Best Electrical Engineering Degree Programs in Hawaii in 2026
At the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, choosing an electrical engineering track changes the courses and laboratories in the later part of the degree. Electro-Physics emphasizes circuits, devices and electromagnetics; Systems & Data Sciences emphasizes communications, controls and signal processing. Our 2026 Hawaii review examines those choices alongside the program’s optional Energy and Biomedical concentrations, admission pathways and Engineering tuition category.
This page gives prospective students a detailed review of Mānoa’s campus BS. Applicants already holding college credit should begin with the College of Engineering transfer requirements, while first-year applicants should consider how their mathematics and laboratory-science preparation fits the declared-major admission process.
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How we ranked electrical engineering bachelor’s programs in Hawaii
The reviewed Hawaii selection contains one school: the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and its BS in Electrical Engineering. The program is evaluated through the August 2026 check sheet and current college policies. A single reviewed school does not imply that every engineering-related qualification in Hawaii is the same degree.
Mānoa earns its place in this selection through defined electrical tracks, documented laboratory and project requirements, and concentrations that connect coursework with an approved senior project. With one reviewed school, the useful comparison is between its academic routes and your intended course plan.
For 2026–27 fall and spring, College of Engineering students taking at least 12 credits pay $5,880 resident tuition or $16,896 nonresident tuition per semester, plus $957 in fees. The published WUE/Pacific Island Jurisdiction tuition is $8,820 for qualifying students; eligibility differs and WUE awards may be limited. Lower credit loads use per-credit tuition. Living expenses are additional.
Hawaiʻi Mānoa gives electrical students a structured choice between Electro-Physics and Systems & Data Sciences. The August 2026 check sheet shows what that choice changes: circuits, devices and electromagnetics anchor the first track, while communications, controls and signal processing anchor the second. Both include required laboratories and advanced coursework. Optional Energy and Biomedical concentrations connect approved electives and breadth courses with a relevant senior project. This makes the program especially useful to evaluate through a proposed sequence of classes and project work, rather than treating every listed electrical subject as an interchangeable option.
Where it stands out
Mānoa suits students who want a recognizable electrical specialty within a broader BS, especially when their interests connect energy or biomedical applications with devices, signals or control. The published check sheet provides a practical basis for discussing track selection and transfer equivalencies with an engineering advisor.
What to weigh
Acceptance to the university does not by itself establish admission to a declared engineering major. The transfer route requires specific science and mathematics courses and a 3.0 overall GPA; pre-engineering students have restricted upper-division access. Tuition also includes a separate Engineering fee category, and WUE awards are subject to institutional limits.
The August 2026 check sheet separates an Electro-Physics track from a Systems & Data Sciences track; each has required track courses, laboratory work and advanced choices.
Electro-Physics develops circuits, devices and electromagnetics; Systems & Data Sciences includes communications, controls and signal processing.
Energy and Biomedical concentrations connect approved electives and engineering breadth with a relevant senior project. Additional technical electives must include work outside the major track and a laboratory.
Areas of focus
Electro-Physics track
Systems & Data Sciences track
Optional Energy concentration
Optional Biomedical concentration
Admission & progression
Engineering reviews first-year applicants for strong preparation in calculus or precalculus, chemistry and physics after university acceptance.
Applicants with at least 24 college credits completed or in progress follow the transfer requirements, including specified calculus, chemistry, physics and English courses and an overall GPA of at least 3.0.
Pre-engineering students can work toward those requirements before declaring the major; upper-division engineering courses are major restricted. Advising approval is required each semester.
Design & practical experience
The 2026 check sheet includes sophomore, junior and senior project courses plus electrical engineering ethics.
Energy or Biomedical concentration students complete an appropriately approved senior project; the concentration is more than a selection of similarly themed electives.
What matters in electrical engineering bachelor’s programs in Hawaii
Track structure
Required track courses show how a student develops depth in devices and fields or in signals and systems.
Project connection
Energy and Biomedical concentrations require an appropriate senior project as well as approved coursework.
Entry and cost
Declared-major admission, prerequisite grades and the Engineering fee category are evaluated together.
Choose a Hawaii electrical engineering track through its required labs
Mānoa’s August 2026 electrical check sheet places circuit, device and electromagnetic courses in the Electro-Physics track. The Systems & Data Sciences track instead specifies communications, controls and signal-processing work. Both have advanced choices and laboratory requirements. Read the required track group before focusing on attractive individual electives: a desired advanced class may depend on several earlier courses.
The sheet also requires additional technical study outside the major track and a laboratory component. That keeps the specialty connected to the wider electrical field. A student interested in sensing hardware, for example, can use the track rules to discuss how circuit design, measurement and signal analysis would fit together. The advisor-approved course plan determines which combination is practical.
Connect an Energy or Biomedical concentration with the senior project
The optional concentrations add more than a label to a transcript. The 2026 sheet requires approved concentration-related advanced courses and engineering breadth, with a relevant ECE 496 senior project. Biomedical project approval is identified explicitly. Ask how the concentration coordinator and department approve a proposed project and which prerequisites prepare students for it.
Project work begins before the senior year: the sheet includes sophomore and junior project courses, followed by the senior project and electrical engineering ethics. The college advising FAQ also makes advising mandatory before registration each semester. Bring a draft track and concentration plan to that meeting so the laboratory sequence, breadth choices and project preparation can be considered together.
Plan declared-major admission and the Engineering tuition bill
Engineering admissions requirements distinguish first-year applicants from students with at least 24 college credits completed or in progress. The latter route requires specified English, calculus, chemistry and physics courses and a 3.0 overall GPA. Pre-engineering provides a route toward those requirements, but upper-division engineering classes remain major restricted. University acceptance therefore should not be treated as automatic access to the complete EE sequence.
The 2026–27 Engineering tuition table lists semester tuition at 12 or more credits of $5,880 for residents or $16,896 for nonresidents, plus $957 in fees. Qualifying WUE or Pacific Island Jurisdiction students have a different tuition category. WUE awards can be limited, so establish eligibility through the institution before building a budget around that rate. Housing, meals and travel belong in a separate personal cost calculation.
Questions, answered
What else should you know?
Which Hawaii electrical engineering degree program is reviewed?+
This page reviews the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s electrical engineering BS in Honolulu. Its current college FAQ identifies the BS as ABET accredited. The reviewed course structure follows the August 2026 electrical check sheet.
Are Electro-Physics and Systems & Data Sciences separate degrees?+
They are tracks within the reviewed electrical engineering BS. Each has required track courses and advanced choices. Energy and Biomedical concentrations can build on the track requirements with approved coursework and a related senior project.
Can a transfer student enter electrical engineering directly?+
The College of Engineering has a specific transfer admission route requiring the listed mathematics, science and English courses and a 3.0 overall GPA. Students below those conditions may have a pre-engineering route with restricted upper-division access.
Does Hawaii residency determine the only tuition discount?+
No. The university also publishes WUE and Pacific Island Jurisdiction categories with separate eligibility rules. WUE awards may be limited. The Engineering fee and personal living costs remain relevant whichever tuition category applies.
Keep researching
Choosing a electrical engineering degree
Learn what an electrical engineering degree covers, including circuits, signals, lab work and design, plus admissions, transfer and online study.
