What Is Electrical Engineering

Electrical engineering is one of the newer fields of engineering, dating back to the late 1800s. It is the branch of engineering that deals with electrical technology, electronic components, and electromagnetism. Electrical engineers work on a broad variety of components, devices, and systems, from tiny microchips to massive power plant turbines.

Electrical engineering entails the use of electricity, which has permeated every area of our life. Electricity is used to power appliances, heavy machines, and lighting. Electricity also includes communication equipment like the telephone, radio, and television, as well as other consumer electronic gadgets.

And, of course, electronics is transforming everything around us daily, with equipment like hand-held calculators, computers, and controllers that help drive autos, aircraft, and houses. The largest engineering profession is electrical engineering.

Electronics, digital computers, computer engineering, power engineering, telecommunications, control systems, robotics, radio-frequency engineering, signal processing, instrumentation, and microelectronics are all subfields of electrical engineering. 

Many of these subdisciplines overlap with other engineering branches, encompassing a wide range of specializations such as hardware engineering, power electronics, electromagnetics & waves, microwave engineering, nanotechnology, electrochemistry, renewable energies, mechatronics, electrical materials science, and many others. 

Electrical engineers usually have a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or electronic engineering. Engineers in practice may obtain professional certification and be members of a professional organization. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is one such organization (IEEE).

Electrical engineering and telecommunications are undoubtedly the origins of much modern high technology. Electrical engineering encompasses, but is not limited to, the following subjects based on fundamental ideas from mathematics and physics:

 

Electrical Engineering Subjects And Courses

Listed below are some core topics included in the Electrical Engineering syllabus:

Syllabus of Electrical Engineering 

• Calculus
• Chemistry
• Physics
• Elements of Electrical Engineering
• Art of Programming
• Mathematics
• Analog Electronic Circuits
• Network Analysis and Synthesis
• Electrical Transducers and Measurements
• ICT Tools and Security
• DC Machines and Transformers
• Digital Electronic Circuits
• Control System Engineering
• Engineering Electromagnetics
• Rotating AC Machines
• High Voltage Engineering
• Utilization of Electrical Power
• Microprocessor and Microcontroller
• Electrical Drives and Traction Systems
• Testing, Commissioning, and Maintenance of Electrical Equipment
• Digital Signal Processors for Electrical Engineering
• Power System Protection and Switchgear
• Environment and Energy Studies
• Electrical Workshop Practices
• Thermal and Hydraulic Prime Movers
• Electrical Engineering Materials
• Fundamentals of Electrical Power System
• Fundamentals of Power Electronics
• Analysis of Electrical Power System
• Power Electronic Converters
• Power System Operation and Control
• Electrical Machine Design

 

Some Elective courses in Electrical Engineering include:

• Electronic System Design
• Permanent Magnet Brushless and Reluctance Motors
• Renewable Energy Sources
• Advanced Microprocessors and Microcontrollers
• Signals and Systems
• Dynamics and Modelling of Electrical Machines
• Extra-High Voltage Transmission
• Applications of Power Electronics in Power System
• Computer Techniques in Power System
• Design of Permanent Magnet Brushless and Reluctance Motors
• Electromagnetic Interference and Electromagnetic Compatibility
• Advanced Electrical Power System
• Control of Electric Drives

Electrical Engineering Salary In Nigeria

According to Salaryexplorer.com, In Nigeria, an Electrical Engineer normally makes roughly 316,000 NGN per month. Salaries vary from 148,000 NGN (the lowest) to 499,000 NGN (the highest). This is the average monthly pay, which includes housing, transportation, and other perks. Electrical Engineer pay varies greatly depending on experience, abilities, gender, and region.  Below is a thorough analysis based on a variety of parameters;

Salary Range

Electrical Engineer salaries in Nigeria range from 148,000 NGN (lowest salary) to 499,000 NGN (highest salary). The median monthly pay is 335,000 NGN, which implies that half (50%) of persons working as Electrical Engineer(s) make less than this amount, while the other half earn more. The median salary value is the midpoint compensation figure.

The most essential aspect in deciding remuneration is the amount of experience. Naturally, the more years of experience you have, the greater your salary. This is what we discovered after breaking down Electrical Engineer wages by experience level. A month’s salary for an Electrical Engineer with less than two years of experience is roughly 171,000 NGN.

Someone with two to five years of experience is projected to earn 236,000 NGN per month, which is 38% higher than someone with less than two years of experience. Moving forward, someone with five to 10 years of experience earns 336,000 NGN per month, which is 42 percent more than someone with two to five years of experience.

