TL;DR: BS Electrical Engineering is governed by CHED Memorandum Order No. 88, series of 2017, with a minimum of 168 credit units — 118 technical and 50 non-technical — across a four-year sample programme. A 240-hour immersion outside the school plus a capstone design or research project are required to finish. Yes, there is a board exam, and there are actually three registration tiers under Republic Act No. 7920: Registered Master Electrician, Registered Electrical Engineer, and Professional Electrical Engineer. The REE written exam is weighted 25 percent mathematics, 30 percent engineering sciences and allied subjects, 45 percent electrical engineering professional subjects, passing at a 70 percent general weighted average with no grade below 50 percent.
Most course guides for electrical engineering stop at "there is a board exam." The more useful fact is that the profession has a three-step ladder, and one of those steps is open to you before you even graduate. This guide covers what CHED requires inside the degree and what RA 7920 requires after it.
The CHED Order Behind BSEE
CHED Memorandum Order No. 88, series of 2017, "Policies, Standards and Guidelines for the Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) Program Effective Academic Year (AY) 2018-2019," governs the degree. It was issued as an addendum to CMO 37, s. 2012, which set up outcomes-based education across engineering programmes.
CMO 88 defines the field as the profession that involves "the conceptualization, development, design and application of safe, healthy, ethical, economical and sustainable generation, transmission, distribution and utilization of electrical energy for the benefit of society and the environment."
The order names the degree "Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE)" and describes electrical engineering as one of the broader engineering disciplines, both in the range of problems it covers and the knowledge needed to solve them.
168 Units, and Where They Go
CMO 88 states: "The curriculum has a minimum total of 168 credit units, comprising of 118 units of technical courses."
Technical courses — 118 units
| Block | Units |
|---|---|
| Mathematics | 12 |
| Natural and physical sciences | 8 |
| Basic engineering sciences | 7 |
| Allied courses | 34 |
| Professional courses (common) | 51 |
| Professional courses (specialised) or electives | 6 |
Non-technical courses — 50 units
Thirty-six units of general education under CMO 20, s. 2013 (24 units of core courses, 9 units of GE electives, and 3 units of Life and Works of Rizal), plus 8 units of Physical Education and 6 units of NSTP.
The 34-unit allied block is unusually large for an engineering programme, and it is where BSEE picks up its breadth: fundamentals of deformable bodies, materials science and engineering, electronic circuits, basic thermodynamics, industrial electronics, electromagnetics, fluid mechanics, fundamentals of electronic communications, logic circuits and switching theory, microprocessor systems, computer programming, basic occupational safety and health, and environmental science and engineering.
The professional core is the recognisably electrical part: Electrical Circuits 1 and 2, Electrical Machines 1 and 2, Electrical Apparatus and Devices, Power System Analysis, Distribution Systems and Substation Design, Fundamentals of Power Plant Engineering Design, Electrical Systems and Illumination Engineering Design, Instrumentation and Control, Feedback Control Systems, Engineering Mathematics for EE, Numerical Methods and Analysis, Electrical Standards and Practices, EE Law Codes and Professional Ethics, Management of Engineering Projects, Research Methods, the capstone Research Project or Capstone Design Project, seminars and colloquia, On-the-Job Training, and two electives.
One note on reading CMO 88 directly: the narrative in Section 10 and the component tables in Section 11 do not report identical sub-totals for every block. The narrative figures are the ones used above and the ones that reconcile to the stated 168-unit minimum.
The CHED sample programme of study runs four years across eight semesters.
OJT and the Capstone Requirement
CMO 88 is explicit that the final requirements of the curriculum are "a minimum of 240 hours of immersion in electrical engineering activities outside the institution and a capstone design project or a research project in electrical engineering."
Both are CHED requirements rather than school preferences. The immersion is where students meet the Philippine Electrical Code as a working document rather than a reading, which matters more than it sounds — the Code is examinable at both the REE and RME levels.
The Three-Tier Licence Ladder
This is where electrical engineering differs from most engineering professions. Republic Act No. 7920, the New Electrical Engineering Law, creates three registration categories, and they are not simply seniority labels — the entry requirements and the examination formats genuinely differ.
Registered Master Electrician (RME)
The entry tier, and the one open before graduation. Under Section 18, an applicant must be a Filipino citizen, at least 18 years old, of good reputation, and not convicted of an offence involving moral turpitude, plus one of several technical backgrounds. Among them:
- has completed at least three years of a five-year BSEE programme, or a three-year course in electrical engineering technology, from a recognised engineering school, plus one year of practice in electrical wiring, installation, operation, and maintenance; or
- has graduated from a two-year electrician's course at a recognised vocational or trade school, plus at least two years of apprenticeship
Worth flagging: RA 7920 was enacted in 1995 and its text assumes a five-year BSEE. The current CHED sample programme under CMO 88 runs four years. If you plan to sit the RME on the strength of partial BSEE credit, confirm how the Board evaluates your transcript before filing rather than assuming.
