An online electrical engineering degree has to earn its place in your budget and your schedule by preparing you for real engineering work, not by assembling technical electives under a convincing label. The online electrical engineering bachelor’s skills and specializations you see matter less than the core courses, lab access, advanced options, and ABET status behind them.
Key Takeaways
- A sound core covers circuits, electromagnetic fields, microprocessors, electronics, and energy systems. Those subjects provide the technical base you need before specialized courses can mean much.
- Lab design matters because engineering skill comes from testing, measuring, troubleshooting, and revising. A program that gives labs little substance may leave you with course credit but less practice applying theory.
- A specialization title is only a clue; the required courses show how much depth the program provides. The title may sound focused while the curriculum remains broad, or it may point to a useful sequence of advanced study.
Read the full course map before you apply. Look past broad labels such as general electrical engineering or electronics, and identify where the required courses become more advanced. You also need to see how the program handles design, laboratory work, communication, and teamwork, because technical knowledge alone does not show how you will use it. ABET accreditation is another comparison point, not a substitute for reading the curriculum.
The tradeoff is usually breadth versus depth. A broad program can give you a foundation across electrical engineering, while a defined specialization can devote more required coursework to the area you want. Compare the actual course sequence, lab requirements, and advanced options rather than assuming the program name settles that question. The strongest match will teach the technical area you want while giving you enough practice to apply that knowledge.
How Online Electrical Engineering Bachelor’s Skills and Specializations Fit Together
Electrical engineering courses build in layers, and the order matters. Mathematics and science support circuit analysis; circuit knowledge then feeds electronics, signals, energy, controls, and computer hardware. That progression is more useful than a list of impressive-sounding subjects because each later course should rely on skills introduced earlier. You can review current online electrical engineering bachelor’s programs while checking whether the course map moves from foundational analysis to applied systems work without unexplained gaps.
Arizona State University’s Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering - General requires 120 credit hours across 40 classes, according to the university. Its published curriculum covers electromagnetic fields, microprocessors, solid-state electronics, circuits, and energy systems. That range illustrates the breadth expected from a general electrical engineering degree, but breadth also means you should identify where the program offers depth in the areas that match your intended work. A curriculum can touch several specialties without giving every one of them equal attention.
Do not judge that core by course names alone. Open the descriptions and look for the work students complete, the concepts they are expected to use, and how one course prepares them for the next. A circuits course may teach mathematical analysis, while a later electronics or design course should ask students to apply that analysis to components, systems, or test results. If the descriptions only list topics, the program page has not yet shown how students develop from solving individual problems to evaluating an entire system.
- Circuits and electronics: Analyze voltage, current, components, and device behavior. The important progression is from understanding circuit relationships to applying them in electronic devices.
- Electromagnetic fields: Study how electric and magnetic fields affect devices and systems. This subject connects abstract field behavior to the way engineered systems operate.
- Microprocessors: Connect hardware behavior with programming and control. That connection matters because the processor cannot be evaluated separately from the device it directs.
- Energy systems: Examine how electrical power is generated, moved, controlled, and used. The sequence covers the system rather than stopping at a single component.
Prerequisites also expose weak program design. Advanced electronics should rest on earlier mathematics and circuit work, while courses involving microprocessors or energy systems should make their required preparation clear. If upper-level courses appear disconnected from the foundation, ask the school for the recommended sequence and the latest degree map before enrolling. That review can reveal whether a course you expected to take early is actually gated by prior work, or whether the published list leaves you to assemble the sequence yourself.
Where Technical Knowledge Becomes Engineering Skill
Knowing a formula is not the same as solving an engineering problem. ABET’s 2025–2026 criteria say graduates of accredited engineering programs must be able to solve complex problems, design solutions, communicate, work on teams, conduct experiments, consider ethical duties, and keep learning. Those abilities should appear across assignments, laboratories, and the final design project, not only in a course description. For an online student, the practical issue is whether the program gives you repeated opportunities to apply technical knowledge, interpret imperfect results, and explain why a solution works.
ABET’s Engineering Accreditation Commission reviews engineering bachelor’s and master’s programs rather than entire schools. That distinction matters because institutional accreditation and programmatic accreditation answer different questions. Use GetEducated’s list of ABET-accredited online programs as a starting point, then confirm the exact program and location in ABET’s records. A school may be institutionally accredited while a particular engineering program has a different accreditation status, so checking the program itself is the step that protects you from comparing the wrong credential.
Online students should examine how laboratory work develops the skills ABET names. A useful lab requires more than watching a demonstration. It should make students collect data, compare results with predictions, explain errors, and defend a design choice. Schools may use mailed kits, software, local equipment, campus sessions, or another approved setup, so read the lab rules closely. These options are not interchangeable: a mailed kit may fit a student’s schedule, while campus sessions or approved local equipment may create fixed travel or scheduling demands. The format also affects how much of the work you complete independently and how clearly you can demonstrate your own contribution.
