Careers involving electromagnetism (engineering)?

[Mingus]

Hello,

I am an EE at college, and I will be graduating in (most likely) 3 semesters. Out of all of the parts of EE, I have really enjoyed electromagnetism the most and I was wondering if anyone had any insight into careers that revolve around EM.

I just don't have a good grasp of what engineers in this field actually do and what careers exist. I've heard of antenna and rf design, and dsp... but that's about all I know that is related to this. I figure that most of the jobs in industry that are based around (or make use of) EM are in the field of communications. I really want to be in a job where I am doing design work eventually, so pure academic research isn't something I'm looking into. The only way I would consider doing research is if it was on a topic that was a good transfer into industry (though many topics interest me), where I might still be involved in the design process.

I plan on asking a few professors at my college for their advice when I get the chance, but I figured some of you on the physics forum would have some great advice as well. Also, I apologize in advanced for the sloppy post; I'm just really worn out from recent travelling.

 

[Mingus]

Maybe to add some organisation to my question-

What are some other examples of jobs that make use of EM and what would the job entail?

Are the jobs in this concentration generally stable?

If I have a good gpa and had a solid foundation on the basics, would it be difficult to break into an entry level position?

Do the design positions usually require a Bachelors, Masters, or PhD?

As far as getting more specific, I'm very interested in a few areas. How does the industry look if I get a masters focusing in satellite communication or optics? Yes, I know they aren't the most related topics, but I have reasons that I find them both interesting and exciting.

 

[JakeBrodskyPE]

EM technology is central to most things in electrical engineering. It is energy storage. It is energy transmission. It is motors, antennas, RF, and circuit board design. It is about designing buildings to be resistant to lightning. It is about designing with long distance transmission lines. It is about designing power transformers, motor drives, and so many more things.

Need I continue?

You're basically asking if electrical engineering is a viable practice in the modern world. This is one of those foundation courses in this field. Many applications are derived from it.

No, you don't practice this stuff directly. But you do use many things it teaches. Features such as skin effect, the curl of a magnetic field around a wire, or the effects of wire thickness on antenna bandwidth are all part of the larger practice of electrical engineering.

So, yes, jobs that use this are generally stable. You can practice these concepts with just a BSEE or a PhD. As I pointed out: it is a foundational course. And congratulations for actually getting excited about it because this is a central issue you will have to deal with.

Oh and by the way, a signals course and a circuits course are also foundational. Pay attention there too.