Note: For the purposes of this article (and quite possibly, your life after college) both Electrical and Electronics Engineering, and Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering graduates are collectively referred to as “Electrical Engineers”.
B.E. (Hons.) in Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE), and Electronics and Instrumentation (ENI), the twin streams designated A3 and A8 respectively, are often considered to be the two toughest courses offered at BITS, due to frequent evaluation and gruelling coursework. However, the struggle is well worth it, as job and research opportunities are aplenty.
WHAT ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS DO
Core fields of work and research include power generation and transmission, device development, embedded systems, telecommunication, semiconductor engineering and VLSI design. Electrical engineers also work in cross-disciplinary fields like computer design, electro-mechanics, and electrochemical power. Instrumentation involves the measurement and estimation of physical quantities and the design of sensors for the same, with work opportunities ranging from steam-operated power plants to biomedical laboratories.
WHAT YOU STUDY AT BITS TO BECOME ONE
The core courses are spread out over the second and third years. In the second year, foundational courses such as Electrical Machines, Electronic Devices, Digital Design, Microprocessors and Interfacing, Microelectronic Circuits, and Control Systems are taught along with Electromagnetic Theory, and Signals and Systems. The courses in the subsequent year are based on these, and explore topics in greater depth such as Analog and Digital VLSI Design, Analog Electronics, Communication Systems, Power Systems, and Power Electronics. The two branches tend to be clubbed together as they differ by only three courses in the third year (which are offered as electives to students in the other branch) – Instrumentation Technology, Transducer Design and Measurement Systems, and Industrial Instrumentation and Control being the core courses for A8. Popular electives include Digital Signal Processing, Computer Architecture, Operating Systems, Digital Image Processing, and Neural Networks and Fuzzy Logic.
WHAT YOU CAN DO AFTER GRADUATING
Students can go into research, improve existing technology, or work on power utilization and self-sustaining systems. Avenues are also open in cross-disciplinary fields, such as Computer Design and even fringe subjects like Sound Engineering. Core placements are very competitive and require students to be highly skilled. They are generally based around fields such as Analog Engineering and Power Generation. Companies such as Qualcomm and Texas Instruments are the most sought after due to their hefty packages. ROHM semiconductors, Infosys VLSI, Intel, Sandisk, and Panasonic are a few other companies which provide employment in core electrical engineering. Students can also enter Public Sector Undertakings after writing the GATE exam, or pursue higher studies in India and abroad by writing the necessary tests such as GRE and GATE.