Bio/Biomed Engineering B.S. prospects urgent choice

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>I am a former biology (former nursing!) major with 90+ hours who left the major after researching the prospects and talking to professors. I still love science, and I am gaining more appreciation for the practical applications that engineering offers.</p>

<p>However, I am not interested in the most typical engineering majors offered at colleges. Mechanical, civil, computer, electrical...I have no interest in doing an entire major in these. </p>

<p>I have read in numerous places (and have heard actual school officials say) that the biomedical/bioengineering major is not very useful at the B.S. level, and that the M.S. is required to really work in the field at all.
Due to this, it is supposedly common for mechanical and electrical students to get their B.S. and go for the grad degree in bio engineering.</p>

<p>I am really not at all interested in the mechanical type classes, though I would be okay taking some if needed. I do not want to major in this area though.
Electrical is far more interesting- as in some of the courses are interesting but again I would not choose to major in this area.</p>

<p>My concern then is that I would not be able to work in my own area should I pursue the B.S. in bio/biomed initially, before getting my M.S.
This concern may or may not sound absurd to those experienced in the field, because I have heard that it is very easy to move around with your type of work in engineering.</p>

<p>I really don't know much at all about what I may find myself doing as a biological/biomed engineer and I would love to hear of any experiences anyone may have or know about.</p>

<p>I have researched seemingly endlessly online, as well as tried looking at job listings/company websites but I still feel pretty ignorant about it.
I have no contacts with anyone in the engineering industry (also a first gen college student).</p>

<p>I am overdue to transfer to university and must declare my new major this term.
The other major I will choose if not bio/biomed engineering is quite different and the two will split off significantly here.
I am also a bit disappointed in not getting to learn calculus and physics with my alternate major (would start these engineering prereqs next term)- I have gained a huge desire for wanting to understand how the world works and why it is the way it is. My alternate major will not really satisfy this desire, especially not at the B.S. level. I have accepted that this may be something to do in my free time more as a hobby instead, but I am unsure on this still.
I will and have chosen the alternate major at this time and it is essentially because I do not really know enough about engineering I believe- or I only know a bit about it and may be judging the prospects incorrectly.</p>

<p>Any experience regarding this field, advice or thoughts would be very appreciated. Thanks for reading.</p>

2

<p>Just out of curiosity, what is this alternate major?</p>

<p>Anyways, you should realize that bioengineering is really just an application of the other traditional engineering fields to biology. You’ll see mechanical related stuff (prosthetics!), electrical related stuff (medical devices!), and more molecular and chem e related stuff (regrowing organs! novel drug delivery mechanisms!). Of course these also intertwine depending on what you’re doing, but I feel that this is a good rough classification.</p>

<p>You say you’re more interested in EE-related material. Does the prospect of making new, awesome devices interest you?</p>

<p>Anyways, regarding employability Many bioengineers simply go on to med school, but for the rest - yeah, it’ll be hard to get a job with only a B.S. I’ve heard one of my best friends (a bioe major) say that opportunities are there for those who really have strong research and actively seek out good prospects. In general, though, bioe is a young, growing field and there aren’t as many jobs right now as there will be in 10 years.</p>

<p>So realistically, know that you’re setting yourself up for either grad school or med school before you go into bioe. If you’re okay with that, then that’s awesome.</p>

<p>Disclaimer - I am not a bioe major, merely someone who heavily researched the field, knows several people in the field, and almost became a bioe major only to be rejected and switch to CS (it worked out fantastically well, though, since now I can’t imagine doing anything else).</p>