Classic electrical engineering was limited to the area of electromagnetic phenomena and laws and their technical use such as in communications and radio frequency technology or in electrical energy technology. Due to the development, especially in the field of computer technology, it has already developed into a general system technology with applications in almost all technical areas. Supplemented by mathematical and system-theoretical concepts, a solid basis is created for an interdisciplinary collaboration between electrical and information engineering with many other specialist disciplines (e.g. computer science, biotechnology, medical technology or nanotechnology).

The numerous special fields of electrical engineering can be assigned to four main groups:

• information technology: telecommunications; wired and wireless data transmission; Audio and video technology; Mobile communications; Navigation; Radar technology; Traffic control technology; Computer technology
• microelectronics and micro or nano system technology: Development, manufacture, assembly, test and quality control of integrated circuits (IC) and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS); Software development for the computer-aided design of systems, circuits and components
• measurement, control and automation technology: automation and production processes, mathematical modeling of technical processes; robotics, safety technology and engine management in automobiles; telematics
• electrical energy technology: generation, transmission and distribution of electrical energy and its consumer-friendly provision

Further information on electrical engineering is available from the Association of Electrical Engineering, Electronics and Information Technology (www.vde.de) and the Association of German Engineers (www.vdi.de).