Electrical engineering traces its origins to the latter part of the nineteenth century when most of its efforts were devoted to electricity production and the application of electric motors for manufacturing and transportation. With the arrival of the computer age, electrical engineers were deeply involved in computer hardware design. Many academic departments, including Villanova's, had computer options or minors. In the early nineties, it became apparent that a need existed for a new specialty, namely computer engineering. In 1993, the electrical engineering department changed its name to Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE).
