My son is trying to decide between Purdue, Upitt and Case Western for Biomedical Engineering. Cost wise it is the same. Can someone provide some pointers to help us decide which one to commit to?
We understand the different settings of each of the universities and Case/Upitt has good hospitals near the campus. Purdue is ranked high in engineering (Top 10). Any pointers to help make the selection would be great.
I’ve heard that Biomedical engineering grads can have a challenge getting a job without a grad degree. So I’d recommend researching job placement opportunities at the career centers (I remember Case seemed to have a good one, not sure about the others) and websites.
It’s generally advised that students interested in biomedical engineering get an undergrad in mechanical engineering and a masters in biomedical engineering.
Is your child planning on going to medical school?
I think I answered this in another of your threads but Purdue had a common FYE program for all disciplines and then a transition to major at the end of freshman year. It’s GPA dependent if you get your first choice major.
That said, if your student is looking into BME as a career, their are more BME co-ops than students to fill them at Purdue.
You should be able to get reports like this from your respective university websites. You should be able to compare ME and BE placements for comparison. I like data more than general opinions.
I used WPI because, like your listed options, it is strong in both fields and I know how to find the data.
Just found a more helpful tool. It took me awhile to see how to use it. Choose Architecue & Engineering under occupational group and then enter Biomedical or Mechanical under occupation @ http://www.where-are-the-jobs.com/app.php You even get a map on geographic distribution of employment.
Who would have thought Kansas was a hot spot!
They are three very different schools, one large and rural, one large and urban, and one small and suburban. Has he visited all three?
As others have asked, does he want to be a BME or is this a potential pre-med play? If the latter, make sure he learns about how successful each is at placing students into professional programs. He’d also want to know how hard it is to get medical research and volunteer opportunities at each. I could be wrong, but I would assume the city based programs would be better for that.
Thanks for all the responses… He is not sure about pre-med… he wants to pursue biomed as a career. Case and Upitt has good hospitals and hence more clinical opportunities, but Purdue has a strong overall Engineering program. Case is further small size as well which might fit my son… So still debating… We have visited all the campuses… How strong is the biomedical engineering program at Purdue?
Purdue’s biomedical engineering program is top 25 in terms of ranking.
Where I think Purdue really excels is in career readiness, opportunities for internships. , co-ops, and research. A number of companies, including biotech companies have R&D facilities in Lafayette.
"he wants to pursue biomed as a career. You can work in biomed field with a variety of degrees, not just biomed engineering. Check other old threads here for more info.
It feels a little bit like you’re fearful of missing out on “the best” program. They are all good. The “best” one is the one he likes the best and thinks he will have the best opportunity to thrive at. What does he think so far?
My opinion is just that without knowing your son. To me when I think of engineering programs I don’t think of UPitt. You just mentioned smaller classes might be a good thing for your son. That is what is important to me to know . Case has connections with the Cleveland Clinic which is world class. Also I would think Case would not be as intense as Purdue for engineering.
If you will notice Purdue is ranked much higher but not necessarily in biomedical. Also which school would your kid like to attend when he changes majors (it happens)
Which school has clubs, activities, opportunities that are more to your son’s liking. If he is into sports then Purdue is it.
If you get it down to two there’s also using a coin flip.
Please note these department rankings are based on graduate schools and the larger graduate schools dominate because of the way the data is collected. Case Western is well established and generally well known in the BME field. If you have not done so already, check out their job and graduate school placement in BME. If necessary, check directly with the career placement office. The rest is opinions (mine included). Find out what is really happening.
As already stated, the short answer is they are all very strong, Where is he most comfortable?
@Knowsstuff, I don’t give a lot of creedence to USNWR rankings, but Swanson at Pitt outranks Case in engineering (47 to 50 respectively). Even if one does place a lot of emphasis on rankings, there’s no difference between the two. The point I’m making…plenty of people DO think of Pitt when it comes to engineering.
Pitt also has a very well respected Honors College.
@eyemgh. I. Agree but maybe it’s a regional thing. I don’t think from Chicago I have heard of anyone going to Pitt for engineering. Purdue, Case Western… Like daily.
Thanks for all the insights… Very useful info… We will consider all these before commitment.
Case is a great school. (I toured it in 1980 for myself and again in 2010 with DS). But if you go as far away as CO, it does not have the same kind of name recognition as Purdue. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. I just wanted to point out the regional aspects.
I would read over the information from each school. Purdue has a lot of information on it’s biomedical engineering website. Be sure to look beyond just the first page.