不同方向的申请难度悬殊，EE包含的11个方向中，Communications应该是最难的，据我所知今年申请Cornell的有一半的人在申请Communications。而Communications group只是Cornell的一个不大的组。所以可以想象竞争是多么激烈。而且这和业界的情况也有关系，今年wireless communication的公司全球范围内裁员亏损，professor 手里也不会有钱，申请难度也就大大增加了。
1、通信与网络 Communications & Network
录取难度分析：EE下最热的方向，竞争异常激烈，可以不夸张的说，10个申请者里差不多有5个是申请此方向的。除了在GPA，G/T上有竞争力外（T高于580，G高于1100， GPA高于3.0可以说是申请TOP100学校的基本录取硬件条件），此外，还需要有相关的研究背景和实力。
此方向与信号处理，计算机，控制与光学等广泛交叉。适合有以上相关背景的人申请。
2、信号处理 Image, video, audio & speech processing
录取难度分析:就业前景比较广泛，因为该方向中各个分支都具有很强的应用性，可以应用在制造业，航空航天业，医学界，以及军事领域等等。取得AD的比较多，拿到RA/TA Fellow的中国学生很少，主要要求有一定从业基础以及应用实践经验，中国学生申请这个方向的学生比较缺乏经验因此获取奖学金的机会也不多。同样对于申请者的研究和实践经历比较看中,以去年一位申请者为例，本科，T：627+5.0, G：1290, GPA 3.4/4.0, 并且之前有不少相关研究经历，最后拿到了一个Auburn University（2006 US news综合排名86）的PhD录取，可见竞争的激烈程度.
3、计算机科学与工程 Computer engineering
录取难度分析：与CS广泛交叉，很多在国内学习计算机的学生也竞相申请，此方向更倾向于机器人，AI，以及密码学与信息安全方面，这些方向招收的国际学生较少，所以前期陶瓷很重要，问清楚教授是否招收国际学生。
以上三个方面为相对热门的分支方向，除此EE还包括：
4、电子电路 EleCTronics & integrate circuit
录取难度分析：可能其主要理解还是VLSI为主。国外不少做这个方向的faculty是CS的，所以有的把这个也归在CS里。应该说纯粹去 IC design这个只是非常应用的技术，而不是研究所应该做的工作，上了研究生或者是工作从事IC设计话这个体会应该比较深刻，或者ASIC那边的话。总之IC是十足的工程，基础是半导体和微电子. 基础不突破，上面的VLSI也只能是小打小闹。主要可以从事芯片开发，电子产品研发方面的工作，就业前景乐观，以手机生产商为代表的电子产品生产领域拥有着广阔的就业空间。招生量比较大，但生源一般，因此竞争并不是非常激烈。
5、系统与控制 Systems & controls
录取难度分析：研究鲁棒，多变量系统的标识等，偏理论的研究方向，相对比较枯燥乏味，申请者相对较少。竞争相对不是很激烈。
6、光子学与光学 Photons & Optics
录取难度分析：与物理方向有交叉，很多物理专业的学生也竞相申请，竞争相对激烈。但物理学的纯光学研究，主要研究光的基本性质；电子工程的光学主要研究通信类激光，区别还是很大的。本科和研究生期间的方向是集成光学和光纤通信器件以及信息与电子工程学系的非常适合申请。具有专业背景和数学功底很重要。有着较为扎实的数学基础，对于和信息科学相关的学科和科研工作是很重要的。因为21世纪是信息技术的世纪，而信息的处理、分析和传输离不开数学方法和数学工具的应用。
7、生物电气工程 Bioelectrical engineering
录取难度分析：生物、生命科学是21世纪的最活跃学科之一，利用电气电子技术进行生物生命研究是美欧大学电气学科的特点，所以此方向同时要求申请者具有一定的生物和医学背景，申请的人不是很多，相对教冷，但前景非常好。
8、电磁学Electromagnetics
录取难度分析：研究领域涉及到了MSE，physics等其他学科。和此方向相近的学科和方向包括光学、光电子学、半导体器件等。其实Electromagnetics和Optoelectronics本来就是一家，因为只是微波和光的频率不同而已，所以思路也可以往这个方面想想。很多physics的学生申请。本科和研究生期间的方向是集成光学和光纤通信器件的很适合申请。
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING RANKINGS :
1. Massachusetts Inst of Technology
2. Stanford University
3. U of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
4. University of California-Berkeley
5. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
6. California Institute Technology
7. Georgia Institute of Technology
8. Purdue University
9. University of Texas at Austin
10. Carnegie Mellon University
11. Univ of California-Los Angeles
12. University of Maryland College Park
13. Cornell University
14. Princeton University
15. Columbia University
16. University of Wisconsin-Madison
17. University of Southern California
18. University of Minnesota
19. Univ of California-Santa Barbara
20. Univ of California-San Diego
21. Texas A&M University
22. Ohio State University
23. R
ensselaer Polytechnic Inst
24. Polytechnic University
25. University of Washington
26. Rice University
27. Virginia Polytech Inst & State University
28. Pennsylvania State University
29. U of Massachusetts at Amherst
30. Yale University
31 University of Florida
32. North Carolina State University
33. University of California-Davis
34. Johns Hopkins University
35. Brown University
36. Arizona State University
37. Washington University
38 University of Colorado
39 Northwestern University
40. University of Arizona
41. University of Pennsylvania
42. State U of New York-Stony Brook
43 Utah State University
44. Rutgers State Univ-New Brunswick
45. University of Notre Dame
46. University of Rochester
47. University of California-Irvine
48. Drexel University
49. Syracuse University
50. Michigan State University
51. CUNY - Graduate School & Univ Center
52. Iowa State University
53. University Of Iowa
54. State Univ of New York-Buffalo
55. University of Virginia
56. Northeastern University
57. University of Rhode Island
58. Case Western Reserve Univ
59. Auburn University
60. University of Illinois at Chicago
61. Colorado State University
62. oregon State University
63. Texas at Arlington
64. Pittsburgh
65. Duke University
