The 19th century ushered in a new era of technology with the introduction of the telegraph, radio and telephone. Nothing was the same ever since. In most ways it was WWII that gave birth to electronics engineering as a branch and computer science as a mother subject. With inventions like Sonar, Radar and communication systems it became a necessity to study and understand the science behind them.

The term electronics engineering came into prominence after the 1950s. Electrical engineering is still used interchangeably with electronics engineering in some academic circles. This is due to the fact that electronics is a subfield of the former.

The Future scope for MS in electronics & communication engineering is appreciable, considering the fact that it includes both scientific as well as mathematical algorithms in the field of communication, enabling service sectors to flourish better. With the rise of manufacturing industries, especially in the developing countries, the demand for engineers with an MS in electronics & communication engineering is increasing. This is mostly due to their growing industries. Pursuing MS in Electronics and Communication abroad not only ushers a vast spectrum of opportunities and choices in your career but would also be a life changing experience, in case you had been studying within your state for the past years. 

When dealing with electrical engineering, the scope is also considerable. Most automobile companies are planning to replace fuel cars with electric engines which could be a sustainable way to proceed to a future. In other sectors such as airport, trade markets which plan to utilize solar energy, require engineers having an MS in Electrical Engineering from reputed industries to facilitate such goals with ease.

Best Time to Apply for MS Admission Abroad

The American academic year is grouped into 4 semesters:

• Fall: starts in September and ends early January

• Winter: Between fall and spring (Not all universities have winter semesters due to festive seasons and climatic conditions)

• Spring: starts in January and ends in May

• Summer: May or early June and ends just before the fall semester begins.

Most universities for MS in electronics in the U.S. accept applications only two times in a calendar year for the fall and spring semesters of the academic year. Also, some universities only entertain applications for the fall semester. The application process for the fall semester usually starts one year before your joining during October and ends on December or January. 

If you aspire to have an MS in Electronics and Communication abroad, you must at first shortlist the choice of your universities and keep checking upon the updates for application. 

The term electronics engineering came into prominence after the 1950s. Electrical engineering is still used interchangeably with electronics engineering in some academic circles. This is due to the fact that electronics is a sub-field of the former. There are a plethora of opportunities waiting for you once you’re done with your Master’s in Electrical/Electronics and communication engineering. Let’s have a look at the top 10 universities offering Masters course for the related branches!

10. Cornell University:

Cornell University – MS in Electrical

With an acceptance rate of 28.4% and abundant funding options like fellowships, Research/Teaching Assistantships, Cornell offers some of the most sought after courses in the electrical/electronics/communication engineering background.

It offers specializations like Artificial Intelligence,Computational Biology,VLSI, Power Electronics, Electrical Power, Master Of Science (MS) and Systems and Networking. If you are aiming for an MS in electronics and communication abroad which will help you get a variety of job options, Cornell University located in Ithaca, New York should be on your bucket list. The tuition fees range around 30,000 USD p.a.

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9.  Princeton University:

Princeton University – MS in Electrical

Being an Ivy league university Princeton is synonymous with Research and development in the field of electrical/electronics and communications engineering. Tie ups with prestigious research institutes and organizations enriches the learning experience. Princeton Research Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials (PRISM), Princeton Center For Complex Materials (PCCM) and Center for Mid-Infra Red Technologies for Health and the Environment (MIRTHE) are some of the programs associated with the reputed university. The acceptance rate is around 10% and with average tuition fees in the range of 38-39,000 USD Princeton.

Degree programs in Computing & Networking, Information Sciences & Systems, Masters in Electrical Engineering, Integrated Electronic Systems and Photonics are the core research areas. Some other disciplines and courses which the faculty of Princeton are proud of are; image processing, signal processing, cutting edge, engineer researching, power electronics and so on. 

Having said that, an MS in electrical engineering from the University of Princeton, would shower you with opportunities and could open up doors to your dream. 

