The Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering offers both professional degrees (BSEE, BSSSE) and non-professional degrees (BS in Applied Science).

The professional degrees are designed for those students who seek to enter the engineering profession.  These degree programs are accredited by ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology).  Engineers who eventually seek registration as a Professional Engineer (PE) must have an ABET-accredited degree in engineering.  In most states you must be a registered professional engineer to go into business as a consulting engineer, to be a founder of company with the word “engineer” in the title, or to be the head of a large engineering organization.

The non-professional degrees offer more flexibility, and are appropriate for students seeking a technical education but who do not necessarily wish to pursue a career as an engineer.  There are fewer departmental requirements in the major and thus students are afforded more choices to take elective classes in mathematics, science or the humanities.  These degree programs are not ABET-accredited.  Students in the non-professional degree programs may be interested in careers in medicine, law, business, government service, and in some cases graduate school in other disciplines.