Small Classes, Hands-On Experience
Our Bachelor of Science degree program in electrical engineering combines rigorous theoretical study with the practical, hands-on experience required by a growing industry. Our students thrive in an environment of challenging courses, caring and experienced faculty and small class sizes.
Our program's innovative curriculum includes electrical engineering courses in the freshman year, helping students develop an early understanding of their chosen profession. Additionally, our distinctive program provides its graduates with outstanding preparation for professional practice, graduate school and engineering licensure.
Build Professional Ties Through Real-World Projects
The electrical engineering program at Point Park culminates in a two-course senior design experience in which students form interdisciplinary teams to propose, build and document real-world engineering projects ranging from software applications to solar arrays.
Many of these projects are sponsored by local engineering firms such as Eaton and GAI Consultants, lending a high level of accountability and realism to the experience and helping students to build professional ties to potential employers.
Admission Requirements
In addition to meeting the general university admission criteria, applicants must meet the following program-specific requirements:
- Mathematics courses: A minimum of three years (three units) of college preparatory mathematics in high school, including geometry, algebra and trigonometry and providing sufficient background for the study of a first course in calculus or a minimum of five semester credits of course work in college-level algebra and trigonometry, providing sufficient background for the study of a first course in calculus.
- Natural science courses: A minimum of one year (one unit) of college preparatory physics or chemistry in high school or a minimum of six semester credits of introductory, algebra-based college-level physics or chemistry.
- Grades: An average of B or better in the mathematics courses specified above and an average of B or better in the natural science courses specified above.
Students who are not prepared to take Calculus I during their first term can still be admitted upon review by the electrical engineering faculty with the understanding that they will need to take College Algebra (MATH 180) and Trigonometry (MATH 185) during their first year.
About Engineering at Point Park
Minor in Theatrical Engineering
Point Park's theatrical engineering minor is an immersive, innovative program that provides students majoring in Electrical Engineering the opportunity to study the artistic and technical aspects of entertainment and performance, preparing them for in-demand careers in a variety of spaces, including production companies and equipment manufacturers.
Faculty have carefully designed the program to allow completion of the major and minor in four years with some summer and/or online coursework.
Transfer Credit
Subject to the review of the faculty, incoming transfer students may receive credit toward their degree for comparable course work taken at other institutions prior to matriculation at Point Park. Agreements with other local institutions also allow current Point Park students to register for courses that are offered elsewhere in the Pittsburgh area, giving them the opportunity to pursue subjects not taught on campus during a particular term.
Career Options
Electrical engineers are among the most prolific, versatile and respected practitioners in the modern workplace, and a degree in electrical engineering is among the most highly valued of all professional credentials. This degree prepares graduates to work productively throughout the engineering enterprise and to further their education in master's and doctoral programs.
It also provides graduates with excellent preparation for the study of law, medicine, business and other professions that demand both creativity and mathematically-based analytical skills.
Electrical engineers assume a wide variety of positions in research, design, testing, sales and support, wherever electricity is put to work for the good of society. Ranging from tiny start-up firms to multinational corporations and government agencies, typical areas of practice include:
- Electrical power
- Computers
- Electronics
- Communications in environments
Learn more about the Electrical Engineering Program
Electrical engineering is the profession that applies electrical science for the benefit of society. As the use of electrical technology in all aspects of modern life grows not only more sophisticated but also more pervasive, electrical engineers will play a critical role in building and maintaining our technologically-based world.
Electrical engineers work in a wide variety of areas that encompass all practical uses of electricity. Among the important areas of study and practice in the profession are the following:
Networks - This area deals with the analysis and design of electric circuits using standard mathematical techniques and computer modeling. It forms the basis of many other areas in the profession, such as electronics and electrical power.
Electronics - This area deals with the fabrication of electronic devices such as transistors, integrated circuits and tubes and with the application of these devices in electric circuits.
Electrical Power - This area deals with the generation, distribution, and utilization of electricity to provide light, heat, motive power and other energy needs. Along with the generators, motors and transformers traditionally used to build electrical power systems, electronic devices and circuits are playing an increasingly important role.
Electromagnetics - This area deals with the theoretical study and practical applications of electric, magnetic and electromagnetic fields and waves. The use of radio and light waves for communication, and the design of antennas, are important specialties within the field of electromagnetics.
