Best Electrical Engineering Degree Programs in Nevada in 2026
Nevada Reno and UNLV offer two electrical engineering degrees with different ways to examine practical work. Reno describes an opening hovercraft challenge and a culminating product prototype. UNLV specifies electrical breadth areas, advanced laboratory credits and a two-course senior design sequence. Our 2026 ranking reviews these campus bachelor’s degrees alongside admission, progression and the tuition conditions that affect a real student budget.
The current documents also need careful reading. Reno’s undergraduate overview identifies a 129-credit plan. UNLV’s new 2026–27 worksheet and detailed requirements total 120 credits, while older introductory text still cites 131. The ranking follows the current detailed UNLV plan, so students are comparing the qualifications and requirements they would actually discuss with an advisor.
Electrical Engineering bachelor’s rankings by state+
Jump to a program +
Inside this ranking
How we ranked electrical engineering bachelor’s programs in Nevada
This selected Nevada ranking reviews the University of Nevada, Reno and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. It addresses the named campus electrical bachelor’s degrees, not graduate research programs or combined engineering/business pathways. Each profile keeps the university’s own degree title and billing scope visible.
Nevada Reno leads for its documented progression from an introductory team design challenge to a senior prototype presented at Innovation Day. UNLV follows for its explicit breadth-area selections, advanced laboratory requirement and professional-elective structure. This editorial order reflects different strengths in the reviewed plans, rather than a claim that one curriculum fits every electrical interest.
$312.75 per credit, base undergraduate registration
Cost basis & conditions +
The Fall 2026/Spring 2027 rate table charges $312.75 per undergraduate credit before mandatory fees. Full-time nonresidents also pay $10,094.50 per semester in additional nonresident tuition. Engineering courses at the 300–400 level add $85 per credit. Student, technology and other applicable course/semester fees and living expenses are additional. WUE pricing requires eligibility and should not be assumed for every nonresident.
Nevada Reno presents electrical engineering through the connected tasks of sensing, acquiring data, communicating information and integrating energy sources. Its 129-credit undergraduate overview also gives students a clear design progression to investigate: Engineering 100 begins with a team hovercraft challenge, while the senior capstone culminates in a product prototype presented at Innovation Day. Those experiences provide practical reference points for a campus visit and a discussion with current students. The reviewed qualification is the accredited BS in Electrical Engineering; the separately advertised combined engineering/MBA option is not the degree or completion timetable being ranked here.
Where it stands out
Nevada Reno is worth considering if you want an electrical degree whose opening and culminating design experiences are easy to identify. Students interested in connected sensing, communication or distributed energy can use those application interests to guide questions about courses, laboratory access and capstone topics.
What to weigh
The four-year description assumes a workable prerequisite sequence and does not determine how transferred courses will satisfy the major. The headline per-credit registration charge also understates an advanced engineering semester: 300–400-level engineering courses carry an additional fee, and full-time nonresidents pay substantial additional semester tuition.
The program describes electrical study through sensors, data acquisition, electronic communication, signal/information processing and complex-system modeling.
Energy integration, electromagnetic fields and electronic circuits connect the foundation to power, communication, computing and networking applications.
The published undergraduate overview identifies a 129-credit, four-year plan.
Admission & progression
Freshman admission ordinarily requires a 3.0 weighted GPA in specified academic core courses, with the published high-school preparation requirements.
SAT/ACT scores are optional for admission. Students with more college work follow the university’s transfer route and need an evaluation against the electrical requirements.
Design & practical experience
Engineering 100 includes a team hovercraft design challenge at the start of the engineering experience.
The senior capstone asks teams to develop a product and present the resulting prototype at Innovation Day.
The program describes classroom and research-laboratory experience between the initial project and the final capstone.
$312.75 per credit, base undergraduate registration
Cost basis & conditions +
The current cashier schedule charges $312.75 per undergraduate credit plus fees. Nonresident undergraduates taking seven or more credits add $10,094.50 per semester; lighter loads follow a different nonresident rule. WUE has separate eligibility and pricing. Mandatory student charges, applicable departmental and special course fees, housing and other living expenses are additional. These are university billing rates, not a fixed whole-degree price.
UNLV combines a required electrical foundation with explicit breadth and laboratory choices. After circuits, electronics, electromagnetics, signals and controls, students choose courses in four core areas and complete advanced laboratory credits. The listed areas extend from power and communication to photonics and quantum engineering, while professional electives allow further electrical or computer study. Senior Design Project I and II provide the culminating sequence. This review follows the current 120-credit requirements and the new 2026–27 study plan; the older 131-credit introductory wording should not be used to calculate this reviewed plan’s tuition or duration.
Where it stands out
UNLV suits students who want to compare several electrical applications before selecting advanced courses and laboratories. Its separate breadth, professional-elective and laboratory requirements make it possible to examine both the range of topics and the practical work in an individual degree plan.
