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As a non-native English speaker, I am always torn between writing/saying, "I have a degree in Electronic Engineering" vs. "Electronics Engineering".

I have heard the Electronics Engineering is correct since Electronics is a subject, in the same way as Mathematics, Physics, and so on. 'Electronic Engineering' would therefore mean an Engineer built from electronic components (a robot!).

However, it is not uncommon to come across some university courses whose title is 'Electronic Engineer'.

I wonder which is the most correct expression.

TonyM
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Rubem Pacelli
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    It depends what it reads in you degree. I would not say neither. You might be an Electrical Engineer who has majored in Electronics or Embedded Systems or whatever. – Justme Dec 28 '22 at 14:31
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    Both are uncommon degrees in the USA, hence this USA-based site is titled "Electrical Engineering", which is a degree that encompasses most areas of engineering involving electronics. Different countries often have different names though for the same things. – user1850479 Dec 28 '22 at 16:23
  • It's math and maths all over again... – ScottishTapWater Dec 28 '22 at 23:39
  • @user1850479 [In addition to what you already wrote.] Most schools in the US teach small signal EE. There are only about there universities in the US with solid power electronics programs: University of Colorado, Georgia Tech, San Luis Obispo. [I hope my information isn't outdated. Previous time I looked into this was about 8 years ago.] – Nick Alexeev Dec 29 '22 at 00:33
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    @ScottishTapWater Which one do you dislike: the "electrical engineering" in the header, or the word "electronics" in the URL in front of .stackexchange.com ? – Nick Alexeev Dec 29 '22 at 01:01
  • @NickAlexeev - The electrical engineering one, given the logo is a diode – ScottishTapWater Dec 29 '22 at 10:18
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    @ScottishTapWater Electrical Engineering is one of the oldest Eng. course and covers the Electronics subject, in fact. However, I do agree that this site should be named Electronics Engineering as the focus here is low-voltage and high-frequency rather than power systems. Moreover, Electronics Engineering is a well-established graduation worldwide, even though it is uncommon in US. – Rubem Pacelli Dec 29 '22 at 14:36
  • @RubemPacelli This site doesn't focus on small signal EE. This site is open to small signal EE as much as high power EE. – Nick Alexeev Dec 29 '22 at 16:58
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    @RubemPacelli - That may be the case historically, be it's not the case in most of Europe anymore (can't speak for the USA). Sure, you'll cover basic electronics, but you wouldn't do much microcontroller work in an electical engineering course and you wouldn't do much generator work in an electronics engineering course – ScottishTapWater Dec 29 '22 at 17:30

3 Answers3

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Both "Electronic Engineering" and "Electronics Engineering" are acceptable ways to refer to the field of study that deals with the design and application of electronic circuits, devices, and systems. The terms are often used interchangeably and there is no strict rule governing which one is more correct.

In general, "Electronics Engineering" is more common and widely accepted as the correct term. This is because the word "electronics" refers specifically to the study of electronic circuits and systems, while "electronic" is a more general term that can refer to anything related to electricity or electronics.

However, it is not uncommon for universities and other educational institutions to use the term "Electronic Engineering" when naming their programs or courses. In this case, the use of "Electronic" is intended to convey the broader scope of the field, which may include topics such as computer engineering, electrical engineering, and telecommunications engineering, in addition to electronics.

Ultimately, it is important to use the term that is most commonly accepted and understood in your field or by your intended audience. If you are unsure which term to use, you can consult with colleagues or check with professional organizations or societies in your field to see which term they use.

Jan Eerland
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    And to confuse things even more there's "Electrical Engineering", which is what's on my degree. – SteveSh Dec 28 '22 at 13:30
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    @SteveSh and the name of this very StackExchange! – evildemonic Dec 28 '22 at 15:00
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    My university was the opposite of the second sentence of your second paragraph. The degree is "Electrical Engineering", which included electronics, computer, power systems, etc. – Theodore Dec 28 '22 at 16:02
  • @SteveSh - Electrical engineering is generally more geared towards higher powered stuff and electronics is lower power signal based stuff – ScottishTapWater Dec 29 '22 at 10:23
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    @ScottishTapWater - I don't think that's the distinction. I never had a class in power engineering for my EE degree. If there is a distinction between Electrical and Electronic(s), it may be in the number of math courses (Electrical Engineering having more) and the treatment of more theoretical aspects of EE like E&M field theory and stochastic processes. – SteveSh Dec 29 '22 at 13:12
  • @SteveSh - Might well be regional then, because what I've said is definitely true for the UK – ScottishTapWater Dec 29 '22 at 17:31
  • This answer appears to be wholly or largely AI generated. Is it? – Russell McMahon Jan 03 '23 at 00:51
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    @evildemonic, re "and the name of this very StackExchange"... But the URL is electronics.stackexchange.com. Now I'm even more confused ;-) – wovano Oct 05 '23 at 08:39
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I can't comment on its use in degree courses but I can for industry job titles in the UK...

I see 'Electronics Engineer' commonly and take it to be for the same reason you state: 'Electronic Engineer' is ambiguous and can imply an engineer who is electronic i.e. a machine.

AFAICR, I have only see 'Electronics Engineer' used as a job title by client companies and recruitment companies, much less or never 'Electronic Engineer'.

I use 'Electronics Engineer' because it's lack of use in proper English means it is more likely to be read as a proper noun even when in lower case.

TonyM
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    @PStechPaul, you surprise me there - I don't see it as related at all. The maths/math thing is just a UK/US difference, like a ton of spellings and terminology. Whereas I hear plenty of people talking about electronics engineers and electronic engineers with no particular geographical leaning. So they're completely unrelated, for myself at least. (As an aside, I never understood how the singular 'math' can be an abbreviation of the plural 'mathematics' over 'maths' but it's a big and diverse world :-) ) – TonyM Dec 29 '22 at 00:05
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Are you an engineer designing electronics or are you an engineer powered by electricity?

That's the difference between an electronics engineer and an electronic engineer.

It's as simple as that, the former is correct, the latter is incorrect.

ScottishTapWater
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