8. Carnegie Mellon University:

Carnegie Mellon University – MS in Electrical

Through international collaborations with other universities, CMU aims at giving an innovative boost to their academics and education style.
SYSU-CMU Joint Institute of Engineering is one such collaboration between Sun Yat-sen University and CMU. Acceptance rate of almost 29% and tuition fees in the range of 39,000 USD, + remains to be one of the best choices for anyone fascinated by R&D in the field of electrical/electronics and communication engineering, as well as computer engineering. Apart from VLSI, wireless Networking and  communication, engineer researching CMU has multiple research areas with focus on Computer storage systems, Cyber-physical systems, Mobile systems and Smart infrastructure. With an MS in electrical engineering, electronics engineering or computer science from Carnegie Mellon University, you sure are bound to enjoy the exposure, this university has to provide. The different internship programs offered and the knowledge gathered from the reputed faculty will be of immense help. The students are also empowered with some other courses such as power systems, control engineer researching as well as courses on renewable energy.

7. University of Michigan—Ann Arbor:

University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) – MS in Electrical

University of Michigan simply referred to as UMich is one of the top notch public research universities in the US. It is the oldest university in the state of Michigan providing a MS in Electrical. With over 40,000 students and close to 7000 academic staff affiliated to science and technology department, the Ann Arbor campus boasts of 3,177 acres. Starting from computer architecture to Plasma Science & Engineering, from Signal Processing and Image Processing to Integrated Circuits & VLSI, from Solid-State Devices & Nanotechnology to Quantum Science & Devices UMich provides a whole lot of options to choose from in terms of Research and Development. The acceptance rate varies around 25% and the tuition fees round up to 42,000 USD. Graduate students have been ever proud of the campus, the different scholarships and programmes associated with the University.

6. Georgia Institute of Technology:

Georgia Institute of Technology – MS in Electrical

Georgia Institute of Technology commonly referred to as Georgia Tech is a public research university with research interest in areas ranging from Biosensors/BioMEMS, Neuroengineering, Dependable Computing, Multimedia Networking, Photonics and optoelectronics, VLSI Systems and Digital Design. Among the Universities for MS in Electronics, the Georgia Institute of Technology is extremely reputed for its research scholars, the professors integrated with all the programmes and the graduate students the university produces. Georgia Institute of Technology also has an efficient team of professors in the field of Electrical and Computer Engineering. With an acceptance rate of about 26% for MS in electrical engineering and annual tuition fees in the range of 26-27,000 USD Georgia Tech boasts of a humongous 23,000+ student community.

This institute would be one of the best choices for MS in Electronics and Communication abroad owing to the comparatively lower expense in terms of education and livelihood, as well as having some of the best facilities to look up to.

5.California Institute of Technology:

California Institute of Technology – MS in Electrical

California Institute of Technology commonly referred to as Caltech prides itself on a combined 34 Nobel prizes achieved by 33 of its alumni and faculty members for MS in electrical engineering. That speaks leaps and bounds about the scope and opportunities for research and development. Other extraordinary feats include managing  NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory ever since 1936. Another factor that provides a huge boost to R&D at Caltech is the multidisciplinary approach to the field of electrical/electronics and communication engineering. This approach enables the students to study and research in a wide variety of fields ranging from wireless systems to quantum electronics, modern optics, lasers and guided waves, from solid-state materials and devices to power and energy systems, from signal processing to computational vision and engineer researching. A master’s degree in computer science from this reputed institution is also much appreciated in almost all the global firms across the world.  With acceptance rate just above 8% Caltech College of engineering is one of the most difficult places to get into. The annual tuition fees come around 39,000 USD.

