Top electrical engineering schools

The electrical engineering rankings feature 19 schools in Australia and four schools in New Zealand. 

The highest-ranked school in Australia is The University of New South Wales ranking 41st globally. UNSW’s electrical engineering degrees are accredited by Engineers Australia (EA), which gives graduates international recognition for their qualifications under the Washington Accord. 

The highest-ranked university in New Zealand is the University of Auckland which ranks 133rd and does well in the citations per paper indicator. 

Asian schools did well in the electrical engineering rankings this year – out of 177 Asian schools ranked, 10 made it into the world top 50. 

The best Asian school is Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University which ranks ninth globally, falling five places this year. NTU’s school of electrical and electronic engineering receives over US$90 million annually in research funding and is backed by 150 faculty members with strong research skills, contributing to its high score in the H-index indicator. The school hosts 13 research centres and has facilities equipped with sophisticated state-of-the-art equipment. 

Close behind NTU is National University of Singapore in 10th; remaining in the top 10 despite dropping two places. 

Mainland China is the best-represented country in Asia, with 37 schools featuring in the rankings. Tsinghua University (14th) ranks the highest in Mainland China this year. Tsinghua University’s electronic engineering department aims to make its teaching and research rigorous, diligent, practical, and creative. 

Other notable Mainland Chinese institutions in the top 50 are Shanghai Jiao Tong University (32nd) and Peking University (38th). 

Japan and South Korea are the second best-represented countries in Asia for electrical engineering – Japan has 14 schools in the rankings this year and South Korea has 17. The University of Tokyo is Japan’s highest-ranked school at 32nd. South Korea features two schools in the global top 50: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (23rd) and Seoul National University (28th).  

Hong Kong’s five featured universities include two in the world top 100. Its highest-ranked is The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (36th) earning a great score in the citations per paper indicator, representing the quality of the school’s research. 

Malaysia’s Universiti Malaya (61st) is the best of the country’s 13 ranked universities offering electronic engineering programmes this year. India also does well with 15 universities featuring, including its highest ranked Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (49th).

There are 46 universities in the Middle East featured in the electrical engineering rankings this year. Iran is the most well-represented country with 10 universities in the rankings. The best universities in Iran are Sharif University of Technology and University of Tehran which are both 151-200. 

However, Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals is the highest-ranked university in the region at 60th, earning a high score for the citations per paper indicator. 

Turkey also does well with eight universities in the rankings. These include two universities in the top 200: Middle East Technical University (133rd) and Istanbul Technical University (144th). 

The United Arab Emirates has four universities in this year’s rankings with Khalifa University (99th) ranked the highest. Lebanon also has three universities whereas Qatar only has one. 

There are no Latin American universities in the top 50 for electrical engineering, but 26 institutions make it into the rankings this year. Latin America’s highest-ranked university is Universidade de São Paulo in Brazil which places 80th. During USP’s electrical engineering course, students will have the opportunity to carry out research by doing integrated projects and extracurricular activities. 

Brazil is the best-represented Latin American country for electrical engineering, with 10 schools featured. Mexico has four schools in the rankings this year and Chile has five with Mexico’s Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México performing well at 115th. 

Colombia has four universities in this year’s rankings. Universidad Nacional de Colombia (151-200) is its highest-ranked school, earning a high score in the employer reputation indicator. Argentina has two: Universidad de Buenos Aires (251-300) and Universidad Nacional de La Plata (401-450). 

There are nine African universities featured in the electrical engineering subject rankings this year, with five in Egypt and four in South Africa.  

The highest-ranked African institution is Cairo University, at 151-200. The school’s graduates have worked in various national and international enterprises, and have influenced the political, social, and economic climate in Egypt. 

South Africa’s highest-ranked university is the University of Pretoria (351-400) which scores well in the citations per paper and the H-index citations indicators. 

What do electrical engineers do?

Electrical engineers are responsible for the creation and design of new electrical products and systems. Examples of things that they have created in the past are television, radio and medical imaging. Today, they may be focusing on products such as electric vehicles, for example.

How much do electrical engineers make?

Salaries vary a lot depending on the country a person is working within, their employer and the specific area within which they work.

The Prospects website claims that, in the UK, electrical engineer salaries start at around £20,000-£25,000 per annum and can exceed £60,000 per annum.

What is the difference between electrical and electronic engineering?

There is definitely overlap between the two, however electrical engineering tends to focus on the design and creation of electrical products whereas electronic engineering focuses on specific circuits.