Bioengineering vs Biomedical engineering.

Hello, I would like some advice. I am interested in doing one of these two fields, unfortunately I still don’t quite understand the difference. I emailed one of the faculty at UC Irvine of their Biomedical engineering department and this was the answer they gave

“The answer to question is two fold. Bioengineering is a newer term. “Biomedical Engineering” is considered the classical term. However, there are some fundamental differences between the two. Bioengineering is most affiliated with basic science research (understanding mechanosensing systems, genetic engineering, optical imaging (microscopy) and some microfuidics research is also characterized with this term). Whereas Biomedical Engineering is affiliated with medical devices such as cardiovascular systems, brain sensing, hardware development for medical systems and even computational fluidic dynamics. As far as I know UCI modeled our department after UCSD’s program and selected “biomedical engineering” for the fact that the founding faculty had strong research interests in medical devices and hardware (the Beckman laser institute is here as well as the The Edwards Lifesciences Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Technology). In addition Orange County has the highest concentration of biomedical/pharma companies in the area compared to the rest of California. The faculty here have research interests in both areas (biomedical and bioengineering). I’m sure you will see the same in other schools.”

unfortunately I still don’t quite understand since she is using language that I am not familiar with. but also I wanted to clarify that I a m specifically interested in genetics research in the field of Bioengineering, especially towards gerontology, neurology or physiology. It seems like to me that I am more suited to Bioengineering (I really have little interest in the medical field, and much more interest in tech start ups and entrepreneurialism) However UCI only offers Biomedical engineering. I want to find out if it is suitable for me to attend UCI’s program, or if I need to go somewhere else for Bioengineering specifically. Any input, thoughts and advice would be tremendously appreciated!

I wouldn’t worry too much about the difference in which name is used. In a lot of cases, they are used interchangeably. Biomedical engineering came first, since the original use of the related developments was for medical devices. Since then, the applications have expanded beyond medicine, so people started calling it bioengineering. Some programs may focus somewhat more on the medical part of it, since bioengineering/biomedical engineering programs aren’t as standardized as traditional engineering. For undergrad, I wouldnt worry about whether a program is biomedical or bioengineering. You’re going to get a broad perspective on the field at that level. The professor’s response about the difference is focused a lot on the research going on, which doesn’t impact you as much as an undergrad.

All of that said, bioengineering might not be the best choice for genetic engineering, since it’s not engineering in the same traditional sense. You might be better off looking at more traditional bio programs of you’re really set on genetic engineering. There was another thread here recently where someone was also trying to figure out the best major for genetic engineering.

Well, it appears that you have that tendency, too. You keep using the term “Bioengineering”. Engineering disciplines tend to be ones in which systems are (well) understood and ‘engineers’ are attempting to create new systems to solve problems.

If all you are interested in is straight research, than any of the Biology or Molecular Biology or Genetics programs would be serviceable. However, we have crossed a threshold in knowledge where we can actually engineer some of these systems and if that is what you are interested in, you might want to include at least some classes that would make you competitive for a graduate program in engineering.

Are you saying that bioengineering isn’t engineering, that it’s not a real field, or what?

I’ve done my research on majors related to genetic research and engineering and found that Bioengineering is most closely related to it- even one of the faculty at Irvine’s Biomedical Engineering program has their own research team (sorry if i am not using industry terminology) specifically in genetic engineering http://liulab.com/. However UC Irvine also offers Biology with a focus on genetics, so it’s a tough choice- but i am less interested in broad genetics than i am specifically in manipulating them which is why i am targeting the engineering side. however as I still have a lot to learn, and if someone would like to correct my understanding as it stands now, i am totally open and welcoming of it! I Guess the choice really boils down to (since I am apply to Irvine no matter what and have to select from what they have available) Biology or Biomedical engineering undergraduate major.

If you want to go to grad school, I honestly don’t think it will end up mattering a lot one way or the other. My undergrad was in neuroscience and I’m going to grad school for bioengineering.

If you’re uncertain, I’d recommend starting out in biomedical engineering rather than biology, because it’s generally easier to transfer to science than engineering (because of specific major requirements).