Academic programs
College OF ENGineering
PhD in Electrical Engineering
PhD
The PhD program in Electrical Engineering enables you to select from a broad range of electrical engineering areas and pursue research that maps to your career goals. In this research-based program, you will work alongside accomplished faculty in state-of-the-art facilities while also having the opportunity to complete an internship, gaining industry experience as part of your academic work.
Location
Oakland, California
Commitment
Full-Time/Part-Time
Type
Classroom and hybrid
Program overview
As a PhD in Electrical Engineering student at Northeastern University, you can pursue cutting-edge research in a broad range of electrical engineering areas such as:
- Signal and image processing
- Biomedical signal processing and brain-computer interface
- Pattern recognition
- Adaptive signal processing
- Wireless and underwater communications
- Information theory and coding
- Robust and distributed control
- Optics, photonics, acoustics, and magnetics sensors
- Radio frequency chip design
- Digital and mixed-signal integrated circuits
- Low-power very-large-scale integration
- Modeling and analysis of large-scale power grids during normal operation and under faults
- DC-DC converters, inverters, rectifiers, and AC-AC converters
- Modulation techniques used in power electronics
Our research-based doctorate program has minimal and flexible course requirements, and you can pursue the program full-time or part-time. The exact nature of the program of study will vary depending on your dissertation subject area and preparation. You can enter the PhD program with either a BS or an MS degree in electrical engineering or a closely related field.
Unique features
- A variety of graduate courses provide the flexibility to plan course requirements that map to your research requirements and personal interests.
- Many of our courses are offered in two sections: in-person and streaming video for part-time students who have schedule conflicts and for live-casting of courses.
- Northeastern is a renowned leader in internships and cooperative education and has close collaborations with Silicon Valley industry, national labs, and other universities. Additionally, the San Francisco Bay Area is home to numerous startup incubators and venture capital funds.
- Northeastern’s Institute for NanoSystems Innovation is located on the Oakland, California, and Boston, Massachusetts, campuses. A global institute, it is focused on semiconductor research, education, and entrepreneurship.
Program objectives
Complete the program with the ability to:
- Identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems.
- Produce solutions that meet specified end-user needs.
- Explain and apply engineering design principles, as appropriate to the program’s educational objectives.
- Apply analytical, numerical, and/or experimental methods to analyze and design complex engineering systems, and to identify, formulate, and solve new and challenging electrical engineering problems.
- Direct independent scientific research in electrical engineering and related fields.
- Formulate new research plans and communicate the research outcomes through oral and written communication.
Career outlook
Pursuing a PhD in electrical engineering puts you at the forefront of an in-demand industry. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, electrical and electronics engineering jobs are expected to increase 9% from 2023 to 2033, much faster than the average job outlook growth rate. Additionally, the National Semiconductor Association indicates that the semiconductor industry’s workforce will grow 33% by 2030.
Curriculum
For 100+ years, we’ve designed our programs with one thing in mind—your success. Explore the current program requirements, course descriptions, and research opportunities, faculty, and facilities—all designed to give you in-demand skills and experience to prepare you to be an engineering leader capable of addressing the evolving and complex challenges of the world.
Experiential learning
With Northeastern’s relationships with numerous high-tech firms, both start-ups and large multinational corporations, as well as national labs and academic institutions, many of our PhD students have the opportunity to complete an internship as part of their academic program. Often your advisor is instrumental in identifying the internship position, with a funding sponsor or research collaborator. Internships can be informally arranged for several months at any time during the calendar year.
You also can take advantage of the more formally arranged co-op program, which entails up to eight months of work experience preceded by several preparatory professional development courses.
The cooperative education program, also known as “co-op,” is one of the largest and most innovative in the world—and Northeastern is one of the only universities to offer a co-op program for graduate students. Through co-op, students gain professional experience while employed in their field of interest as part of our academic curriculum. Northeastern has over 3,000 co-op employer partners. Additionally, students can participate in the university’s Experiential PhD program.
“I’ve been exposed to people from different countries, and I have been able to work with people from different backgrounds on robotics or machine learning and digital processing.”
—Sara Garcia Sanchez, PhD in Electrical Engineering
Tuition and aid
To learn about cost of attendance and funding assistance, please visit the College of Engineering’s tuition and financial assistance web page.
How to apply
Learn more about the College of Engineerings admissions process and required materials, including deadlines.