Electrical Engineering Career Guide: Courses, Admission, Syllabus, Fee, Scope and Salary

Electrical engineering is one of the most demanding branches of Engineering in India. Electrical engineering is the study of energy. Energy is a vital part of our living. The whole world is driven by various energy sources. Energy can be found in different forms like gas, fuel cell, solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, and turbine.

Electrical engineers distribute this energy from their source to our houses, offices, schools, industries, hospitals, and almost every part of our life.

Have you ever thought of a life without an electric connection?

Whenever there is a complete power out we tend to freak out. Therefore it is no doubt that electrical engineers play a very important role in lighting up or life.

The demand in this sector has immensely increased in the past few years. There have been innovations and discoveries related to the field of energy. Engineers are constantly working to discover more clean energy sources. This will help to reduce pollution in the environment. 

Are you using your laptop or mobile right now?

If yes then it is also a part of electrical engineering. 

You may not know but electrical engineering has a role to play in everything you use in your daily life.

What is Electrical Engineering?

Around the year 1882 electrical engineering was introduced around technical education. In the year 1884, great engineering Thomas Edison supplied his 59 customers in Manhattan Town, Newyork with the 110 volt DC electricity. 

Electrical Engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with the study of electrical, electronic, and electromagnetism application. Electrical engineers qualified to design the electrical circuits and equipment. They work on large power plants as well as in small hardware companies that include designing, producing and running power plants, industrial equipment, electrical motors, computer chips, and automobile ignition systems, aircraft, space ships, and other forms of motors.

The sub fields in Electrical engineering electronics, digital computers, power engineering, telecommunications, control systems, radiofrequency engineering, signal processing, instrumentation, and microelectronics.

Electrical Engineering is spread across a range of specialties such as acoustics, voice, electromagnetic compatibility signal processing, automotive technology vehicles, geoscience, and remote sensing, laser and electro-optics, robots, ultra-sonic, ferroelectric and frequency modulation.

What are the Courses for a Career in Electrical Engineering?

Students of the science stream can choose from various courses like Diploma, Bachelors, and Masters courses. The eligibility criteria and admission process are different for different courses. Let’s explore in detail about the Electrical engineering programs offered across colleges in India.

Diploma Course in Electrical Engineering

The duration of the course is 3 years. One can take admission after passing class 10th from a recognized board or university. There is no entrance exam for admission. Though the marks of class 10th is considered while finalizing the merit list. 

• Diploma in Electrical engineering

Bachelors Course in Electrical Engineering

It is an undergraduate course under the B.Tech program. The duration of the B.Tech in Electrical engineering program is 4 years. To get admission to the top engineering colleges in India, one has to qualify national level entrance tests like JEE Mains, JEE Advanced, BITSAT, UPSEE, ComedK, etc. It is recommended to get pursue a B.Tech degree course as individuals with a B.Tech in electrical engineering get placed in big companies. 

• Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) in Electrical Engineering

Masters Course in Electrical Engineering

The postgraduate course is for 2 years. This is a specialized course in electrical engineering areas like power, control, microelectronics, electronics, signal processing, telecommunications, instrumentation, computers, and mechatronics. Only those students who hold a B.Tech degree can apply for postgraduate programs. The scores of GATE is considered for admission to the best colleges in India.

• Masters of Technology (M.Tch) in Electrical engineering

Admission Eligibility Criteria

The common eligibility criteria are followed across all the engineering colleges in India. Those who fail to meet the basic requirements are disqualified or rejected the admission in the college. The eligibility criteria depend on the course you choose. The common admission eligibility criteria for admission to Electrical engineering courses are:

• One must hold a passing certificate of class 10th from a recognized board or university.
• One must have a passing certificate of class 12th or must be an appealing candidate for the qualifying exam in the current year.
• In case of appearing candidate of the current year, you must be able to produce the admit card of your class 12th examination.
• You must have 60% marks in maths in class 12th.
• The aggregate marks that are the best four subjects including one language must be 55% or above.
• Physics, Chemistry, and mathematics must be the main subjects in class 10th and class 12th.
• For admission to the M.Tech program, one must have a B.tech degree in the related field.

Skills Required to become an Electrical Engineer

• One must have basic knowledge in Circuit design.
• Aspirants should be able to apply linear systems theory and carry out a detailed analysis.
• He should be good at developing electrical schematics.
• He/she should be able to collect data and make a report on the analysis of the data.
• Electrical engineers should have excellent ability in building and operating computer systems.
• He should be able to prepare operational plans.
• He must possess the ability to maintain Electronic equipments.
• Equipment construction activities are a part of the job.
• Engineers are problem solvers. So an aspirant of Electrical engineering should be good at problem analysis and solution.
• He should possess the ability to approach things differently and inculcate critical thinking abilities within himself.
• He/ she should have the enthusiasm for learning new things. Only then he can improve and develop as a professional.
• One should have excellent communication skills.
• Electrical engineering is expected to handle many projects under him. So he must have leadership qualities and organizational skills to manage work efficiently and in time.
• Students who aspire to have a career in Electrical engineering should be strong in maths
• One should always follow work ethics as a professional.
• The knowledge of computer programming like Java, C++, HTML, etc. is a plus point for electrical engineers.

