Smart systems and energy innovation represent the two most consequential application domains where electrical engineering is producing transformative change across industries – and they are connected more deeply than the different terminology suggests. Every smart system that controls, monitors, or optimises physical processes requires the power electronics, sensing, signal processing, and communications infrastructure that electrical engineering develops. Every energy innovation that converts, stores, distributes, or manages electricity more efficiently is built on electrical engineering foundations. The engineers who understand both domains – who can design the intelligent electronics and the energy systems they power and connect – are building careers at the intersection of the most active innovation happening in the discipline today.
Smart systems span a wider range of industries than most students initially recognise. Smart manufacturing uses intelligent sensors, programmable controllers, and networked electronics to optimise production and quality in real time. Smart healthcare devices monitor patient physiology continuously, process the signals that monitoring generates, and communicate clinical data across care networks. Smart transportation infrastructure coordinates traffic, enables vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, and forms the foundation that autonomous driving requires. Smart buildings manage energy consumption, occupant comfort, and security through integrated electronic control. What all of these have in common is the electrical engineering that makes the sensing, processing, communication, and control possible.
TL;DR – Best Picks
| School | Degree | ABET | Format | Smart Systems & Energy Innovation Track |
| University of North Dakota | B.S. Electrical Engineering | EAC of ABET | Online and on-campus | Power systems, smart grid, energy innovation |
| Purdue University | M.S. Electrical Engineering | EAC of ABET | Online | Senior R&D and innovation leadership |
| Arizona State University | BSE Electrical Engineering | EAC of ABET | Online-compatible | Clean energy innovation, semiconductor systems |
| Oregon State University | B.S. Electrical Engineering | EAC of ABET | Online (Ecampus) | Computational EE, smart systems design |
| Embry-Riddle Worldwide | B.S. Aerospace Engineering | ABET | Fully online | Smart aerospace systems – adjacent option |
| Colorado State University | Verify directly | Verify ABET | Verify availability | Clean energy R&D – verify programme first |
| Old Dominion University | B.S. Electrical Engineering | EAC of ABET | Online | Power systems, smart defence electronics |
What Smart Systems and Energy Innovation Careers Require
The electrical engineering capabilities that smart systems and energy innovation careers most specifically require span from foundational to specialised in ways that make the breadth of a rigorous EE programme its most directly relevant characteristic for those career tracks.
Smart systems engineering requires the electronics foundations – circuit design, digital systems, signal processing, and embedded systems – that enable sensing, computation, and communication within intelligent devices. It requires the communications and networking understanding that connects distributed smart systems into coordinated intelligent infrastructure. And it requires the control systems knowledge that translates sensing data into control actions that achieve intelligent system behaviour.
Energy innovation careers require power electronics expertise – the inverters, converters, and power management circuits that enable solar energy integration, battery storage, electric vehicle charging, and the power conditioning that smart grid operation requires. They require power systems understanding for the grid-scale analysis that intelligent energy infrastructure design demands. And they require the device physics and semiconductor understanding that advanced energy electronics innovation depends on.
Both career tracks draw from the same foundational EE curriculum – which is why programmes that develop that foundation comprehensively serve both simultaneously.
7 Best Online Electrical Engineering Degrees for Careers in Smart Systems and Energy Innovation
1. University of North Dakota – Best Online Electrical Engineering Degree for Flexible Career Advancement
Format: Online and on-campus | Accreditation: Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET
UND’s electrical engineering degree online program carries EAC of ABET accreditation and develops the comprehensive electrical engineering foundations that smart systems and energy innovation careers both require – through flexible asynchronous delivery that accommodates working professionals and distance learners building careers alongside their education. The programme’s energy-sector curriculum depth – reflecting the institution’s embedded context in an energy-producing region with significant power industry engagement – provides particularly relevant preparation for the energy innovation career track where power systems, power electronics, and the grid-scale electrical infrastructure of the energy transition are the foundational engineering domains.