What to weigh
College admission begins a pre-major stage rather than unrestricted access to upper-division EE courses. Advanced standing follows the required foundation, and prerequisite grades shape progression. Students should also distinguish mandatory university fees, program/course charges and the nonresident semester amount from the base per-credit registration fee.
Attendance:The review uses the current 120-credit requirements and 2026–27 study plan; an older introductory catalog paragraph still cites 131 credits.
Required fundamentals include digital logic, circuits, electronics, electromagnetics, signals, engineering probability and control systems.
Students select a course in four electrical core areas, with choices including communications, computing, controls, signal processing, electromagnetism, electronics, photonics/quantum engineering, power and solid-state devices.
Three advanced laboratory credits and 12 approved professional-elective credits complement the electrical core.
Admission & progression
Students enter Electrical Engineering Pre-major after college admission and can apply for advanced standing after the specified 22-credit pre-major curriculum.
The major lists a 2.0 minimum GPA; required English, mathematics, science and engineering courses have C-or-better progression and graduation rules.
Design & practical experience
Senior Design Project I and II occupy the final two semesters in the published plan.
Advanced laboratory choices include power systems, embedded systems, communications, controls, solid-state characterization and spacecraft/payload engineering.
What matters in electrical engineering bachelor’s programs in Nevada
Practical electrical study
We look for identifiable projects and laboratories that connect electrical principles with a tested system.
Current degree requirements
The detailed plan and its catalog edition take priority when an introductory paragraph retains an older credit total.
A complete campus budget
Base registration, nonresident tuition, mandatory fees and course-specific charges need separate attention.
Start with the kind of electrical project you want to build
Nevada Reno’s electrical overview describes an Engineering 100 hovercraft challenge and a senior capstone in which a team develops a product for presentation at Innovation Day. Between those endpoints, the program frames electrical study around sensors, data acquisition, communication, signal processing and energy integration. Ask to see projects connected to the application you most want to explore.
UNLV’s electrical requirements specify courses in four electrical core areas and three advanced laboratory credits. The options span communications, computing, controls, signal processing, electromagnetism, electronics, photonics/quantum engineering, power and solid-state devices. Professional electives then provide further approved electrical or computer work. A proposed laboratory-and-lecture pairing is a practical way to assess the choices.
Use the current plan and the right major-entry stage
UNLV’s 2026–27 study plan supports the current 120-credit requirements used here. Its senior design sequence belongs in the last two semesters, and course prerequisites determine how a student reaches it. An accepted transfer course is useful only when it also satisfies the appropriate requirement or prerequisite in that sequence.
UNLV students first enter Electrical Engineering Pre-major and can seek advanced standing after the designated 22-credit foundation. The college’s admission and major progression are separate steps. Reno’s freshman admission page specifies a weighted academic-core GPA and high-school preparation, with optional test scores for admission. Students entering with college work should follow the appropriate transfer process rather than assume freshman rules resolve their degree standing.
Price the engineering semester beyond its base registration fee
Reno’s Fall 2026/Spring 2027 rate table starts with a per-credit undergraduate registration charge, then adds required fees. Courses at the 300–400 engineering level add an $85-per-credit charge. Full-time nonresidents also face a separate semester tuition amount. These categories can change the cost of a later laboratory-heavy semester even when the total registered credits stay similar.
UNLV’s cashier schedule also separates base registration, nonresident charges and student fees, with additional course or departmental charges where applicable. WUE pricing depends on eligibility at the institution; it is not the automatic rate for every student from another western state. Compare the actual campus bill and living arrangement, then use awarded grants and scholarships to estimate net cost through our engineering cost guide.
Questions, answered
What else should you know?
Why does this ranking use 120 credits for UNLV?+
UNLV’s current detailed requirements and new 2026–27 study plan use 120 credits. An older introductory paragraph still states 131. The profile follows the detailed current plan and directs students to an individual advising plan for transfer or placement differences.
Is Reno’s engineering/MBA route part of this ranking?+
No. The reviewed qualification is the BS in Electrical Engineering. Reno separately advertises a combined engineering and MBA pathway, whose admission requirements, duration and business degree should be evaluated as a different choice.
When can UNLV students enter advanced electrical courses?+
Students start in Electrical Engineering Pre-major and seek advanced standing after the required 22-credit pre-major curriculum. The catalog limits upper-division access before that step, with specified extended pre-major exceptions and prerequisite-grade conditions.
Does Nevada’s base undergraduate registration cover every engineering charge?+
No. Mandatory student fees and applicable course or program charges are additional. Reno specifically adds an upper-division engineering per-credit fee, while nonresident tuition and WUE provisions also require separate attention at each university.
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.
