The Electrical Engineering Department has been considered one of the main departments of Palestine Polytechnic University since its establishment in 1978. The department has kept pace with the continuous growth and development of the university. The department started its first bachelor’s program in computer engineering in 1990. With the technological advances, it was necessary for the department to develop new engineering programs that meet the needs of the market for engineers who are qualified to deal with advanced technology. In 1994, the department offered a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Automation Engineering to prepare qualified engineers to design, operate and develop control systems using the latest traditional automatic and computerized control techniques.

The department, with its distinguished staff, continued studying the needs and aspirations of the engineering market. In 1997, the department launched Medical Device Engineering, its third engineering program. The program was designed to prepare engineers specialized in designing, developing and examining medical devices.

In the beginning of 2006, the department launched the Communications and Electronics Engineering Program, which focuses on the areas of communications, electronics and IT. The program is designed to meet the needs of the Palestinian community as well as provide graduates with job opportunities locally and internationally.

In 2011, the department launched the Electrical Power Engineering Technology program, which aims to equip engineers with skills specialized in generating electric power from conventional and renewable energy sources, transmitting and distributing electrical power and dealing with smart grids, which play an important role in electric car charging stations.

In light of the technological advancements, many systems and smart devices that are used in controlling and monitoring use the Internet. These systems use the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and digital data networks. In addition, modern engineering projects have many technologies related to communication, control and machine learning-based devices. Therefore, it has become necessary to have engineers who are able to design advanced intelligent electrical and electronic systems. Hence, the department recently launched the Intelligent Systems and Devices Engineering program.

Since 2016, the department has launched three master's programs in Electrical Engineering, Electrical Power Engineering and Communications Engineering, as well as the Renewable Energy Program. These three programs are joint programs with local and international universities.