<p>Hey everyone!</p>
<p>I'm currently an undergrad at the University of Chicago, going into my junior year, with a 3.9+ GPA, and I'm majoring in biology. I've taken a lot of bio and chem courses, and am planning to take comp sci and physics next year, and likely diff eq and linear algebra my senior year. I've been working in a microbiology lab for ~year thus far, and have received a fellowship to perform original research. I should also not that I have teaching experience, and will likely have a total of 3 years of being a TA before I apply to grad school.</p>
<p>So, I've recently become interested in BioE, especially hijacking bacteria to produce materials. I've read some research on utilizing microbes to produce nanoparticles, and I think I'm really interested in how this could be used in nanotechnology. Thus, I've been looking into schools like MIT that are leading in this field. My issue is that the University of Chicago has no engineering program nor major, so all of my courses would have to be in general sciences. So while I can take some of the physics, mathematics, and comp sci that would be necessary, any engineering courses would be impossible.</p>
<p>Would it still be possible for me to get a PhD in bioengineering, especially in my specific field of interest considering my course work and research experience? Is there anything I can do to bolster my application/resume or anything that you guys would recommend?</p>
<p>Thank you for your help and time!</p>
<p>Engineering programs usually expect that you have an engineering degree as an undergraduate. Given that you are not in engineering now, they will probably expect you to take a bunch of remedial engineering courses. You might want to look into schools where you can move across departments to do your research. In physics at my university we have some graduate students who are doing research in Chemical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering. Their degree will be in Physics but their research is in a more engineering oriented area. Unless you want to be a faculty member in an Engineering department what matters most is your area of research and at the highest levels, there is a lot of overlap and cross-talk.</p>
<p>I’m also curious about this. I’m currently a neuroscience major and looking to apply to bioengineering PhD programs. The PI I’m working with now actually suggested this as a possibility because my research interests have gone more in that direction than straight neuroscience. I was concerned about this issue as well, though - going from a non-engineering degree into engineering. When I asked about this on the Grad Cafe, the responses suggested that this wouldn’t be a huge problem: <a href=“Neuroscience -> Biomedical engineering? - Engineering - The GradCafe Forums”>Neuroscience -> Biomedical engineering? - Engineering - The GradCafe Forums;
<p>My guess is that it depends on the program. Biomedical Engineering might be different than Biological Engineering and different universities have varying requirements. I suggest you look at the specific programs of interest and see their entrance requirements.</p>
<p>It is certainly possible, especially given your high GPA and solid research record. Depending on the school, you may be expected to take remedial coursework before applying or after gaining admission, and some programs may want you to get an MS first.</p>
<p>I majored in molecular biology and, a few years later, applied for a number of (research-based) mechanical engineering Masters programs. I was admitted to several with pretty much zero engineering coursework (but a decent amount of math). Since your biology coursework will be more directly transferable to your desired graduate discipline than mine was, you probably stand a reasonable chance, assuming you’ve excelled in your work.</p>