Communications and Information Theory - This area deals with both the design of communication hardware, such as radio receivers and transmitters, and the theory underlying the transmission of information by electrical methods.
Digital Electronics, Computers, and Information Technology - This area deals with the electronic circuits used in digital and computer hardware, with the theory and practice of computer programming, and with the theory and applications of information storage, transmission, and manipulation. This area is sometimes considered to be a separate engineering discipline, namely computer engineering. Furthermore, it overlaps with the related non-engineering discipline of computer science, which is primarily concerned with the programming and information aspects rather than the electronic aspects of digital and computer systems.
Controls - This area deals with the use of electronic and mechanical systems to control physical phenomena such as temperature, humidity, pressure, and motion. Digital electronics and computers are increasingly being used to build control systems in modern applications. A very important specialty within the area of controls is robotics, the design and application of electromechanical systems to accomplish specified physical tasks.
A student who wants to work in one of these areas should plan to obtain at least a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering or electrical engineering technology. Many students go on to earn Master of Science degrees that prepare them for higher levels of responsibility on the job; some even earn doctoral degrees that prepare them to conduct advanced research or teach at the college level.
An undergraduate degree in electrical engineering or electrical engineering technology is also excellent preparation for further study in business, law, or medicine.
An electrical engineer who wishes to offer his or her services directly to the public, or whose work for an employer directly impacts public safety, must be licensed by their state as a Professional Engineer (PE). Licensure requires graduation from an accredited engineering or engineering technology program, a minimum of four years of professional practice, and passing grades on two standardized examinations. Learn more about engineering licensure. Although obtaining a PE license is a lengthy and challenging process, it provides proof that an engineer can practice his or her profession with integrity and technical competence.
Program educational objectives express the knowledge and skills that graduates of the program should progressively develop to a significant extent in the first three to five years after graduation. The current objectives for the Electrical Engineering program are shown below.
- Graduates will achieve professional distinction and personal satisfaction in careers that make use of their education, experience and abilities.
- Graduates will cultivate effective communication and collaboration skills in diverse interdisciplinary environments while taking on increasing levels of responsibility and leadership.
- Graduates will uphold high standards of ethical behavior and social responsibility while inspiring their colleagues to do the same.
- Graduates will pursue intellectual growth by joining and participating in professional societies, earning advanced degrees, achieving licensure in their professions and engaging in ongoing self-directed learning.
Members of the program’s industrial advisory committee are the caretakers of the objectives and act on behalf of graduates and employers to ensure that these objectives accurately reflect the competencies expected of developing engineers.
The objectives are reviewed yearly at a meeting of the advisory committee and the faculty. Current students in the program, the University administration, and the Board of Trustees provide input to this review process by completing periodic surveys. In this manner, the needs of all program constituents are considered, and the objectives remain relevant to all stakeholders.
Student Outcomes are statements of the knowledge and skills that students in an educational program are expected to demonstrate by the time of graduation.
The faculty has established the following outcomes for students pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree program in electrical engineering:
- Students will identify, formulate and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science and mathematics.
- Students will apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental and economic factors.
Students will communicate effectively with a range of audiences. - Students will recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments that consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental and societal contexts.
- Students will function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
- Students will develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
- Students will acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies
The Industrial Advisory Committee comprises practicing professionals from industry and government who meet with faculty twice per year to review the program and discuss possible improvements.
One of the most valuable roles of the committee members is to inform the faculty of current professional practices and to alert the faculty to emerging trends in the workplace; by doing so, they ensure that course content, laboratory equipment, and software can be updated in a timely manner to provide students with the best possible preparation for their careers.
Committee Members
- Ms. Andrea Bucci, PHR, SHRM-CP
The Gateway Enginers, Inc. - Mr. James Converse
Converse Surveying Company - Mr. Bradley Duda, '89
Michael Baker Jr. Inc. - Mr. Graham Ferry, P.E., '02, '04
Sheffler and Company, Inc. - Mr. John J. Frydrych, P.E., '91, '03
National Survey & Engineering - Ms. Susan P. Grant '97
Keystone Structural Solutions - Mr. Robert Horvat, P.E., '06
Entech Engineering - Mr. Jason A. Lewis, P.E., '11
Alfred Benesch & Co.