The curriculum’s coverage of digital systems, control theory, electronics, signal processing, and power systems develops the integrated technical foundation that smart systems engineering requires – from the embedded electronics of smart devices through the control systems that make them behave intelligently to the power electronics that energise them. The multiple concentration options allow students whose smart systems and energy innovation interests are in specific domains to develop focused depth alongside the broad foundational preparation that all EE concentrations share.
EAC of ABET accreditation qualifies graduates for FE examination eligibility and PE licensure pathway access – credentials that are increasingly relevant for the energy innovation career track specifically, where grid infrastructure design and energy system sign-off authority require professional engineering licensure. Universal in-state tuition for all online students regardless of state of residence provides accessible entry to CAE-designated programme quality.
Key Differentiator: Over four decades of ABET EAC-accredited flexible online electrical engineering delivery with energy-sector curriculum depth, multiple career-aligned concentrations, FE examination eligibility, universal in-state tuition for all distance learners, and a five-year combined BS/MS pathway for smart systems and energy innovation professionals building systematic credential advancement
2. Purdue University – Best for Senior Smart Systems and Energy Innovation Leadership
Format: Online | Accreditation: EAC of ABET | Graduate Level
Purdue’s online MS in Electrical Engineering develops the advanced technical depth that smart systems and energy innovation professionals who already hold an ABET-accredited bachelor’s degree need to advance into the most consequential R&D and innovation leadership roles. Purdue’s electrical engineering school has contributed to foundational innovations across power electronics, semiconductor devices, communications systems, and the advanced manufacturing technologies that smart systems engineering draws from – and the graduate programme carries that innovation heritage into the curriculum and faculty engagement that online MS students access.
For smart systems and energy innovation professionals targeting R&D engineering at smart grid technology companies, principal systems engineering positions at semiconductor manufacturers whose products power intelligent devices, or the technical innovation leadership roles that translate frontier electrical engineering research into commercial smart system and energy innovation products, Purdue’s graduate programme provides the most institutionally recognised credential and most technically advanced development available through online delivery.
Key Differentiator: Graduate-level online MS in Electrical Engineering from one of the world’s most recognised engineering schools – providing smart systems and energy innovation professionals with the advanced R&D depth and institutional credential signal that innovation leadership roles in the most demanding technology and energy sectors require
3. Arizona State University – Best for Clean Energy and Smart Systems Innovation
Format: Online-compatible – verify current delivery and lab requirements | Accreditation: Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET
ASU’s BSE in Electrical Engineering applies the institution’s innovation orientation – nine consecutive number one U.S. News innovation university rankings – to smart systems and energy innovation curriculum that reflects where the field is heading rather than where it has historically been. For electrical engineering students whose smart systems and energy innovation career interests are specifically in clean energy technology development, semiconductor systems for intelligent devices, advanced automation electronics, and the power electronics that enable energy innovation – the areas where the most active engineering innovation is currently concentrated – ASU’s curriculum orientation is the most forward-looking available.
The Phoenix and Tempe metropolitan area’s semiconductor manufacturing expansion – driven by major fabrication investment in the region – creates a specific career ecosystem connection for ASU electrical engineering graduates in the semiconductor and electronics innovation career track that is among the most actively growing technical employment environments in the country.
Prospective students should confirm current laboratory delivery arrangements and online delivery percentages directly with the electrical engineering department.
Key Differentiator: ABET EAC-accredited online-compatible BSE in Electrical Engineering with innovation-oriented curriculum aligned with clean energy technology, semiconductor systems, and the advanced electronics innovation driving the most consequential smart systems and energy career development
4. Oregon State University Ecampus – Best for Flexible STEM Accessibility
Format: Online (Ecampus) | Accreditation: Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET
Oregon State’s online B.S. in Electrical Engineering through Ecampus holds EAC of ABET accreditation and provides four annual start windows – giving students more intake flexibility than any other accredited option on this list – alongside required computational engineering integration that is specifically relevant for smart systems design. The computational tools that smart systems engineers use – circuit simulation, digital design environments, systems modelling platforms, and the software tools that embedded systems development requires – are professional standards that Oregon State’s computational engineering curriculum develops as foundational capabilities rather than optional additions.