4. University of Illinois—Urbana-Champaign:

University of Illinois UrbanaChampaign – MS in Electrical

With annual tuition fees of 30,000 USD and acceptance rate of 27% there are plenty of research opportunities in UIUC. Research areas include Circuits and signal processing, Communications and control, Computing systems hardware and software, Electromagnetics, prior knowledge on electrical power and cutting edge, renewable energy, power electronics, optics and remote sensing, Microelectronics and photonics, Nanotechnology, Networking and distributed computing, Power and energy systems and Reliable and secure computing systems amongst others. More than 130 courses to choose from and 100 experienced faculty members with years of expertise among them, what more can any aspiring graduate student ask for. MS in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois is highly recommended and respected from all around the world. 

3. University of California—Berkeley:

University of California Berkeley – MS in electrical

University of California commonly referred to as UC Berkeley offers a variety of high quality courses for masters and is extremely renowned for being one of the best College of engineering. The courses are catered to both industry-oriented as well as research-oriented students. Among the best universities for MS in electronics, this prestigious university has Collaborations with institutes like California Institute for Energy and Environment (CIEE), Center for Optoelectronic Nanostructured Semiconductor Technologies (CONSRT), Video and Image Processing Lab (VIP Lab), Visual Computing Lab (VCL) and Wireless Embedded Systems (WEBS) gives UC Berkeley that extra edge in terms of research. The duration of these master’s degree courses vary depending upon the course chosen, with research-oriented courses spanning a period of upto 7 years while the industry-oriented courses last for 1-2 years. The main research areas include Artificial Intelligence (AI), Micro/Nano Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS), Signal Processing (SP), Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), engineer researching and Integrated Circuits (INC).
With an acceptance rate of 12.4 % and tuition fees of about 27,000 USD this flagship campus of the University of California system is easily one of the best public research universities in the world.

2. Stanford University:

Stanford University – MS in electrical

One of the most prestigious and selective colleges in US Stanford remains to be at the pinnacle of research and academics. Apart from association with faculty and alumni who have founded companies like Google, HP, Nike, Sun Micro-systems and Yahoo!, Stanford College of engineering boasts of producing a combined 47 of world’s billionaires and astronauts. The core research areas  concentrate on Physical Technology & Science, Information Systems & Science and Hardware/Software Systems with sub areas such as Integrated Circuits and Power Electronics, Societal Networks and Energy-Efficient Hardware Systems. There are plenty of multidisciplinary research options too in the field of science and technology.
With an acceptance rate of almost 19% and tuition fees of about 44,000 USD the cardinals rank number 2 on our list of top 10 universities for electrical/electronics and communications engineering.

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology – MS in Electrical

MIT is the perfect fit for numero uno on our list of top 10 universities for electrical, electronics and communications engineering. Subject of numerous movies, sometimes portraying the life of a 20-year-old unrecognized genius and sometimes telling the tale of gifted students who take down a casino by their sheer intellect; this university has been as much a part of pop culture as it has been a standout in the field of academics. Apart from research activities this university has had more than its fair share of successful entrepreneurs. With more than 11,000 students and over 1000 academic staff MIT is a pioneer in the field of physical sciences and engineering. The graduate research areas comprise of Integrated Electronic and Photonic Systems, Computer Systems, Networks, engineer researching associated with system and control. Some other disciplines MIT boasts of are Architecture and Bioelectrical and Biomedical Engineering. Electrical and Computer Engineering at MIT is one of the most renowned courses being taught here. 

With an average acceptance rate ranging around 8-10% and annual tuition fees of about 42,000 USD MIT tops our rank of the most prestigious universities for electrical, electronics and communication engineering.

Admission Awareness Evaluation

These are some of the best universities for MS in electronics, MS in Electrical Engineering as well as computer science. If you wish to wish to pursue MS in Electronics and Communication abroad and looking for opportunities to settle your career straightaway, these top 10 Universities should definitely be in your bucket list. And in case you are wondering which country to target, US or Canada, click here. We hope that this particular segment on top universities in the field of Electrical, Electronics and Communication Engineering was useful and informative. We wish you all the best for your university shortlisting process and happy learning with AdmitEDGE.