<p>I'm currently undecided, but I am thinking of maybe doing a major in Bioengineering: Bioinformatics. However, I am concerned that it is not ABET accredited... how will this affect the major and future job opportunities?</p>
<p>Also, would it be better to do the bioinformatics major, or a biochem/chem major with a CS minor?</p>
<p>I was wondering the same thing, should I enter this year as Bioinformatics or stay another year at CC and try for the accredited Bioengineering majors. I would want to go to grad school for my PhD in bioengineering after and I’m worried bioinformatics might jeopardize that.</p>
<p>Bump cuz I’d still like to know :p</p>
<p>I just got accepted by Bioengineering: Bioinformatics
I have also wondered the same thing so I have asked my friends. Most of people have said for bioinformatics , we don’t actually need to be accredited . its the same as CS , they may not be accredited , for example CS in UW . But even though, Bioengineering: bioinformatics is not accredited yet but I believe the bioinformatics program in UCSD is still one of the best in the nation. But of course , if u want to go to med school , probably its not a good choice.</p>
<p>i don’t know if accreditation makes a difference, since during my time in the chem department they’d always highlight one group of majors as being ACS-accredited and another one not being so. and in the end, it didn’t matter one bit. your transcript and diploma don’t make a note of accreditation status, and your post-grad programs are none the wiser. your grades and extracurriculars will always speak loads more about your qualifications than some silly label.</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses. Definitely makes me feel better hearing that.</p>
<p>@Nitole </p>
<p>Bioinformatics is completely different from bioE, and if you want to go to graduate school for bioE, I would strongly advise against going with bioinformatics. Bioinformatics is almost a CS/Molecular Biology double major, and bioE is an amazing mishmash of EE, ChemE, MechE applied to biological systems. </p>
<p>The curricula for bioengineering: bioinformatics is completely different from bioE: biotech or bioE. They have similar lower division requirements, sure, but if you go the bioinformatics route, you will be missing out on important core upper div engineering courses (engineering thermodynamics, mass transfer, control systems, etc) and you will have to take a bunch of classes that, quite frankly, you won’t need as a bioengineer. Just look at the major requirements:</p>
<p>[Bioengineering:</a> Bioinformatics | UC San Diego](<a href=“http://www.be.ucsd.edu/undergraduate_major_bioinformatics_curriculum]Bioengineering:”>http://www.be.ucsd.edu/undergraduate_major_bioinformatics_curriculum)</p>
<p>[Bioengineering</a> | UC San Diego](<a href=“http://www.be.ucsd.edu/undergraduate_major_bioengineering_curriculum]Bioengineering”>http://www.be.ucsd.edu/undergraduate_major_bioengineering_curriculum)</p>
<p>They’re seriously very, very different.</p>
<p>Also, ABET accreditation is really important for engineers that don’t intend to go to graduate school. Bioengineers are already in kind of a weird place because they suffer from ‘jack of all trades’ syndrome. I’d expect that a bioengineering major without an ABET accredited degree will have a difficult time finding employment. I don’t know how much graduate schools care, but yeah - you should find out.</p>