Mohamad Khaldi, PhD
Mohamad.Khaldi@balamand.edu.lb

Welcome to the Electrical Engineering Department (EED) at the University of Balamand (UOB).

Electrical engineering is the most diversified discipline in all engineering professions, and it is the backbone of technology that serves society for the betterment of mankind. Electrical engineers not only make life brighter, easier, and more pleasurable but also, they design processes so systems can run smoother, more efficient, and cost effective taking into consideration health and environmental constraints. However, electrical engineering does face some common misconceptions that can contribute to its perceived complexity or misunderstanding.

Some may mistakenly believe that electrical engineering involves working with electricity and power systems only! The fact is, electrical engineering covers a much broader range of sub-disciplines, including electronics, computer systems, robotics and mechatronics, telecommunications and networking, control and automation, antenna design, artificial intelligence and machine learning, biomedical, and of course energy and power systems, to name a few.

Our department follows the American Liberal Art system of Higher Education and offers the BS, BE, and MS degrees in Electrical Engineering. We equate the Lebanese Baccalaureate with the freshman year allowing students to complete the BSEE in three years. Subsequently, students have the choice to pursue either the BEEE or the MSEE making them eligible to join the Lebanese Order of Engineers and Architects. The BSEE program is accredited by the American Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) which is a testament to our commitment to delivering high quality education aligned with international standards.

The faculty members are actively engaged in research bringing the latest findings and scientific methods to classrooms, thus benefiting students. In fact, some students apply for research or teaching assistantships to help themselves financially and enrich their portfolios. The low student-to-faculty ratio constitutes one of our strengths where students are attended more closely. In addition, students have access to state-of-the-art technical and computer laboratories as well as other facilities and centers, providing them with not only a challenging and enjoyable learning experience but also instilling in them a spirit of competitiveness.

Apart from classroom settings, students take advantage of UOB’s lively communities by engaging in extracurricular activities and participating in clubs, societies, and athletic departments. In specific, our students run, manage, and organize seminars, events, and competitions of two professional societies namely the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE).

Some of the graduates have pursued professional careers, while others have continued their higher education worldwide. The achievements of our alumni, our valued ambassadors to the world, make us proud.

For further information, we will be ecstatic to have you on campus to explore the possibilities offhand. If not, we will gladly answer your questions by phone or email.

Why electrical engineering?

There are many reasons why electrical engineering is selected as a profession. The top four are:

1. Always in demand: the technological advancement in all engineering industries such as Construction, Electronics, Consumer Goods, Aerospace, Chemical, Automotive, Oil and Gas, Pharmaceuticals, Telecom, Utilities, to name a few, grew rapidly in the last decades and so did the demand for electrical engineers who create, understand, and develop these technologies.


2. High salaries: electrical engineers are amongst the top paid jobs worldwide.


3. Challenging: electrical engineering is at the forefront of developing new technologies.


4. Rewarding: electrical engineering end products are of great help to people and positively impact societies.

 
What do electrical engineers do?

Well, if you look around, you will have a feel for some of the things electrical engineers do. Allow me to give you only one example:

Cellular or Smart Phones: a cell phone is an intelligent electrical/electronic device that involves many aspects of electrical engineering. To begin with, an electrical engineer would have to Design, Build, and Test (DBT) both the analog and digital hardware involved. Smart phones are based on wireless communication and consequently, an electrical engineer would have to DBT antenna and telecommunication schemes. Also, he/she must DBT the infrastructure of the telecommunication networks a cell phone is using such as satellites, antennas, fiber optic, transmitters and receivers, etc. We heavily use the internet when using our smart phones, thus an electrical engineer would have to deal with the key components of the internet (teletraffic, protocols, modems, routers, repeaters, extenders). Hardware is driven by software, and consequently he/she must understand the logic behind the presumed operation of the device and then develop the appropriate software/Applications to implement that logic (C++, Python, Java). A cell phone is a mobile device which means the power source comes from within, thus an electrical engineer must not only DBT batteries, but also find ways to efficient use and explore alternative energy resources. The batteries need to be recharged, so he/she must DBT the appropriate battery charger. Finally, this important device that tremendously impacted our lives would not work without electricity. Electrical engineers DBT power systems that primarily involve generation, transmission, quality, and distribution of electricity. Moreover, he/she must worry about the cost and environment we live in, so alternative renewable energy resources are explored and DBT.

Of course, this is only the tip of the iceberg. The things that an electrical engineer can do are boundless! If, however, you would want to confine and reduce it to bare bones, I would say the following five titles sum it up.

1. Telecom and Network Engineer (5G cellular, antennas, fiber optics, satellite, radar, Lidar, telephony, internet protocols and teltrafic, cybersecurity)


2. Electronics Engineer (analog- and digital-based systems, smart phones, tablets, internet: routers, extenders, servers)


3. Biomedical Engineer (medical instrumentations)


4. Power and Energy Systems Engineer (power plants, turbines, generators, transformers, electrical network, power system operation, smart grid, renewable resources)


5. System Automation Engineer (artificial intelligence, control systems, mechatronics, robotics, programmable logic controllers, smart buildings)