- Which courses require physical equipment?
- Are laboratory sessions live, scheduled, or completed independently?
- How do students demonstrate individual work during team projects?
- Does the final project include design, testing, written analysis, and presentation?
The workload deserves the same review. Arizona State University recommends planning about six study hours per week for each credit hour, or about 18 hours weekly for a three-credit course. That guidance helps explain why stacking several technical courses with laboratories can be difficult, even in a self-paced program. Self-paced enrollment may give you more control over when you study, but it does not remove the time required to run experiments, document results, coordinate team work, and complete a substantial final project. Before enrolling, map the laboratory and project requirements against the hours you can reliably protect each week.
Read Specialization Names as Curriculum Signals
A specialization should change the advanced courses you take, not merely add a label to the diploma. Arizona State University identifies applications for its electrical engineering curriculum in embedded systems, clean-energy infrastructure, smart grids, autonomous vehicles, robotics, and semiconductor manufacturing. Those fields draw on different combinations of electronics, power, controls, computing, and device knowledge. A specialization aimed at robotics, for example, should show up in the controls, computing, and design work, while a power-focused option should make its emphasis visible in the treatment of infrastructure and grids. The title alone cannot tell you whether that depth is present.
Program titles provide an initial signal, as the examples below show. They do not replace a course-by-course review. Pay close attention to required mathematics, design courses, laboratory methods, senior projects, and the number of electives devoted to the named subject. Also separate courses that are genuinely part of the specialization from broad requirements that appear in every electrical engineering pathway. That distinction matters if you are paying for a focused degree but receiving largely the same advanced curriculum as students in other options.
| Program Example | Signal in the Program Title | What to Verify in the Curriculum |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona State University offers the Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering - Electric Power & Energy Systems. | Power and energy systems | Required power, energy, controls, and design courses |
| Lamar University offers the Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. | General electrical engineering | Available technical electives and the senior design sequence |
| National University offers the Bachelor of Science in Electrical & Computer Engineering. | Electrical and computer engineering | Balance among circuits, electronics, hardware, and programming |
| ECPI University offers the Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering Technology. | Electronics engineering technology | Calculus, theory, laboratory emphasis, and the applicable ABET commission |
Electrical engineering and engineering technology titles should not be treated as interchangeable. Compare the actual mathematics, theory, design, and laboratory requirements. A program with less theoretical mathematics may fit a particular technical role, but it can also provide a different foundation for later study or professional requirements. Also check which ABET commission, if any, accredits the program, especially if professional engineering licensure may become part of your career plan. Accreditation does not make the programs identical; it gives you a specific quality and eligibility detail to verify before enrolling.
Cost still belongs on the final checklist, but compare it after confirming the curriculum fit. GetEducated’s electrical engineering bachelor’s cost comparison evaluates total program cost including mandatory fees rather than relying only on a per-credit figure. That distinction matters because a lower advertised credit price does not establish that the full degree will cost less. Compare the cost of the pathway that actually contains the specialization you want, including any required courses that a general program might not require.
GetEducated's Picks
- American Public University System Bachelor of Engineering / Electrical Engineering
- Arizona State University Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering - Electric Power & Energy Systems
- National University Bachelor of Science in Electrical & Computer Engineering
Once you have a short list, place the degree maps side by side. Mark which advanced courses are required, which are electives, and how often those electives run. A specialization with several named options may offer little choice if the courses are rarely available online. Course availability also affects completion planning: an elective that appears on the map but is offered infrequently can force you to wait, change your course sequence, or take a different class than the title initially suggested. Treat the degree map as a schedule to test, not a catalog description to admire.
Match Courses to the Work You Want
Start with the work you want to do, then trace it back to the curriculum. O*NET reports titles such as Electrical Engineer, Circuits Engineer, Electrical Design Engineer, Electrical Project Engineer, Project Engineer, and Test Engineer. It also describes work on commercial, industrial, military, and scientific equipment and systems. Those settings overlap, but they do not call for the same preparation: one may emphasize analysis and testing, while another leans more heavily on design, controls, or project coordination. A broad program can preserve flexibility, but only if its required courses give you enough technical depth to build toward a specific role.
