<p>I will be attending the University of Virginia next fall as a first year and I am VERY interested in biomedical engineering yet I have had no experience in it. I have experience in computer science and love it but I feel like I would love biomedical engineering more.</p>
<p>How do I know whether biomedical engineering or computer science is more right for me?</p>
<p>Can a biomedical engineer major with a computer science minor be worth it?</p>
<p>I think I would only have to take about 3 more classes for the minor..</p>
<p>And is it true that biomedical engineers will have a hard time finding a job after college???</p>
<p>“I have experience in computer science”</p>
<p>Do you? Or do you have experience in programming? Because computer science is not programming. Programming is the most common application of computer science, but computer science itself is, you guessed it, the science of computation. It’s similar to what a math major is but you are working with applications of it. There’s a Udacity class on theoretical computer science so check that out, or check out the difference courses in your university’s catalog to get an idea of what a CS program is like.</p>
<p>Think about what you want to do after college. If you want to be a software engineer, then do a Computer Science major but do it knowing that the degree will get you interviews, but experience with programming will get you jobs. </p>
<p>I can’t say anything about biomedical engineering but I’m currently in the process of choosing something other than CS because I did a year of programming classes and just found out I’m extremely unhappy.</p>
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<p>Based on my experience and observations, majority of kids coming out of college with a degree in Biomedical Engineering are ill prepared for the real world engineering work. Most end up doing fluff work (program management, project management etc.) and not real engineering. Everything they learn at undergraduate level is a watered down version what is generally offered in EE, ME and Material Science programs.</p>
<p>If you want to do real engineering work then stay away from BME at undergraduate level. It is a totally different story at graduate level.</p>
<p>I am intimately familiar with medical device industry. Hiring managers generally look for competent EEs, MEs, CS majors and so forth and NOT biomedical engineers unless you have done some relevant internships or research work. UVa has a very good biomedical engineering program. If you can get recommendation from profs in your department then it may not be so hard to find a job. A minor in CS will certainly help.</p>
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<p>UWHuskyDad, if I were to have an interest in working with Tissue Engineering and Artificial Organs, would you still recommend against Biomedical Engineering as an Undergraduate Major?</p>
<p>My other area of interest is in Medical Devices and I’m sure Mechanical Engineering can be applied to that. In such a case, I think that majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Biomedical Engineering would be a good idea.</p>
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<p>“if I were to have an interest in working with Tissue Engineering and Artificial Organs, would you still recommend against Biomedical Engineering as an Undergraduate Major?”</p>
<p>In my humble opinion, an undergraduate degree in any field is not sufficient for this. If your plan is to go to graduate school then you are better off with an undergrad degree in chemistry/chemical eng/material science.</p>
<p>“My other area of interest is in Medical Devices and I’m sure Mechanical Engineering can be applied to that. In such a case, I think that majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Biomedical Engineering would be a good idea.”</p>
<p>Not really. You are better off focusing your time/energy on your main field of study. A minor in CS is a different story. Your ability program will certainly be seen as an added value.</p>
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<p>Thanks for your input UWHuskyDad.</p>
<p>Also, I’m aware that their is a Medical Devices industry but I’m not sure if there is such an industry for Tissue Engineering. With regards to the latter, is most research and work done on it done in academia because I really don’t want to work in academia.</p>