The RME examination covers two groups weighted 50 percent each: technical subjects (Ohm's law calculations, electrical machines, control equipment, electrical components, maintenance and repair, test equipment, and the electrical engineering law provisions applying to RMEs), and the Philippine Electrical Code, Parts 1 and 2. RA 7920 sizes it for one eight-hour day. Passing is a 70 percent general average with no grade below 50 percent.
Registered Electrical Engineer (REE)
The main professional entry point. Section 17 requires a Filipino citizen, at least 21 years old, of good reputation with high moral values, not convicted of an offence involving moral turpitude, and a holder of the BSEE degree from a duly constituted and government-recognised institution.
The written examination has three groups with weights fixed in the law itself:
| Group | Weight |
|---|---|
| Mathematics | 25% |
| Engineering sciences and allied subjects | 30% |
| Electrical engineering professional subjects | 45% |
Mathematics covers algebra, trigonometry, analytic geometry, differential and integral calculus, differential equations, complex numbers, probability and statistics, and advanced engineering mathematics including matrices, power series, Fourier analysis, and Laplace transforms.
Engineering sciences and allied subjects covers general chemistry, college physics, computer fundamentals and programming, engineering materials, engineering mechanics, fluid mechanics, strength of materials, thermodynamics, electrical engineering law, engineering economics, engineering management, contracts and specifications, the code of professional ethics, and the Philippine Electrical Code Parts 1 and 2.
Electrical engineering professional subjects covers electric circuits, electronic theory and circuits, energy conversion, power transmission and distribution, instrumentation and measurement, circuit and line protection, control systems, principles of communication, electrical machines, electrical equipment and devices, electric systems, power plant, electronic power equipment, illumination, and building wiring.
RA 7920 sets the passing standard at a 70 percent general weighted average with no grade below 50 percent in any group, and specifies that questions cover basic theories and principles rather than experience and trade practices. The law sizes the exam to be completed in three consecutive eight-hour days.
For the current cycle, filing deadlines, and the practical checklist, see our electrical engineering board exam guide. PRC publishes the REE and RME dates in its annual Schedule of Licensure Examinations — that resolution is the only authority on when the exams fall, and application windows close months in advance.
Professional Electrical Engineer (PEE)
The senior tier, and the one that surprises people: there is no written examination. Under Section 19, registration as a PEE turns on documents and an interview. The applicant submits a certified experience record dated from the oath as an REE, a technical paper evaluating or analysing an electrical engineering project or subject, and three certifications from professional electrical engineers attesting that the experience record is factual and the paper is the applicant's own work. An oral examination or interview is conducted to confirm the service record and clarify the technical report. The applicant must obtain passing marks on both the experience record and the technical report.
What Electrical Engineers Do
RA 7920 defines the scope of practice as including consultation, investigation, valuation and management of services requiring electrical engineering knowledge; design and preparation of plans, specifications and estimates for electric power systems, power plants, distribution systems, transformers, transmission lines, network protection, switchgear, building wiring and electrical machines; supervision of erection, installation, testing and commissioning of power plants, substations, transmission lines and industrial plants; supervision of operation and maintenance of electrical equipment; supervision of manufacture and repair of electrical equipment; teaching electrical engineering professional courses; and taking charge of the sale and distribution of electrical equipment requiring engineering calculations.
CMO 88 lists the fields of specialisation the degree feeds into: power system operation and protection, power plant operation and maintenance, advanced electrical systems design and inspection, sales and entrepreneurship, engineering education and research, instrumentation and control systems, construction and project management, software development, electricity market work, and safety engineering.
In practice that means utilities and distribution cooperatives, generation companies, construction and building services, industrial plants, manufacturing, consultancy and design offices, and a substantial overseas market — electrical engineering travels better than most Philippine professional degrees because the underlying standards are internationally comparable.
Choosing Between Electrical, Electronics, and Mechanical
CMO 88 lists the allied programmes as computer engineering, electronics engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, chemical engineering, industrial engineering, computer science, and information technology. Allied does not mean interchangeable — each has its own CHED order and, where a licence exists, its own law and board.
The clearest dividing lines:
Electrical vs electronics. Power, machines, and distribution on one side; devices, communications, and ICT on the other. Both are licensed, under different laws. Both cover circuits early, which is why first-year students find them hard to tell apart and fourth-year students do not.
Electrical vs mechanical. Considerable overlap in power plant work, where the two professions sit side by side. Mechanical leans toward machine design, thermodynamics, and plant systems.
If you are still in senior high school, our guide to the right strand for engineering covers the preparation question, and our roundup of the best engineering schools in the Philippines is a starting point for shortlisting programmes.
Sources
- Commission on Higher Education — CHED Memorandum Order No. 88, s. 2017, Policies, Standards and Guidelines for the Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering Program (PDF)
- LawPhil / Republic Act No. 7920 — The New Electrical Engineering Law
- Professional Regulation Commission — Schedule of Licensure Examinations for the Year 2026 (Resolution No. 2113, s. 2025, PDF)
