University Programs

degrees · research centers

Most electrification engineers come from standard degrees. The scarce specialists come from a handful of research centers.

Which degrees feed which layer: batteries from electrochemistry, materials science and chemical engineering; power electronics and grid from electrical engineering and power systems; vehicles and machines from mechanical and automotive engineering; autonomy and software from computer science, AI and robotics; chips from semiconductor and materials programs. In Texas, UT Austin covers batteries and electrical engineering and Texas A&M's RELLIS campus semiconductors. WHICH DEGREES FEED WHICH LAYER Batteries Electrochemistry, materials, ChemE Power electronics and grid EE, power systems Vehicles and machines ME, automotive Autonomy and software CS, AI, robotics Chips Semiconductors, materials Texas: UT Austin (batteries, EE), Texas A&M RELLIS (semiconductors)
Program areas
8
Research centers
6
Texas
UT, A&M
Hot areas
Power, grid
Hub
Workforce

Finding

Battery and power-electronics programs are the most specialized, and the industry recruits from a handful of research centers

Most electrification engineers come from standard electrical, mechanical, chemical and computer engineering degrees. The specialized talent - cell chemists, power-electronics designers, grid engineers - comes disproportionately from a small number of university research centers with industry funding, such as NC State's FREEDM Center for solid-state power and Michigan's Battery Lab.

That concentration matters for regions building factories. Texas has two anchors: UT Austin, where the lithium-ion cathode work of John Goodenough began a battery-materials tradition, and Texas A&M, whose RELLIS campus hosts the Texas Institute for Electronics for semiconductor and microelectronics work - see the RELLIS semiconductor institute page on AustinIO. As factory hiring slowed in 2025-26, demand shifted toward power, grid and semiconductor graduates, whose skills also serve data centers.

Programs

Degree programs and where they lead

University programs for electrification
ProgramFocusRepresentative universities
Electrical engineeringPower electronics, motors, gridMIT, Georgia Tech, Michigan, UT Austin
Electrochemical and chemical engineeringCells, electrolytes, electrode manufacturingUniversity of Washington, UT Austin, Penn State, Delaware
Materials scienceCathodes, anodes, solid-state, magnetsNorthwestern, Carnegie Mellon, UC Santa Barbara
Mechanical and automotive engineeringThermal, structures, vehicle systemsPurdue, Clemson (CU-ICAR), Kettering, Ohio State
Computer science and AIAutonomy, simulation, fleet softwareStanford, Carnegie Mellon, UC San Diego
RoboticsHumanoids, warehouse robots, autonomyCarnegie Mellon, WPI, Georgia Tech, Michigan
Power and energy systemsGrid, microgrids, storage integrationNC State (FREEDM), Tennessee (CURENT), Arizona State, Texas A&M
Semiconductor and microelectronicsSiC, GaN, power devices, packagingTexas A&M (RELLIS), Purdue, Arizona State

Research centers

Research centers industry recruits from

University research centers
CenterFocus
NC State FREEDM CenterPower electronics, solid-state transformers
University of Tennessee CURENTGrid power electronics
University of Michigan Battery LabCell prototyping
UC San Diego Center for Energy ResearchBatteries, storage
Texas A&M RELLIS / Texas Institute for ElectronicsSemiconductors and microelectronics
UT Austin Texas Materials InstituteBattery materials (Goodenough's lab legacy)

Sources

Sources and scope

Scope
University degree programs and research centers for electrification
Sources
University program pages; AustinIO
Updated
October 2026