Electrical engineering is a professional engineering discipline that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. This field first became an identifiable occupation in the later half of the 19th century after commercialization of the electric telegraph, the telephone, and electric power distribution and use. Subsequently, broadcasting and recording media made electronics part of daily life. The invention of the transistor, and later the integrated circuit, brought down the cost of electronics to the point they can be used in almost any household object.

The Ph.D. degree program is intended for persons having an accredited master's degree in electrical engineering or closely related field such as computer engineering, electrical systems engineering, etc. Students interested in the Ph.D. degree program should consult the director of graduate studies in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The University of Louisville is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award doctoral degrees.