Information on Master’s Degree Programs in Electronics
Majors Overview September 9, 2015This article talks about master’s degree programs in electronics and their education requirements, coursework, and job and wage outlook.
Master’s Programs in Electronics
Individuals interested in using electron science for designing and creating devices and equipment for recreational, industrial, scientific and medical uses could benefit from enrolling into graduate programs in electronics engineering. A Master of Science (M.S.) in Electronics Engineering is the most commonly offered graduate degree at schools. Students can expect to become adept at developing and testing electronic circuits and their various parts, including capacitors, inductors, transistors, capacitors, and diodes. They learn about manipulating and redesigning electronic circuits to allow the circuits to be used to control many kinds of electronic equipment.
Completing a bachelor’s or associate degree program in electronics engineering would suffice the needs of aspiring service technicians and repair technicians. Master’s degree programs are devised to teach students advanced theories of lasers, quantum mechanics, and mathematics to make them adept at further developing research in the field and creating new components. Schools offering a master’s program in electronics engineering often require students to complete a thesis paper or project.
Education Requirements
Admission criteria typically require incoming students to hold a baccalaureate degree in a scientific field, in addition to having a solid understanding of electronics theory and a strong grasp of the way circuits work.
Coursework
Program coursework incorporates advanced classes that cover the theories of materials and instrumentation in the electronics field. Core coursework may cover topic areas such as:
•Electronic and photonic materials
•Quantum mechanics
•Research methods
•Optical materials
•Mathematics for optical engineering
•Lasers and Photonics
•Solid state physics
•Optical communications
•Polymers
•Instrumentation
Job and Wage Outlook
In 2010, about 294,000 individuals were employed as electronics engineers in the United States (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). In 2010, the federal government employed about 14% of all electronics engineers while electronic component manufacturers or wired telecommunications carriers employed 11%. Over the 2010 – 2020 decade, the electronics engineering field is expected to witness little job growth, mainly owing to increasing foreign competition in the field. In 2012, electronics engineers, excluding computer hardware engineers, brought in an average annual wage of $89,630.
