New major available at McCoy School of Engineering

Andy Newberry
05 September 2025

General Science and Technology

Electrical engineering program an exciting addition to MSU Texas

Andy Newberry
05 September 2025
2 min read

Texas ranks as the nation's second-largest employer of electrical engineers, trailing only California in the number of available positions. However, there has been an undersupply of graduates in electrical engineering in the state. Midwestern State University chose to be a part of the solution for that deficit, giving students another great opportunity with an electrical engineering program that began Fall 2025.

"Electrical engineering is a natural fit with our successful mechanical engineering program in the McCoy School of Engineering," MSU Texas Provost Margaret Brown Marsden said. "Each discipline interacts with the other, allowing our students to learn how power generation through electrical engineering intersects with mechanical engineering and power application. Overall, the interactions between the two programs reflect the real-world ways the two fields interact in an industry setting."

Electrical engineering offers a mix of classroom learning and hands-on work. Electrical engineers are employed in professional, scientific, and technical services, computer and electronic product manufacturing, utilities, and other services. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, electrical engineers in Texas earn a competitive annual mean salary of $113,820, which reflects the state's robust engineering sector and growing technology infrastructure.

Local companies that hire electrical engineers include Fusion Cell, Howmet Aerospace, Vitro, Shermco Industries Inc., Sealed Air, PACCAR Inc., and Cyber Coders. The Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) from the university’s McCoy College of Science, Mathematics & Engineering has been supportive of the program.

The need for electrical engineers will continue to grow. Electric vehicles, wind turbines, solar power generation, power storage, and transmission require electrical engineers to innovate and find better solutions.

“There is a clear need to equip students for careers in this rapidly growing sector,” said Robert Brennan, dean of McCoy College of Science, Mathematics & Engineering. “Texas leads the nation in the number of wind turbines installed in any state, and West Texas has a majority of the wind

Dr. Yu Guo speaks to a class at the McCoy College of Engineering.

turbines. There is a growing need to increase the power generated by renewable means, and electrical engineers can lead this transformation.”

Assistant Professor Yuyao Wang is providing teaching expertise, and Professor Yu Guo is providing planning oversight to the program. Several classrooms in Martin Hall were remodeled to accommodate the new major.

The Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering is housed in the McCoy School of Engineering. The curriculum for this 120-hour major consists of eight courses cross-listed with the mechanical engineering program and seven new courses. During the 88th Texas Legislative session, MSU Texas received $2.4 million in non-formula funding to establish a Center for STEM Excellence. From that project, $690,000 was earmarked to fund the program start-up.

The electrical engineering program was approved by Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) in Spring 2025, and in summer 2025 by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges – the university’s regional accrediting organization.

MSU Texas has offered a BS in Mechanical Engineering since 2003. Students in the new electrical engineering program will benefit from the expertise of the existing faculty in introductory courses as well as new faculty. The McCoy School of Engineering has fostered strong connections with the professional engineering community in Wichita Falls, which will promote internships for students and job placement for graduates.