66. University of Tennessee-Knoxville
67. Lehigh University
68. Naval Postgraduate School
69. Texas Tech University
70. George Washington University
71. Vanderbilt University
72. University of Kansas
73. Clemson University
74. Clarkson University
75. New Mexico State University
76. Southern Methodist University
77. University of Central Florida
78. University of Delaware
79. University of Connecticut
80. Washington State University
81. University of Missouri-Rolla
82. Boston University
83. Missouri-Columbia
84. Illinois Institute of Technology
85. Ohio University
86. Air Force Inst of Technology
87. University of Cincinnati
88. West Virginia University
89. Wayne State University
90. University of Houston
91. Worcester Polytechnic Inst
92. Brigham Young University
93. Stevens Inst of Technology
94. University of Oklahoma
95. Alabama-Huntsville
96. Wisconsin-Milwaukee
97. Kentucky
98. Univ of Southwestern Louisiana
99. University_of_Miami
100. Louisiana State U & A&M College
COMPUTER SCIENCE RANKINGS:
1. Stanford University
2. Massachusetts Inst of Technology
3. University of California-Berkeley
4. Carnegie Mellon University
5. Cornell University
6. Princeton University
7. University of Texas at Austin
8. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
9. University of Washington
10. University of Wisconsin-Madison
11. Harvard University
12. California Institute Technology
13. Brown University
14. University of California-Los Angeles
15. Yale University
16. University of Maryland College Park
17. New York University
18. U of Massachusetts at Amherst
19. Rice University
20. University of Southern California
21. University of Michigan
22. Columbia University
23. of California-San Diego
24. University of Chicago
25. University of Pennsylvania
26. Purdue University
27. Rutgers State Univ-New Brunswick
28. Duke University
29. U of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
30. University of Rochester
31. State U of New York-Stony Brook
32. Georgia Institute of Technology
33. University of Arizona
34. California-Irvine
35. University of Virginia
36. Indiana University
37. Johns Hopkins University
38. Northwestern University
39. Ohio State University
40. University of Colorado
41. University of Utah
42. oregon Graduate Inst Sci & Tech
43. Pittsburgh
44. Syracuse University
45. University of Pennsylvania a
46. University of Florida
47. University of Minnesota
48. Univ of California-Santa Barbara
49. Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst
50. University of California-Santa Cruz
51. University of Illinois at Chicago
52. Washington University
53. Michigan State University
54. Pennsylvania State University
55. CUNY - Grad Sch & Univ Center
56. Dartmouth College
57. Boston University
58. California-Davis
59. State Univ of New York-Buffalo
60. North Carolina State University
61. Arizona State University
62. University of Iowa
63. Texas A&M University
64. oregon
65. Kentucky
66. Virginia Polytech Inst & State University
67. Case Western Reserve Univ
68. George Washington University
69. South Florida
70. Temple University
71. oregon State University
72. Univ of Southwestern Louisiana
73. Vanderbilt University
74. University of Nebraska-Lincoln
75. University of Houston
76. University of Texas at Dallas
77. Louisiana State U & A&M College
78. Iowa State University
79. New Mexico State University
80. Wayne State University
81. Washington State University
82. Kansas State University
83. Central Florida
84. Naval Postgraduate School
85. University of Texas at Arlington
86. University of Kansas
87. Alabama-Huntsville
88. Old Dominion University
89. U of Maryland Baltimore County
90. Southern Methodist University
91. Illinois Institute of Technology
92. Connecticut
93. South Carolina
94. North Texas
95. Florida State University
96. Lehigh University
97. University of Mass-Lowell
98. University of Alabama-Birmingham
99. Mississippi State University
100. Kent State University