While it is one of the newer subdivisions of engineering, electrical engineering has nevertheless become hugely prominent in the modern world. As electronics and digital devices proliferate in the population, electrical engineers are needed to maintain and develop them.

Officially known as the Italian Republic, the country is found in southern Europe. The official language is Italian and the cultural rich capital is Rome. Many of the world's oldest universities are located in Italy, in particular the University of Bologna (founded in 1088). There are three Superior Graduate Schools with "university status", three institutes with the status of Doctoral Colleges, which function at graduate and post-graduate level.