Claim: Nikola Tesla worked on telecommunication technology in the US.

Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity , electronics , and electromagnetism . This field first became an identifiable occupation in the later half of the 19th century after commercialization of the electric telegraph , the telephone , and electric power distribution and use . Subsequently , broadcasting and recording media made electronics part of daily life . The invention of the transistor , and later the integrated circuit , brought down the cost of electronics to the point they can be used in almost any household object .   Electrical engineering has now subdivided into a wide range of subfields including electronics , digital computers , power engineering , telecommunications , control systems , radio-frequency engineering , signal processing , instrumentation , and microelectronics . Many of these subdisciplines overlap and also overlap with other engineering branches , spanning a huge number of specializations such as hardware engineering , power electronics , electromagnetics & waves , microwave engineering , nanotechnology , electrochemistry , renewable energies , mechatronics , electrical materials science , and many more .   Electrical engineers typically hold a degree in electrical engineering or electronic engineering . Practicing engineers may have professional certification and be members of a professional body . Such bodies include the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers -LRB- IEEE -RRB- and the Institution of Engineering and Technology -LRB- professional society -RRB- -LRB- IET -RRB- .   Electrical engineers work in a very wide range of industries and the skills required are likewise variable . These range from basic circuit theory to the management skills required of a project manager . The tools and equipment that an individual engineer may need are similarly variable , ranging from a simple voltmeter to a top end analyzer to sophisticated design and manufacturing software .