You are a science and math whiz, and you have a passion for computer systems and digital systems design. There are many options available that will let you turn your passions into a degree that will land your dream job. But how are you to know the perfect choice that will also encompass your acquired skills?

This following list covers 10 electrical engineering universities you definitely need to consider in your search. Some of them are “traditional favorites,” while others are a little less well known than some of their competitor’s names. But all of them have something unique to offer you as you prepare for a bright career ahead:

USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering was ranked in the top ten of engineering schools by US News this year, and in 2015 was noted as one of the top ten engineering programs in the world. The alumni of USC have gone on to create businesses like Qualcomm, Riot Games, and Myspace, programs like Intuit, and apps like Tinder. And, of course, we can’t forget that the genius of Star Wars began from USC alumni too.

Often overshadowed by other Californian engineering programs, this school is a great idea if you value interdisciplinary knowledge and experience, and would like to take advantage of the game design program, which is a branch of the engineering school and is continually top-ranked in the country. If you would like to learn in this kind of environment, where gaming and cinematics are popular, the sun is always shining, the entrepreneurial spirit is very high, and the school retains many of its traditions, this is the ideal program for you.

If you are looking to gain a MA or a PhD in electrical engineering, you may want to consider the Air Force’s challenging degree program. This platform deems attention because, like other military programs, the cost of your tuition is free as long as you serve in the military while completing your degree program.

Since the Air Force is able to give hands-on experience like nowhere else, it also is the best place to go should you want to be involved in military operations once you get your degree. Even if you are an undergraduate, you can still work in engineering, and pursue the Master’s program later, if you wish— all while helping your country, and getting free tuition to boot.

If you are a skilled scientist, want to travel internationally and immerse yourself in a different culture, and have a highly entrepreneurial spirit, then this university is the perfect fit. It is ranked highly among world schools, engineering schools, and is first in Asia. Not to mention, it is located right in the city of Singapore. The NUS Entrepreneurship Center also supports a wide variety of business endeavors, and the school stands out with its intensive science classes and school structure that encourages independence, leadership, and new ideas.

Johns Hopkins is included here not just because it is an excellent school itself, but also because it features one of the country’s best fully online electrical engineering programs. With the intent of making college affordable and doable for everyone, and not just people who have the time or resources to physically go to a university, Hopkins was one of the first top universities to initiate the online course trend in 2001. This Master’s program can be done completely online, and will enable you to benefit from the same excellent professors that you would get in the classroom.

Even without the online degree program, however, Hopkins’ Whiting School of Engineering ranks in the top 25 of engineering programs. This school is perfect if you’re seeking post-undergraduate education, or if you’re an undergraduate looking to supplement your knowledge with this online course.

Not to be outdone by USC, UC - Berkeley consistently ranks among the top electrical engineering programs and among one of the best universities among world rankings. It is classified third overall in engineering, and its School of Engineering is the most competitive out of all its schools.

They have the largest research facility is the Electronics Research Laboratory, though their Engineering Systems research center is nothing to sniff at either. You may find it difficult to gain admission to this university if you are a non-Californian resident, but you should apply all the same: not just for the prestige, but for the vast number of opportunities to research. Not to mention, the large alumni network will help you secure a job after graduation.

5. Virginia Polytechnic Institute

Virginia Tech as one of the top engineering programs in the country among public universities, and US News ranked its electrical engineering program as the 15th best in the country. However, what puts it ahead of the competition is its quality of student life. The Princeton Review recently ranked its students being the second-happiest students in the country, making that decision using input from the students.

They also made the top lists for best college food, best overall quality of life, and town-gown relations, among others. This is an excellent school to apply to if you not only want a rigorous, well-taught, and interdisciplinary academic experience, but also wish to enjoy and treasure your undergraduate experience.

Currently ranked as the fifth best engineering university in the world in QS World University Rankings, ETH Zurich has given opportunities to prestigious alumni all the way back to Albert Einstein. Twenty-one other alumni have received nobel prizes in science, technology, and mathematic fields. It also boasts a sizeable endowment (1.62 billion dollars, to be exact) in order to support the cutting-edge research that happens within the grounds. Its prestige is highly worth considering, especially if you want to experience a university setting outside of America.

The campuses are exquisitely beautiful, and a recent project called “Science City” was founded in order to make the campuses even more attractive and sustainable. Be warned, though: ETH students are known as the busiest students in Switzerland, and they are known to take on twice the amount of coursework than students at other institutions.

This public research university’s engineering school is its most selective, and is currently ranked as the fourth best engineering program in the world. Perhaps its best attribute is the extensive focus on cutting-edge research, which it conducts with a huge number of grants and one of the best modern research infrastructures.

It also hosts the largest public engineering library in the country, and its library system overall has one of the most extensive collections in the world. This is also an excellent school if you want to have a rich and diverse learning experience, since this school sports one of the largest international populations of any American school— a testament also to how many eager students flock to this resource-rich school.

In the 1950’s, Stanford’s dean of engineering, Frederick Terman, advocated for faculty and graduates to start their own businesses. This encouragement led him to be known as “the father of Silicon Valley,” for he is thought to have encouraged companies like Hewlett-Packard, helping develop the lower part of Southern California into a high-tech haven.

Stanford has an incredible list of alumni who have gone on to found Google, Nike, Instagram, Yahoo!, and many others. It is a top school, if not the top school, for electrical engineering and electronic communications, while still retaining a 7:1 student-teacher ratio that allows you to develop your aptitude closely alongside top professors. There are few better places to be if you’re interested in technology than around the Silicon Valley area, and this makes Stanford’s program one that you must apply to.

It may seem obvious, but it needs to be said: if you have any investment at all in the engineering field, you need to apply to MIT. This establishment is consistently top-ranked among engineering schools, not to mention among universities overall. Its largest and most popular department is engineering, offering BAs, MAs, and PhDs in electrical engineering, and almost every college ranking (and students’ personal experience) has named in the top engineering school.

It is known as a highly entrepreneurial school, with a vast number of its graduates successful founding their own business ventures upon graduation. Graduates of this school also went on to become employees of Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, and Goldman Sachs, among many others. In fact, admission to MIT all but guarantees a well-paying job or entry into an excellent graduate school, especially for engineers, who consist one of MIT’s top employment sectors after completion of an undergraduate degree.

However, don’t let this the prestigious nature of the school scare you away from applying: the school has a very high retention rate for its freshmen, partially due to a system where freshmen take all of their first semester classes pass/fail in order to reduce pressure. Besides, the only way to guarantee you won’t get in is by not applying!

Though it is easy to get caught up in statistics and rankings, it is also important to remember to find the school that is the right for you. Not every school in this list is necessarily ranked top ten, but they are all schools that have something different to offer. You will thrive best where you feel happiest, so make sure to take that into consideration on your search for the best electrical engineering program for you.

And if you have any questions about our electrical engineering products, feel free to email us at sales@totalphase.com.