<p>i am currently at umass-amherst and am interested in biomedical engineering. i recently got accepted into the program at boston university and now have to decide whether or not to transfer. </p>
<p>i know that bu has a good program in that department, but is it worth paying 40K when i can go to umass for 15K. umass does not have biomedical engineering as a major, but i would plan on taking a combination of mechanical engineering and biology classes. </p>
<p>my goal is to go to graduate school for biomedical engineering anyway, so does it really matter which school i go to for undergrad? i would also be losing some credits if i transfer to bu and would have to take an extra year there. </p>
<p>In the past, many people did graduate work in BME, while doing undergraduate work in something else. In part, that was a practical decision -- there were very few undergraduate BME programs. Just look at the resume of most BME professors -- most have undergraduate degrees in science disciplines (applied physics, biology, chemistry) or in more traditional engineering disciplines (EE, ChemE, and MechE). Today, of course, as there are many, many more undergraduate BME programs, I'm sure a much higher percentage of those applying for graduate BME placement have undergraduate BME degrees. Having said that, there are many in the field that still believe that BME is best approached at the graduate school level and that a broader-based science background (many in particular extoll the virtue of EE and ChemE as part of the "engineering" background) is of great benefit. Beyond that general information, I don't claim to have any answers, including whether someone without an undergraduate BME degree is in any sense at a disadvantage in applying for graduate BME study. Good luck.</p>