Welcome
Welcome to Electrical Engineering at Eastern Illinois University! This is a brand new program that will admit its first class of freshmen for the Fall of 2020. We are very excited to be offering this opportunity, and we hope that you will join in our excitement as you look over the website.
Thank you for checking us out, and if you have any further questions please contact us.
From the Chair
Welcome to the Electrical Engineering Program webpage. I am very excited to be the first coordinator of the Electrical Engineering Program. It is indeed an honor to do so because of the amazing growth opportunity this program presents. We are starting this new major to capitalize on our position as one of the best Pre-Engineering Programs in the State. We have been offering Pre-Engineering for over 60 years and have done very well with it. In addition, our Physics Department has developed an outstanding Electronics program that will serve as a springboard to the upper-level Electrical Engineering curriculum. The program will utilize the strengths of the Physics Department as well as the Engineering Technology Department and that will result in an excellent educational experience for all of our students. EIU has several faculty with expertise in Electrical Engineering, including PhDs in the field. And we have the support of the University with more hires coming soon.
We at EIU place great emphasis on the quality of our programs and our teaching. In this program, we pride ourselves on the small class size that leads to a friendly atmosphere within the Department. This small class size also means that each student will get personalized attention and opportunities to learn. Our faculty get to know our students through classes, labs, and mentoring that give us direct interactions with each student. At EIU, you will NOT be lost in the crowd. You will be taught by faculty for both lectures and labs. Our ALL IN approach to education means that you will grow and mature in the field. We will prepare you in Electrical Engineering for the challenges of the ever-changing technical world.
As program coordinator, I must also point out that the University is also large enough to offer opportunities in the arts, sports, student organizations, and a variety of other areas that are Division I level. You come to college for growth in many areas of your life. You will have many opportunities at EIU, and I encourage you to take advantage of the broad spectrum available.
This is also a good time to go into the field. According to the U.S. Department of Education, there is a strong need for graduates in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). The Department of Education has projected an overall job increase of 14% in STEM fields in 2010-2020. Electrical Engineering will be a growth field for quite some time, so this just makes sense for our students.
According to the occupational data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the mean annual salary for an Electrical Engineer was $101,600 in 2018. They also predict that most areas of Engineering will show more job opportunities over the next several years and Electrical Engineering will do very well in job creating.
I invite you to explore this website and discover what the EIU Electrical Engineering Program is about and what we have to offer. I hope this website can answer some of your questions, but if not, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.
Sincerely,
Dr. Steven Daniels, Program Coordinator for Electrical Engineering