Electrical Engineering Jobs

Electrical engineers work on a wide range of production systems, machinery, communications networks, and transportation vehicles. It’s difficult to imagine a gadget or appliance that doesn’t have a microchip somewhere in it.  The generation of electricity, the earliest kind of electrical engineering, is still a big profession. 

Although it is eclipsed by the various specializations requiring electronics. Below are some electrical engineering jobs available:

 

1. Circuit designer: 

Whether it’s a microcircuit etched on a silicon chip or a circuit board on a piece of green plastic, these designers use engineering concepts to construct circuits that achieve the desired result. One of the most active fields of automated computer design is circuit design.

 

2. Community Engineer: 

Most mass-market, long-distance communication networks, such as telephones, radio, television, and cable television, rely on communications engineers to discover the best means to deliver and receive communications signals. Signal fidelity and resilience to electronic “noise” are always priorities.

 

3. Control  engineer: 

Because computers and electronic devices can control appliances, equipment, and production processes automatically, there is a significant demand for these specialists. The use of artificial intelligence computer programming to make processes “think” is one of the most dramatic possibilities.

 

4. Robotics engineer: 

During the 1980s, robotics saw a decline in commercial growth, from which it is now recovering. However, the long-term outlook remains positive. Many of the aims of robotics and control engineers are similar.

 

5. Power systems engineer: 

Modern utility plant design and operation are exceedingly complicated, especially when nuclear energy is included. During the 1990s, the growing gap between the capacity of newly built power plants and the energy demand is predicted to drive rapid job development for power engineers.

Contributions Of Electrical Engineering To Society

Thomas Edison constructed the first commercial power plant in the United States in September 1882, servicing 59 clients in a square mile of Lower Manhattan. Edison’s power plant was the latest in a series of electrical accomplishments that began with the first successful transatlantic telegraph wire in 1866, the demonstration of the first functioning telephone in 1876, and the invention of Edison’s first light bulb in 1879. 

Before then, in 1831, Electricity became viable for use in the industry when Michael Faraday invented the electric dynamo (a crude electrical generator), which solved the problem of generating stable electric current and opened the door to many other electric-powered conversion devices. Sometime in 1887, Nikola Tesla is also known for discovering alternating current (AC), and the polyphase distribution system. 

In 1938, Philo Farnsworth made the first public demonstration. From lightbulbs and television to cell phones and GPS, modern advances in electrical engineering have highlighted, informed, and connected the world. Electrical Engineers are very important to society. They are present in all things technology-related, as technology without Electrical engineers will be equal to Kitchens without cooks. 

Electrical Engineers must complete a four-year undergraduate program and earn a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, or BSEE. Some students will go on to get a master’s degree in engineering. In the United States, following graduation, individuals become registered professional engineers in several locations around the United States.

After completing a Fundamentals of Engineering Exam, many college graduates will become EITs, or Engineers in Training. An engineer may be both an innovator and a designer. When engineers develop or invent anything, they might seek patent protection to safeguard the concept. Just FYI, things developed inside the confines of employment frequently become the property of the employer.

Computers, light bulbs, and mobile phones are all instances of this. An electrical engineer will create a circuit board using components such as resistors and capacitors that will allow it to perform for its intended purpose. An engineer in the construction sector would build circuits and power-providing equipment to keep electricity flowing to the end customer.

In a hospital, for example, particular standards exist for devices that require electricity and cannot afford interruption. Life support machines are an example of this. A doctor would not want a patient to die as a result of a power outage, thus electrical engineers would build circuits, analyze loads. And connect to an emergency generator, for example, to provide continual electricity. 

Electrical Engineering Qualifications

Electrical engineers usually have a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or electronic engineering. Engineers in practice may be certified and members of a professional body or an international standards organization. The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) are among these organizations (formerly the IEE).

 

Conclusion

Electrical engineering has a significant impact on our daily lives and is responsible for many of the technological advancements we have today. Electrical engineering is primarily concerned with the study and design of devices and equipment that make use of electricity, electromagnetism, and electronics.

It took a team of electrical engineers to make it possible for you to turn on a light switch in your home or check the time on your smartphone. The simple things we take for granted, such as the ability to turn on a light when it’s dark, are the result of hundreds of years of dedicated engineering.

Electrical engineering is a relatively new field of study in the academic world. However, in its brief existence, it has become an indispensable field in providing us with the conveniences we take for granted.