[Answer] How Should You Choose Between Power Electronics and Electric Drives, and Power Systems and Their Automation?

[Answer] How Should You Choose Between Power Electronics and Electric Drives, and Power Systems and Their Automation?

Although Power Electronics and Electrical Engineering sound somewhat similar, they are actually quite different in practice. First, Electrical Engineering at the undergraduate level generally includes courses related to power systems, power generation, transmission, distribution, high- and low-voltage electrical apparatus, relay protection, and other electricity-related subjects. At the graduate level, these areas are further divided into more specialized research directions.

Power Electronics, on the other hand, places more emphasis on motion control and semiconductors. Examples include IGBTs, thyristors, and similar technologies. With the growing popularity of solid-state transformers, solid-state relays, and related applications, power electronics has also seen broad development and adoption.

From an employment perspective, graduates in Electrical Engineering usually work in power systems and their upstream and downstream industries. Power Electronics graduates, however, may find opportunities in emerging areas of the power industry, such as solid-state relay technologies, or in the semiconductor industry.