I got into UCSD under the major Bioengineering: Biotechnology. I’ve always been interested in biology and medical technology, but I’m also passionate about sustainability and environmental conservation. I’m positive I want to go into a field of engineering. I was wondering if you could recommend one of these fields based on job prospects, and different emphases I could get into in each field. I.E. prosthetics, tissue engineering, green technology, hazardous waste disposal. And also will going to UCSD make finding an engineering job a lot harder that if I went to an Ivy or Stanford or something. I intend to get an internship while at UCSD during school or over summer or whatever I have to do if that makes the job outlook any better. And is grad school a necessity to getting a successful career in engineering or would a B.S. from UCSD along with internships be enough? Sorry for all the questions. Answering any of them or just sharing thoughts on the matter would be much appreciated. Thanks!
Disclaimer: I am a current biotechnology major at UCSD.
I’m not familiar enough with environmental engineering and its job prospects to speculate, but hopefully someone else does and will post that information. I can tell you biotechnology has a plethora of options in the San Diego area and beyond. Genesee Ave is considered a hub for biotech startups, so you’ll be able to find some sort of employment for sure.
In our bioengineering introductory seminar, we were assigned into three groups: electrophysiology, 3-D bone printing, and cost efficient Ebola treatment. These are just a few of the topics you could explore as an undergraduate research assistant here. There’s no shortage of labs that might interest you. However, I don’t think there’s a way to officially declare a subspecialization beyond BTEC.
No, a JSOE degree is very respected in all fields, particularly bioengineering. I recall reading that Google hires more Cal and UCSD grads than any other. You’ll certainly be able to find some sort of opportunities for internships or research, although I don’t know enough to tell you whether a BS can carry you on its own. You could always look into the 5 year BS/MS program offered by the department.
Sorry I couldn’t tell you more about environmental engineering! Hopefully this helps though. Feel free to ask any other questions you might have about biotechnology, JSOE, Revelle, UCSD, or La Jolla.
Thank you so much! Could you tell me more about the 5 year masters program? And I know this is kind of off topic but by the end of this year I’ll have 12 ap tests passed (mostly 4s and 5s) and dual enrollment English 101-103 and calc D/Intro to diff equations. Do you think that would save me a year or any time at all or no? I’m going to be in warren college if that helps. Thanks again!
@groverrohan Hey sorry I forgot to hit reply when I posted that last question but if you could tell me more about the 5 year masters program or how much ap credit would help me that would be fantastic.
@jtrain5976 Students who get a high GPA in their first three undergraduate years can apply to the 5 year BS/MS program, for which more requirements can be found here: https://be.ucsd.edu/undergraduate_5year_program Fulfilling all the requirements results in your graduating with both a BS degree and an MS degree.
I don’t know if AP credit will take out a whole year, but it’ll definitely help. Sometime in the summer, you’ll get access to TritonLink where you can view your Student Degree Audit. This will show you exactly which courses your AP Credit has fulfilled and which remain. Until then, there are still a variety of tools at your disposal. The first is this chart: http://www.ucsd.edu/catalog/pdf/APC-chart.pdf A more Warren-specific version can be found beginning on page 18 of http://warren.ucsd.edu/_files/block-content/advising_guide.pdf
With this information, heading to http://plans.ucsd.edu can show you what classes you would have to take without AP credit. Scratch out the GEs you have fulfilled and shuffle the courses around based on the UCSD Schedule of Classes or General Catalog > Courses, Curricula, and Faculty.
AP credit also helps you get the classes you need. Beginning winter quarter, students with more units get to enroll sooner, so all those credits will definitely give you a jump start.
Also, to go back to your original question about Environmental Engineering vs Biotechnology, it’s kind of a moot point right now. The former is an impacted major, so you wouldn’t be able to transfer in without going through another application process (despite being an engineer already). The application opens a year after you begin your study at UCSD.
I hope this helps!
@groverrohan thanks that helps a lot! One more question and this is a pretty dumb one. Am I missing anything if I skip triton day? I have work that night and I just don’t wanna have to rush home for it/ leave early.
@jtrain5976 that’s not a dumb question! honestly, if you can, I’d try to come to triton day and leave early (you can be done by 3 or so anyway). Talking to current students and faculty would definitely help you get a feel for the general campus vibe. However, if you’re already pretty set on UCSD, you aren’t really missing much that you can’t learn online. If you do decide to attend Triton Day, say hi to the volunteers working the information booth morning shift! 
@groverrohan thanks Im going to go. I’m still deciding between Cal Poly SLO and UCSD. Some of my friends are going to Cal Poly and the tuition price is a lot less. I also like the smaller town atmosphere better than a big city. Im leaning a lot more towards UCSD though because of the internship programs and how good its bioengineering department is. Any thoughts on Cal Poly vs UCSD for bioengineering?
Bioengineering at UCSD kicks some serious ***, which makes sense considering the field was pretty much founded here by current Prof. Emeritus YC Fung and others in the sixties. You’re going to have opportunities to research with and learn from some of the pioneers in the field; our BENG 1 lecture was run by Drs. Shu Chien and Peter Chen, both extremely distinguished faculty. In addition to the numerous nearby graduate institutes, there’s a premier medical school where you could potentially work alongside top researchers. Also, Genesee Ave. and North Torrey Pines Rd. are basically synonymous with biotechnology startups. Just today, I attended an entrepreneurship panel at UCSD’s startup incubator and mingled with several biotech CEOs and researchers. If you do remain a biotechnology major and choose UCSD, your resume won’t regret it.
One other thing that I’ll just put out there: UCSD is not located in a big city. San Diego proper is a twenty minute drive; UCSD is located in La Jolla, which is neither a fun college town like SLO nor a big city location like that of SDSU. It’s more of a sleepy beach community.
Good luck with your decision!
@groverrohan thanks I definitely think I’m gonna go to ucsd. Me and a few of my friends (one going into environmental engineering and another bioengineer) are going to triton day and I’m really excited. After looking up pictures of the campus and labs it looks amazing. Thanks so much for all your help!