BSc in Electrical Engineering

Why should undergraduate students pursue their electrical engineering degree at North Central College?

Our focus is on automation and robotics. Our themes are sustainability, access, and enhancing the quality of life for all. Engineering and technology have the potential to address many societal issues. Electrical Engineers influence new technology creations and applications. Every electrical engineering student gets hands-on training and a personalized experience in the engineering method, the latest engineering design and simulation software, making parts on 3D printers, programming in Python, electronic circuits and architecture, FPGA design, sensors, actuators, embedded processors, power electronics and motors. If it’s electronic, you’ll know how it gets its information, how it’s programmed, and what makes it respond. You'll practice the same skills and fundamentals that you'll use in your career: how to solve problems, analyze and interpret data, work in teams, write reports and make presentations. School activities include intercollegiate competitions, community engagement, and independent studies.

Do I need a master's degree in electrical engineering?

While it isn't required to receive a master's degree in engineering to start your career, it is highly beneficial. Our engineering program at NCC will prepare future graduate students as they continue their education in electrical engineering.

Other academic degree programs and opportunities include:

• Complete internships at nearby research labs such as Argonne National Laboratory or Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.
• Study in the Dr. Myron Wentz Science Center, a state-of-the-art facility equipped to accommodate the most sophisticated hardware, software, and other sustainable technology equal to facilities at any electrical engineering school in Illinois.
• Pursue your education and research interests anywhere in the world by applying for a Richter Grant.
• Travel, study and work internationally, and complete electrical engineering student course requirements through our study abroad program.
• Present your original research findings to your colleagues from electrical engineering colleges in Illinois at local, regional, and at national conferences, such as the National Conferences on Undergraduate Research or North Central’s own Rall Symposium for Undergraduate Research.

Since 1861, North Central has been a place where new ideas lead to unlimited possibilities. We’re an independent college dedicated to the power of the liberal arts and sciences to transform students into leaders both in their careers and communities. Our nearly 3,000 students study across more than 65 undergraduate and graduate programs, with their education, made richer by supportive faculty and staff, world-class facilities, and countless opportunities to learn beyond the classroom.

A College on the move

Building on the foundation of more than 150 years of excellence, North Central continues to grow with numerous new facilities, programs, and initiatives in the works.

The College opened with 40 students in a single two-story building in Plainfield, Illinois. Since then we’ve changed names twice (to North-Western, then North Central), moved once (from Plainfield to Naperville), and grown steadily (to about 3,000 students).

Over the years, thousands of dedicated students, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends have helped us thrive through the toughest challenges – wars, economic crises, social upheavals, and more – and build a future brilliant with hope and promise.

We’ve met the changing needs of students from Civil War veterans to millennial entrepreneurs. And we’ve always stayed true to our heritage of moral courage and forward-thinking.

Today we’re a top-ranked private comprehensive college of the liberal arts and sciences. U.S. News & World Report counts us among “America’s Best Colleges,” one of the top six schools in the Midwest for a “strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.” Students choose from more than 55 undergraduate majors and five graduate program areas.

Although the College originally discouraged organized athletics as a distraction from weightier matters, our 26 intercollegiate sports in NCAA Division III make our athletic department the largest in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW). North Central is proud of its 32 team national championships and 123 individual national champions.

Though affiliated with the United Methodist Church, we welcome and encourage students and staff of all faiths. We are thoughtfully expanding our academic programs to respond to the needs of our ever-changing world, recently adding Middle Eastern and North African Studies, along with Arabic. And we’re transforming our facilities – most dramatically with a new interdisciplinary Science Center located at the corner of Brainard Street and Van Buren Avenue.

It’s been an amazing 150+ years. But it’s clear that the best is yet to come!