This article discusses the meaning of the term "electrical engineering". For the topic itself, see electrical engineering.

The precise meaning of the term electrical engineering is not universally agreed upon. In some parts of the world, it is considered to be the most general of the electricity-related engineering disciplines, with electronics engineering being a subfield.

In other areas, electronics engineering is considered to be at the same level as electrical engineering, requiring that more generalised programs be called electrical and electronics engineering. Both terms define a broad field that encompasses many subfields including those that deal with power, instrumentation engineering, telecommunications, and semiconductor circuit design amongst many others.

Regional differences

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Electrical engineering is considered distinct from electronics engineering especially in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe where the strict definition of electrical engineering (whose practitioners are called electrical engineers), is: an engineering discipline that deals with the study and application of electricity and electromagnetism.

Where this distinction is made, electrical engineering is considered to deal with the problems associated with large scale electrical systems such as power transmission and motor control where as electronics engineering is considered to deal with the problems associated with small scale electronic systems such as semiconductor circuitry very-large-scale integration.

Overlap

There is considerable overlap between electrical and electronics engineering fields in practice, and in some countries the two phrases may be used interchangeably. Whether or not electronics engineering is distinguished from electrical engineering must be interpreted from the context in which the term is used. Some have suggested that in places such as the United States the distinction is less common than in places such as the United Kingdom. However both usages can be found throughout the world. For example, the Institution of Electrical Engineers (which also includes electronics engineers) is a U.K. based organization but the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is a U.S. based organization.

Examples

Here is a list of some of the universities that that feature departments on the subjects and what such departments are called.

• Hong Kong University of Science and Technology - Department of Electronics and Computer Engineering

Offers courses only related to Electronics. ^*

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering

Courses focused on both Electrical, Electronics, and a third for those whose interests cross this traditional boundary ^*

• University of Sheffield - Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering

Has many courses featuring either Electrical or Electronics Engineering^*

• Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina - Department of Electrical Engineering

Focuses on both Electrical and Electronics ^*.

Electrical engineering