Graduates in electrical engineering from the University of Paderborn have a wide range of career opportunities to choose from and a final decision certainly will also be individually dependent on the key area taken in the degree program. Actually, the number of specialist field options is too large to list all kinds of professions possible. This is why we only pick up four fields our graduates from the last couple of years are currently employed in.

Without state-of-the-art electrical engineering the change to renewable energy would not be feasible. How is electrical power fed in the electrical grid from renewable sources such as wind power or photovoltaics and supplied to the consumer? How do Smart Grids work? How is electrical energy used in an efficient and economical manner? All these are urgent issues our graduates are dealing with in the various businesses. 

Developments in medical science of past decades were significantly influenced by electrical engineering. Areas of focus include developments of improved diagnostic methods, intelligent patient monitoring as well as advanced therapies. To name just a few, these days former graduates being employed in the leading electrical engineering companies are developing e.g. computer tomography systems, 3D- ultrasonic devices and new measurement methods for a more precise diagnosis of diseases. They are also involved in developing electrical therapy applications, such as cardiac pacemakers, minuscule hearing aid implants or state-of-the-art prostheses of all kinds as well as assistance systems in open surgery which tell the surgeon, e.g. in a hip surgery, how deep the drill may enter into the bone.

Nowadays hardly anyone wonders how our daily information technologies actually work. To (further) develop these has become a feature of information and communications engineering. Here our graduates are developing innovative communication systems for strong ambient interferences, tiny speakers for mobile devices, intelligent driver assistant systems or increasing the existing bandwidths by applying fibre optics technology. On account of today's wide range of communicating applications, also high frequency simulations and measurements on the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) have become further core activities.

Comprehensive hard- and software testing ensure the proper functioning of communication devices. To develop and enhance these has become another operational field. 

No matter whether in Wolfsburg, Ingolstadt or Munich: Today our graduates currently employed with renowned German automotive manufacturers are developing e.g. control technologies for motor vehicles, new sensor and assistance systems as well as hybrid and electric drives with regard to electro mobility. Also, embedded systems play a broader role in modern cars. By constantly increasing computing capacity and the application of optimized software, intelligent management of each individual vehicle component can be realized. This does not only lead to more fuel efficiency and greater comfort, but also increases the safety of today's vehicles.

As a result, the future holds exciting opportunities for our graduates, which require a very high level of responsibility. There are, of course, many more career goals, one of which is being awarded the PhD, which may either result in a scientific career in the university field or a profitable executive position in business enterprise.