worth it?
89% would recommend it
Recommend
Read full review“Once you get to the classes that are specific to your type of engineering the course content becomes much harder to understand but at the same type it is extremely rewarding since you are studying what you love , and you will see how everything you previously studied will connect to your future career as an engineer.”
Students’ starting certainty
More answers are needed before showing a percentage.
PositiveAdvice & things to know
Switched from Computer Science
Read full review“Pay attention and really nail the foundations, as they will matter in your later years. Use your resources, whether its websites, professors, or peers.”
PositiveEnjoyment & fit
Read full review“I love my work because I love problem solving and helping people! So worth it!”
Compare majors
Compare with Electrical and Computer Engineering
Suggested instead
Alternatives named by students who wouldn’t recommend Electrical and Computer Engineering.
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Student paths
How students switch into and out of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Switching in
22%of current students switched in (2 of 9 answers to this question)
1 dot = 1% of current students
Came from
Share of switchersSwitched intoElectrical and Computer Engineering
Students haven’t shared enough career or study plans yet.
What you will study and do
Curriculum and careers
Electrical and Computer Engineering combines the study of electrical systems and computer hardware and software, preparing students to design circuits, processors, embedded systems, and computing infrastructure. Students study circuits, signals, computer architecture, and programming alongside hands-on design projects.
Core course themes
Circuit Analysis
Covers the fundamentals of analyzing and designing electrical circuits.
Digital Logic Design
Introduces the design of digital systems and logic circuits.
Computer Architecture
Studies how processors and computing systems are designed and organized.
Signals and Systems
Covers the mathematical analysis of signals used in communications and control.
Embedded Systems
Teaches programming and designing hardware-software systems.
Senior Design Project
Team-based project designing and building an electrical or computing system.
Common roles
- Electrical Engineer
- Hardware Engineer
- Embedded Systems Engineer
- Firmware Engineer
- Systems Engineer
Why salary figures are not shownSalary data appears only when its source, geography, occupation mapping, and date can be verified.
Electrical and Computer Engineering by school
Scores account for sample sizePreparing school differences…
Community
Big questions in Electrical and Computer Engineering
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Student reviews
Careers & next stepsPositive
ECE at UVA is demanding, but it gives you a foundation that opens a lot of doors. Doing EE and CpE together means you get circuits, signals, and electromagnetics alongside digital design, embedded systems, and programming, so you can go toward hardware, software, or anything in between. The workload is real, especially when labs and problem sets stack up, so time management matters from day one. My advice: get involved outside class early. Joining or starting clubs like IEEE and taking an internship gave me hands-on context that made coursework click, and it helped me figure out that I want to work in semiconductors and FPGA design. Use office hours, find a study group, and don’t be afraid to build side projects. If you like understanding how things actually work, this major is worth it.
- Interested in Tech & software · Engineering +2
- Unsure about grad school
Smayan Sangoju · SophomoreElectrical and Computer EngineeringCareers & next stepsPositive
Navigating a difficult but rewarding course load and projects has been very challenging but I encourage you to explore through internships, research and projects/build teams to figure out where you’d like to end up. I’ve decided to do quantum systems engineering after getting a PhD! There are so many different career applications in EECS, so if you care about impact, it’s definitely combinable and application flexible to find what you’d love to work on the most!
- Interested in Engineering · Research & academia
- Planning a PhD
Courses & teachingPositive
Once you get to the classes that are specific to your type of engineering the course content becomes much harder to understand but at the same type it is extremely rewarding since you are studying what you love , and you will see how everything you previously studied will connect to your future career as an engineer.
- Interested in Entrepreneurship · Tech & software +4
- Unsure about grad school
Evangelos Pappas · SophomoreElectrical and Computer EngineeringI would not recommend it because the electrical engineering department at auburn is very hard and some of the professors are not the best.
- Interested in Entrepreneurship · Business +2
- Unsure about grad school
Advice & things to knowMixed
I wish I had known more about the difference between electrical and computer engineering prior to declaring
- Interested in Business · Engineering
- Unsure about grad school
Advice & things to knowPositive
Good advice is to stay ahead, do all the readings and optional assignments that you can. You don't have to be perfect at it but making sure you take something away from each course is super important.
Switched from Computer Science
- Interested in Tech & software · Engineering
- Unsure about grad school
Advice & things to knowPositive
Pay attention and really nail the foundations, as they will matter in your later years. Use your resources, whether its websites, professors, or peers.
Switched from Computer Science
- Interested in Engineering · Tech & software
- Unsure about grad school
Enjoyment & fitPositive
I love my work because I love problem solving and helping people! So worth it!
- Interested in Business · Tech & software +2
- Unsure about grad school
Difficulty & workloadCritical
Very hard and very demanding. Coursework requires a lot of time
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