Electrical Engineering vs. Electronics and Communication Engineering

Electrical engineering and Electronics and Communication engineering are closely related disciplines in the vast engineering field. The study, design and use of equipment and appliances that use any form of electricity comes under electrical engineering. In contrast, electronics and communication engineering focuses more on information transmission across different mediums via electronic devices. If you are passionate about developing and applying capacitors, inductors, inverters or other home appliances, electrical engineering is the right choice. On the other hand, if telecommunications, sensors, and microprocessors excite you, then electronics and communication engineering is the path ahead.

Both fields offer promising career opportunities, and the decision should be based on personal passion and the specific area of interest within the vast engineering field. As technology continues to evolve, professionals with a blend of skills from both disciplines may find themselves at an advantage in the ever-changing engineering landscape.

Course duration

The course duration of these two fields of engineering is similar. To complete an electrical engineering degree, you need four years. It is considered a broader subject and can acquaint you with basic knowledge of electronics and communication as well, along with a wide range of topics related to electrical systems, devices, and networks.

Electronics and communication engineering takes four years to complete as well. It is a specific course designed to equip you with specialised skills relevant to modern communication technologies. The duration is tailored to emphasise electronics, signal processing, and communication systems.

Curriculum

The electrical engineering curriculum encompasses various topics, giving students a holistic understanding of electrical systems. Electrical engineering refers to electricity transmission and the proper and smooth production, functioning and storage of electricity when it travels from point A to point B. Some of the subjects that are taught in this field are:

• Electromagnetics
• Utilisation of electrical power
• Fundamentals of electrical engineering
• DC machines and transformers
• Circuit analysis
• Power systems
• Electronics
• Analysis of electrical power systems

While many students tend to get confused between the two subjects, electronics and communication deals with the electronics part that covers devices and chips used in electricity transmission. It focuses on the application of electronics to communication systems. The subjects that are dealt with while pursuing electrical and communication engineering are:

• Microcontrollers
• VLSI
• Information theory and coding
• Analog and digital communication
• Signal processing
• Digital electronics
• Computer communication and network
• Electronic instrumentation
• Wireless communication

Career opportunities

Electrical engineers have the necessary knowledge of mathematics and physics and technological know-how for debugging and scrutinising situations from a technical perspective. Some of the career opportunities that are available for an electrical engineer are:

• Test engineers perform tests on electrical systems and are involved in planning, result analysis, and research for innovative solutions in the same field
• Design engineers form systems and products based on particular specifications with the help of experimentation and computer-based design software
• Control engineers are responsible for designing and developing equipment and systems that assist in creating products. They test their design, detect errors and work on the solutions.
• Project engineers manage projects in terms of budget, timeline, scope and work schedule
• Power systems engineers design, maintain, and improve power generation and distribution systems

With the continuous development in communication technology and our increasing reliance on electronic systems, graduates with an electronics and communication engineering degree can work in telecommunication, aviation, research and development, automotive, defence and many other industries. Here are a few career opportunities that are available in this discipline:

• Radio frequency engineers design RF circuits and optimise antennas and systems for wireless communication and satellite systems
• Telecommunication engineers design and look after communication systems, wired as well as wireless, satellite communication, optical fibre networks, etc.
• VLSI Design engineers work with the VLSI (very large-scale integration) technology to design integrated circuits and chips and care for layout, designing and testing
• Network engineers manage and design computer networks such as WANs and LANs and ensure that they get optimal performance and scalability
• Signal processing engineers work on the analysis and manipulation of signals for various applications
• Wireless communication engineers design and implement wireless communication systems

Electrical engineering and electronics and communication engineering are disciplines that stand out independently and are considered some of the most dynamic and promising engineering fields. The choice between the two is purely out of one’s personal interests and future career goals. Although both fields have substantial overlap, the learning outcomes from these degrees are substantially different, including the particular applications they cater to in the engineering domain. Let your long-term career aspiration and aptitude shape and guide your decision!