For smart systems career tracks specifically, the ability to simulate, model, and test intelligent system behaviour digitally before physical implementation is the professional capability that separates engineers who can iterate rapidly on smart system designs from those limited to physical prototype iteration alone. That computational engineering capability directly accelerates smart systems engineering productivity in professional contexts.
Key Differentiator: EAC of ABET-accredited online B.S. in Electrical Engineering with four annual start windows and required computational engineering integration – developing the digital design and simulation capabilities that smart systems engineers need as professional standard tools alongside classical electrical engineering foundations
5. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide – Best for Smart Aerospace Systems
Format: Fully online | Accreditation: ABET | Adjacent Option – Aerospace Engineering
Embry-Riddle Worldwide offers aerospace and aeronautical engineering rather than electrical engineering specifically – a degree distinction that smart systems and energy innovation career planners must understand clearly before applying. The career contexts where ERAU’s engineering credential is most directly relevant to smart systems careers are specifically the aerospace and aviation smart systems domains: avionics and cockpit electronics, aircraft health monitoring systems, unmanned aerial vehicle sensing and control, electric propulsion systems for advanced air mobility, and the autonomous system electronics that next-generation aerospace platforms require.
For students whose smart systems and energy innovation career interests are specifically in the aerospace domain – where smart systems engineering means intelligent aircraft electronics and where energy innovation means electric aviation propulsion – Embry-Riddle’s unmatched sector employer recognition provides the most direct career access to the organisations developing those specific technologies.
Key Differentiator: ABET-accredited fully online aerospace engineering degree from the most employer-recognised institution in aviation – most directly relevant for smart systems and energy innovation career interests specifically in aerospace avionics, electric aviation, and autonomous aerial systems
6. Colorado State University – Best Verified Directly for Clean Energy Innovation
Format: Verify directly with department | Accreditation: Verify ABET EAC | Programme Availability Unconfirmed
Colorado State University’s engineering college has genuine research strengths in renewable energy systems, smart grid technology, and the clean energy engineering applications that align directly with the energy innovation career track. CSU’s atmospheric science instrumentation expertise, clean energy systems research, and sustainable engineering focus reflect a research orientation that is specifically relevant for energy innovation professionals whose work is in the clean energy and sustainability dimensions of intelligent energy systems.
Before any programme planning that incorporates CSU, the specific availability of an ABET EAC-accredited B.S. in Electrical Engineering through online delivery requires direct verification with the electrical engineering department. Students must confirm programme availability, ABET EAC accreditation status, FE examination eligibility, and laboratory requirements for distance learners directly before any enrolment decisions.
Key Differentiator: Renewable energy and smart grid research strengths most relevant for the clean energy innovation career track – but all specific programme details including ABET EAC accreditation and online delivery availability must be verified directly with the department before any programme planning
7. Old Dominion University – Best Public University Option for Smart Energy Systems
Format: Online | Accreditation: Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET
Old Dominion University’s online B.S. in Electrical Engineering carries EAC of ABET accreditation and brings particular institutional depth in power systems, defence electronics, and the smart systems engineering applications that ODU’s Hampton Roads location reflects – including the naval propulsion electrification, distributed energy systems, and intelligent power management applications that the region’s defence and naval engineering community concentrates on.
For smart systems and energy innovation professionals whose specific career interests are in the intelligent power management, naval electrification, and distributed energy systems that defence applications represent, ODU’s institutional connections and power systems depth provide the most directly relevant public university programme available through online delivery. The ABET EAC accreditation qualifies graduates for FE examination eligibility – increasingly relevant for the power systems engineering roles within the defence and naval smart energy applications that ODU serves most specifically.
