<p>I'm an HS senior, and my ultimate plan is to get an MS in biomedical engineering with a specialization in tissue engineering (I want to work with stem cells, creating tissues, etc).</p>
<p>My question is, ** what pros/cons exist as far as majoring in BME as an undergrad? ** Will this undergrad degree give me more experience when I go into grad school, especially since I know how I want to specialize? Will it hinder me in getting into grad school?</p>
<p>I think general consensus is there aren’t too many jobs out there with BS bioM/bio Engineering so you will have to continue education after your undergrad work. If you change your mind after undergrad or can’t get into grad school, then that leaves you with not too many choices. </p>
<p>You may want to consider doing ChemE and then go for MS/Phd in BioM/Bio Engineering. Doing so will allow you to get a job after undergrad degree (if you change your mind about your future). ChemEs are a lot easier to find work. Good luck.</p>
<p>@FromMD Thank you for your response (quick and informative!) I don’t think my math is quite strong enough to survive ChemE. I’m pretty certain about advancing to grad school, so what if I earned an undergrad degree in some other biology field, like cellular? My main idea is still BME undergrad, but I’m trying to explore my options.</p>
<p>If your math isn’t strong enough to survive ChemE, then what makes you think biomedical engineering will be any different? You’ll likely have a very tough time in grad school if you do straight biology (unless you take the calc and physics sequence).</p>
<p>What makes you think your math is not strong? I think if you try, you may surprise yourself.</p>
<p>The main issue is not really that there isn’t enough jobs but rather about the sort of jobs that one gets with a B.S. or B.Eng. in Biomedical Engineering.</p>
<p>Quote from said article
“Students in biomedical engineering tend to be trained more broadly than EEs,” says Foster. “As a consequence, our students tend to be generalists.” He says the companies that hire biomedical engineers tend to use them as generalists or in area such as project planning or management. “The people I know in industry tend to run medical device projects, work on getting devices to market, or organize small research projects rather than work in computer programming or circuit design,” he says.</p>
<p>Simply said, people with a Biomedical Engineering degree are generalists rather than specialists and if you want to do cutting edge R&D in industry, you’d better be a specialist. The generalists, because of their wide range but not necessarily depth of education tend to find jobs in project management and the like but not directly work on the R&D work. For this reason, there are teams of specialists from a range of areas and never a lone generalist tackling an issue.</p>
<p>My advice is that you major in a more traditional engineering field before going to do graduate work in BME. While doing undergraduate work, you may want to take some of the core BME courses at your college such as Biology, Biochemistry, Biomaterials, Bioelectricity, etc. That should help with admissions into graduate BME programs.</p>
<p>“Generalists” is coded word for work anyone can do. Why would a company hire BS BioM/Bio and pay you 70k/year coming out of college and when they can hire 2 workers with bio major for the same price? </p>
<p>I still think, for undergrad work, it’s better to stay within more traditional engineering field (Chem, Mech, Elec, CE) and then you can branch out after BS. Don’t be fooled by fancy sounding engineering majors for BS. My two cents.</p>
<p>This is a lot of really helpful information–thanks to all of you! It’s almost sort of overwhelming because I’ve been set on the BME undergrad for so long, and I’m accepted into a few colleges of engineering within universities.</p>
<p>About my math–I have a 600 on the SAT, 29 ACT math sections, and struggled a little in pre-calc. Am I incorrect in assuming that chem. has more math than bio. would?</p>
<p>If I were to pursue a different undergrad major that’s not engineering related, but still plan on specializing in BME/tissue eng. in grad school, what program would I go for? Biochemistry, straight chemistry, etc?</p>
<p>One last question: Even if I ended up with a BS in BME before heading to grad school, could I still get a decent job through hard work and connections? I would just want to start paying off student loans.</p>
<p>By the way, this possibility of changing undergrad majors also changes some other stuff, such as the potential for being recruited (women’s rowing) to schools that I originally wrote off because they didn’t have the BME undergrad. That’s another reason I have so many questions, so thanks again for helping me out!</p>
<p>Here is my advice as a professor of BME for nearly 25 years and a current Chair (with a daughter applying to college – not in BME): Follow the path that is most interesting to you, PERIOD. BME is a vibrant field with many jobs and is growing rapidly. ChemE is also a very excellent field, but they are different. </p>
<p>If you want to work on problems related to health and improving the quality of life of those with poor health/disabilities and/or the cost of healthcare then BME is for you. The term “generalist” is frequently used to dismiss BME. In fact, BME requires a strong understanding of biology and physiology that are not parts of other curricula. So, the BME student will be able to provide more insight into problems in healthcare than other specialized areas of engineering. But, I recommend (and my dept requires) that all students develop a focus area as they progress through our program - these are in areas such as biomechanics, biomaterials, tissue engineering, design, biotransport, bioelectricity. Some degree of specialization is important in any field you choose to enter because it gives you a skill that can be tapped. </p>
<p>BUT, BME is interdisciplinary and so it is important to understand the breadth of the field. This is NOT the same as being a generalist – it means that in order to design medical devices or technologies or understand physiological systems one must be able to integrate diverse but interrelated areas. This is a skill, and it takes practice. </p>
<p>I also advise you to find a department that requires you to get involved in research. There is no better way to find out whether you enjoy this type of learning than to roll up your sleeves and give it a shot. In my department <em>all</em> undergraduates have a one-year required research experience and this provides a great learning opportunity. Our students work in laboratories with faculty, graduate students and post-docs, and this provides them with insight into future career opportunities. Many take this forward and enter into our 5th year MS program through which they can earn an MS with additional coursework and by expanding their senior project (with a substantial tuition break for the 5th year.) I advise you to search for 5th year programs or 4+1 programs that will provide this opportunity. There are also many internships and Research Experience for Undergraudate (REU) programs that will provide you with good opportunities.</p>
<p>And, BTW, there are many reputable sources that suggest that BME is one of the top growth fields for the next 10 years. But, as I wrote at the beginning – do what you enjoy. I firmly believe that this is what will lead to a more interesting career and that this is what leads to professional success. </p>