<p>This is for my S who is starting the application process. The ultimate goal is to study medicine (MD). Which undergrad major would you choose, Biomedical engineering or Biology? Just in case, for any reason, if he is not able to continue after B.Sc. and start his career. Which one has better prospects? Thanks for reading this post.</p>
<p>If he only gets a B.Sc, then go with Biology as Biomedical Engineering will require a graduate degree to get work.</p>
<p>Is there any reason why Biomedical Engineering need to have a graduate degree, or is it just from your experience? I know that other engineering grads improve their prospects by getting an MS or even PhD. But the majority of them do get a job with B.Sc.</p>
<p>Almost all biomedical engineering career fields involve extensive research, as opposed to the practical applied engineering that the traditional fields involve. There isn’t much if any biomedical manufacturing, so it’s very specialized research at this time.</p>
<p>Moreover, biomedical engineering at the undergraduate level is a mix of biology and engineering, but doesn’t achieve much depth in either. A BME graduate with only a BS possesses neither the biology knowledge/experience of a biology major nor the depth of engineering knowledge of a mechanical/electrical/chemical engineering major. Hence, graduate study is needed to achieve sufficient depth in a particular area of biomedical engineering.</p>
<p>However, at the end of the day, a BS in BME is still an engineering degree, and that is worth something–certainly more than a BS in biology, which is not worth the paper it’s printed on. A BS in biology only allows one to work in low-paying lab tech jobs with no potential for moving up; at the least an MS is required, and even at the PhD level prospects are poor. A BS in biology is a poor degree to have unless one uses it as a stepping stone to professional degrees like MD/DO, PA, etc. or for graduate study, eg MS/PhD, MPH, or to work in sales, for instance as a pharmaceutical rep.</p>
<p>However, another thing to keep in mind is that GPA is paramount for medical school–generally speaking, students don’t get cut much slack for their major in the eyes of medical school admissions committees. Engineering majors almost universally tend to have lower GPAs than other majors, including biology. It will be easier to get a high GPA in biology than in engineering.</p>
<p>Thanks @NoVADad99 and @AuraObscura for very useful information.</p>