Key Differentiator: EAC of ABET-accredited online B.S. in Electrical Engineering with power systems depth and defence smart electronics connections – most relevant for smart systems and energy innovation professionals targeting naval electrification, defence power systems, and the intelligent energy infrastructure applications concentrated in the Hampton Roads defence engineering ecosystem
Choosing the Right Programme for Smart Systems and Energy Innovation Careers
The online electrical engineering degree most effectively serving smart systems and energy innovation career goals is the one whose ABET EAC accreditation, curriculum emphasis across power electronics, digital systems, and controls, and career ecosystem most directly align with the specific innovation career track being built.
For students who need confirmed ABET EAC-accredited flexible online delivery with energy-sector depth, multiple concentration options, FE eligibility, accessible universal tuition, and a combined BS/MS pathway, UND provides the most clearly documented and accessible starting point. For those who already hold a bachelor’s and are targeting innovation leadership roles, Purdue’s graduate programme provides the most institutionally recognised advancement credential. For those whose energy innovation interests are in clean energy technology and semiconductor systems, ASU’s forward-looking curriculum is most aligned.
For those needing maximum scheduling flexibility with computational smart systems design tools, Oregon State’s four annual start windows and Ecampus platform are most accommodating. For those whose smart systems interests are specifically in aerospace avionics and electric aviation, Embry-Riddle’s sector recognition is unmatched. For those whose energy innovation career interests include clean energy R&D that CSU’s research strengths serve, the direct department verification is the essential first step. For those targeting naval and defence smart energy systems, ODU’s institutional depth and location are most specifically relevant.
FAQ
What makes electrical engineering the foundational discipline for smart systems careers?
Smart systems – intelligent devices, machines, and infrastructure that sense, process, and respond to their environments – are electrical engineering products at their core. The sensors that gather environmental data are electrical devices. The microprocessors and signal processing circuits that interpret sensor data are electrical engineering. The actuators, motors, and power electronics that translate digital decisions into physical action are electrical systems. The communications infrastructure that connects distributed smart systems is electrical engineering. Even the software that defines smart system behaviour runs on electrical hardware that electrical engineers design. Every smart system application domain – from smart manufacturing to smart healthcare to smart energy – is built on electrical engineering foundations.
How does energy innovation differ from traditional power engineering as a career track?
Traditional power engineering focuses primarily on the design, operation, and maintenance of established electrical power infrastructure – transmission lines, substations, transformers, and the generators that have historically produced utility-scale power. Energy innovation extends that foundation into the new energy technologies that the transition away from fossil fuels requires: power electronics for solar and wind integration, battery management systems for utility-scale storage, EV charging infrastructure, virtual power plant control systems, and the advanced grid management technologies that distributed energy resources require. Energy innovation engineers are designing systems that did not exist in their current form a decade ago – which is what makes the career track both challenging and genuinely consequential.
Which electrical engineering specialisations are most valuable for smart systems career development?
The most valuable specialisation combinations for smart systems careers are: embedded systems and digital design, which provides the device-level computing foundation that smart systems require; signal processing, which enables the data interpretation that makes sensing useful; control systems, which governs how smart systems respond to sensed conditions; and communications and networking, which enables the distributed coordination that makes systems genuinely smart rather than merely automated. Engineers who develop depth in two or three of those areas alongside strong foundational EE preparation in circuits, electronics, and electromagnetics are the most versatile and capable smart systems engineers available.
What is the combined BS/MS pathway and why does it matter for smart systems and energy innovation careers?
The combined BS/MS pathway at universities like UND allows students to take graduate-level courses during their undergraduate study that count toward both degrees simultaneously – completing both the B.S. and M.S. in five years rather than the six or more years that sequential completion would require. For smart systems and energy innovation careers, the MS credential provides the advanced technical depth that the most sophisticated R&D and product development roles increasingly specify as requirements – particularly in semiconductor companies, energy technology firms, and the advanced defence and aerospace organisations where the most technically demanding smart systems engineering work is concentrated. Starting the combined pathway during undergraduate study is the most time-efficient route to both credentials.