For circuit or electronics work, inspect courses in analog and digital circuits, solid-state devices, instrumentation, and testing. Power interests call for closer attention to energy systems, machines, protection, controls, and grids. Embedded systems and robotics usually demand stronger links among electronics, microprocessors, programming, sensors, and control theory. The course title alone is not enough. Check whether the curriculum pairs theory with laboratory work, design assignments, or a project that requires you to connect several of those subjects. A list of electives may look broad while leaving the most relevant sequence to you to assemble.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that electrical engineers had a median annual wage of $111,910 in May 2024 and lists a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. It projects 7% employment growth for electrical and electronics engineers from 2024 to 2034, with about 17,500 openings per year. Those figures describe the occupation, not a guaranteed result for any graduate. They also do not tell you whether a particular program gives you the preparation for circuit design, power systems, embedded work, or another specialty. Use the labor-market figures as context, then judge the program by the work its curriculum actually prepares you to perform.
Licensure can also shape course selection. NCEES says professional engineering licensure involves education, work experience, and examinations. Its FE exam, generally the first exam in that process, has 110 questions and costs $225. Students considering licensure should review state requirements before selecting a program because rules differ by jurisdiction. That review matters before enrollment, not after graduation: a program that fits your preferred engineering specialty may still require you to confirm how its education is treated for the licensing path you intend to follow.
The science and engineering career center can help you compare broader career directions. Use job descriptions to build a course checklist, then ask each school which required classes, electives, laboratories, and projects address those skills. Compare the actual sequence, not just the department’s list of concentration names. One program may place circuits and programming in the core, while another may leave them to electives; that difference affects how much room you have later for power, controls, or design work. Ask the school to identify any prerequisites and to explain whether the relevant laboratory or project courses are available in the online format.
Find Your Online Engineering Degree
Narrow 19 accredited online Engineering degree programs to find the perfect fit.
Arizona State University
Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering - Electric Power & Energy Systems
Daytona State College
Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology / Electrical Engineering Technology
A sound program match is specific. You should be able to point to the courses that teach the technical area, the labs that test it, and the design work that joins the pieces. You should also know which requirements must be completed before the advanced courses you care about, since a single prerequisite can change the pace and order of the degree. If a school cannot show that connection in its published curriculum, keep comparing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What classes are in an online electrical engineering bachelor’s degree?
Expect a sequence built around mathematics, science, circuits, electronics, electromagnetic fields, microprocessors, and energy systems. Advanced requirements and electives determine whether the degree stays broad or develops depth in one technical area. The sequence matters because later design work depends on earlier technical courses; a specialization cannot make up for missing preparation in the subjects you need most.
Do online electrical engineering programs include labs?
Laboratory work should be part of the curriculum, but delivery methods differ. Check what equipment you need, where testing occurs, whether sessions have set meeting times, and how the school evaluates individual work. A remote lab may offer flexibility, while a scheduled or in-person session can impose a fixed obligation that changes whether the program fits your schedule.
What electrical engineering specialization should I select?
Match the specialization to the systems you want to study. Power, electronics, embedded systems, controls, and computer engineering lead to different advanced courses, so compare required classes rather than relying on the concentration name. Two concentrations can sound similar while requiring very different work in hardware, software, or system analysis.
Is electrical engineering the same as electronics engineering technology?
No. The titles can signal different balances of theory, calculus, design, and applied laboratory work. Compare the degree maps and applicable programmatic accreditation before treating either program as a substitute for the other. The course list is the useful comparison: it shows whether the program’s emphasis matches the technical work you intend to pursue.
Why does ABET accreditation matter for the curriculum?
ABET review provides an outside check on whether a program develops defined engineering abilities. Confirm the exact degree rather than assuming that accreditation held by the school covers every engineering program it offers. This distinction matters if you need the engineering degree itself to meet a particular academic or professional expectation.
Will I learn programming in an electrical engineering degree?
Programming may appear in microprocessor, embedded systems, controls, or computer engineering courses. Review required course descriptions to see which languages, hardware platforms, and software tools students actually use. A program that lists programming only as an elective may provide a very different preparation from one that makes it part of the required technical sequence.
What should an electrical engineering capstone include?
Look for a project that joins analysis, design, testing, communication, and teamwork. Ask whether students build or simulate a system, document their decisions, assess results, and present the finished work. The project format also tells you how much of the learning is individual and how much depends on coordinating with classmates.
Can working adults manage the technical course load online?
They can, but course combinations matter. A mathematics course paired with a technical class and laboratory may require more planning than a term built around one demanding engineering course and a lighter requirement. Review prerequisites and lab schedules before enrolling, since a manageable credit load can still create a difficult week when several technically intensive courses overlap.
Sources
- Arizona State University: Electrical Engineering Degree Curriculum
- Arizona State University: Weekly Online Study Time
- ABET: Engineering Accreditation Criteria
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: Electrical and Electronics Engineers
- O*NET: Electrical Engineers
- NCEES: Engineering Licensure
- NCEES: Fundamentals of Engineering Exam