Electrical engineers design, develop, build and test electrical and electronic devices and systems. For instance, electrical communication systems involving, wire, optical fiber, or wireless technology abound in radio, television, cellphones, and computer networks. Advances in electronics have made possible instrumentation systems for use in all branches of the physical and biological sciences, as well as in most areas of engineering.

The reduction in cost and size of digital electronic devices has led to an explosive growth in the use of embedded computing in many application domains. Digital signal processing has enabled information extraction and processing capabilities unforeseen with analog technology in areas of video and music, environmental sciences, biomedical imaging, communication and computer systems.

Electric energy is controlled and distributed by a complex transmission and distribution network that is essential to the functionality of modern society. New electric and electronic systems and devices are enabling the control of the flow of energy in a multitude of systems that affect our lives in many different ways.