<p>Hi, I'm a sophomore at USF studying engineering (not my top pick for a school, but it's the only one I could afford to go to with a scholarship after getting my AA), but I'm having trouble trying to decide which field to pursue. I'm currently finishing up my Calc and Physics prerequisites and taking an intro computer programming course. So far, I've been able to narrow down my interests to Computer Science, Computer Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. But I have recently heard about the field of Biomedical Engineering and I immediately fell in love. I would love to have a career where I could design and create medical devices such as pacemakers and prosthetics. I have always been very interested in medicine and health, but have never wanted to be a doctor or a nurse or anything like that. I would prefer to work in the background, using my hands and working with cutting-edge technology. I love math and Physics 1 has been my favorite class so far. </p>
<pre><code>So I was wondering, which undergraduate engineering majors are best suited to start a career in Biomedical Engineering? Would C.S., C.E, or MechE be appropriate majors, or which one would apply best to the field? Even though Chemical and Electrical seem to be good fits, I'm worried they would be too difficult for me.
Would you need a MS to get a job in the field? Or would a bachelor's degree and experience suffice? I've heard that a BS in Biomedical Engineering is too shallow knowledge-wise and isn't a very good degree to get.
<p>I’d say a MechE is your best bet. It’s very general, and from what I hear, a lot of BME work isn’t even done by BME grads, it’s done by MechE’s. And either way, if engineering is what you want, Mech is probably the most applicable to others fields in general. MechE’s can do work in automotives, alternative energy, aerospace, and other fields. But take my advice with a grain of salt lol!</p>
<p>I would agree that you’re better off with a degree in another field of engineering. Which degree depends on which aspect of BME you’re interested in. Prosthetics could be Mechanical, Electrical, or CS depending on which side of the project you’re focusing on. Tissue or metabolic engineering would probably be Chemical. A BS is probably fine, but you could also see whether your university has a 4 + 1 program where you could get a BS in some engineering and a MS in BME in 5 years.</p>
<p>My son is at CPSLO in his 3rd year of ME and after getting through the quantitative core classes is really loving it despite the pressure of the 1/4 system. He went to a ABME conference in Oregon this summer and was fascinated by how many areas there are to go into.
He also learned that because of the specialty , the liability of the product and the extensive licensing req. for the products a Masters or a phd is required to advance in the field. His school has a program where he can do a masters in just one additional year if he does some of the BME core during his undergrad electives if possible.</p>
<p>See if your school has a ASBME organization…if not try to attend one of the local conferences by googeling their website…or just learn more and email some students at a nearby school that does have a student run ASBME club or org.
As you advance try to get a internship , usually not available until your Jr year is completed.
EE undergrad to BME usually focuses on on the EE part of the product, some in for example in a robotic type of prosthetic , or the ee par of the pace maker. CME would steer you toward the material research part of BM device, and coming from an ME background could steer you toward design, QA, prototype orientation part of the team.<br>
That s at least what I gathered from the conference peeps I spoke with. EE or CS would be very technical and for someone that like to get out of their head and off a computer screen and use there hand that would not seem a good match. Good luck and keep digging!</p>