Electrical Engineering Admission Process

The admission process is simple for Electrical engineering courses. The B.Tech courses require you to pass the entrance test for admission whereas the Diploma course takes admission based on class 10th marks. The application form for colleges and national level exams are submitted online from their respective official website. The steps to apply online are: 

• Explore and make a list of top engineering colleges in India.
• Colleges release course prospectus every year. 
• You must read and check all the details regarding the course like fee, exam pattern, and syllabus.
• The date of release of the online admission form link is also mentioned in the prospectus or the notice column of the official website.
• Always submit an online form through the official website of the college or university.
• For admission to Bachelors’s courses, there are many famous national level exams like JEE mains, JEE Advanced, BITSAT, and ComedK.
• To fill forms of these national-level exams, you need to go to the respective exam website and fill the online form.
• Some private colleges conduct their entrance test like VIT Vellore, Manipal University, SRM University, and Kalinga Institute of Technology.
• Visit the official website of the college or entrance exam in the case of JEE and ComedK.
• Click on the link for the online Application form.
• After proceeding with the registration procedure, an application number will be generated.
• Students will also be asked to fill details like name, parents’ name, educational details, address, date of birth, gender, mobile number, and email address. 
• After the completion of the application form, one also has to scan and upload documents. These documents are important to submit along with the form as not submitting the documents may lead to the rejection of the form.
• The documents to be submitted are photograph, signature, class 12th mark sheet or admit card and class 10th admit card or certificate.
• The next step is to pay the registration fee for the online application form. Although students can pay the fee later but without the registration fee payment, the form submission is incomplete.
• Candidates can pay the fee online through net banking or other online methods.
• Download and print the form and payment receipt for future reference.
• Candidates will be informed about the exam and admit card dates through the college website.
• The cut-off and merit list are also announced within 1 – 2 months of the exam.
• Students are requested to keep in touch with the official college website for any further notification related to admission. 

Top Colleges for a Career in Electrical Engineering

The top colleges in India to pursue a course in Electrical engineering are as follows:

• Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay
• Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur
• Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi
• National Institute of Technology, Karnataka Surathkal
• National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli
• National Institute of Technology, Warangal
• SRM University
• Manipal Institute of Technology
• Vellore Institute of Technology
• Kalinga Institute of Technology
• National Institute of Technology Durgapur
• National Institute of Technology Jamshedpur
• Birla Institute of Technology Mesra
• Birla Institute of Technology Pilani
• Delhi Institute of Technology

Course Fee

The average fee of a course in Electrical engineering in India is around Rs. 8,00,000 to Rs. 20,00,000. The private colleges charge around Rs. 15,00,000 including the hostel and mess charges.

Electrical Engineering Syllabus

The course is divided into 8 semesters in the B.Tech program. The topics of study in the B.Tech in electrical engineering are:

• Communicative English 
• Humanities
• Calculus, Matrix Algebra
• Vector Calculus and Ordinary Differential Equations
• Electrical Engineering
• Electronics Engineering
• Computer Programming
• Object-Oriented Programming
• Engineering Mechanics / Introduction to Thermodynamics
• Engineering Drawing 
• Computer Programming Lab
• Cultural Education
• Integral Transforms and Complex Analysis
• Mathematical Statistics and Numerical Methods
• Electric Circuits
• Electrical Measurements and Instrumentation
• Digital Systems
• Electrical Machines 
• Mechanical Engineering
• Electromagnetic Theory
• Science Elective
• Humanities Elective 
• Electrical Workshop
• Measurements and Digital Circuits Lab
• Introduction to Microcontrollers and Applications
• VLSI Design
• Digital Communication
• Microprocessors
• Transmission Lines and Radiating Systems
• Analog Communication
• Control Engineering
• Environmental Studies

Job Prospects

There are plenty of job opportunities in the electrical engineering sector.

The electrical engineer designs, constructs and manages the electrical control system to the requirements required, and focuses on efficiency, reliability, health, sustainability, and quality. After completing a degree, an individual can work in the companies related to product creation, device management, product design, distribution, entertainment, consumer electronics, transport, wireless communication, manufacturing, chemical, automotive, defense and pharmaceutical. 

For B.E./B.Tech graduates in Electrical Engineering there is also the possibility of higher studies. Candidates with a Master’s degree in this field can choose their career in the field of teaching and after graduating with a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering can go on for research work.

An electrical engineer can be hired in the sectors such as:

• Energy & Power Sector
• Oil and Gas Sector
• Pharmaceutical Sector
• EPC Sector
• Real Estate Sector
• Fertilizer Plant
• Chemical & Petrochemical Plant
• Food and beverage
• Engineering Consultancy
• Water Treatment Facilities
• Infrastructure Sector
• Environmental waste disposal

The role or job posts of an electrical engineer are:

• Chief Engineers
• Workshop Manager
• Operations Manager
• Engineering Technologist
• Development and Test Engineers
• Electrical Product Design Engineer
• Project Manager
• Consultants
• Project Head

Top Companies Hiring Electrical Engineers 

The companies that hire electrical engineers with a handsome salary are:

• SAIL
• NTPC
• BHEL
• NSPCL
• Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd
• BALCO
• Jindal Steel & Power Limited
• GAIL
• Tata Steel & Power Limited
• State Electricity Board
• TRF Ltd
• TRL
• Hindustan Motor
• Tata Metallic
• Tata Motors
• ALSTOM India Power project
• Bhushan Steel
• Durgapur steel plant
• ISRO
• OMEGA Elevator
• CONE Elevator
• Everest Industry
• ZENITH Construction etc
• L&T Construction and STEEL
• Jay Balaji Steel

Salary Packages are given to Electrical engineers in India

The starting salary of an Electrical engineer is Rs. 6,00,000. With experience and time, the salary increases to Rs. 15,00,000 per annum.

If you are from a maths background looking for a career option to earn good, then a career in Electrical Engineering would be the best for you.