<p>Can anyone comment on the proposed undergraduate biomedical engineering program? The UF web page says it's opening in 2010. D is interested in this field and is applying for the class of 2010. Will this be a major she will be able to apply for immediately, or will she have to wait? Also, how strong is this field at UF?</p>
<p>I heard they were only going to take 30 people the first year, but thats just what I heard it might not be true. If it is true, I don’t know how they will decide who can take it.
If they set it up and it is just like anyother major then as long as you daughter has all the critical tracking classes that are required then she can just fill out a paper and change majors.</p>
<p>I can give you more info later in the semester. D’s taking the 1 hour intro to engineering class right now. They are spotlighting each engineering discipline on a rotating basis. So far she’s been to computer/materials/nuclear … hmm… and I think, maybe, one more, but I can’t remember. Her section’s scheduled to do biomedical at the end of Oct. I think. Of course, the one’s she’s the most interested in finding out about, i.e. biomedical, chemical, and civil … are her latest visits. </p>
<p>zebes</p>
<p>My daughter is in intro to engineering also. She also wants biomedical engineering. She was told to change her major from engineering undecided to mechanical engineering with a biomechanics minor. Hope that helps.</p>
<p>that must be new, i took intro eng. during summerb and there was no biomedical</p>
<p>yeah i’m very interested in hearing more information about their new BME program. i mean, a big reason why i was considering going out-of-state was because they didn’t even have biomedical engineering for undergrad originally.</p>
<p>i wish we could put bme as our major on our application…the idea of me deciding to go there and then finding out that i can’t major in biomedical engineering freaks me out…it’d be nice to know how big this ‘select group of students’ is going to be</p>
<p>why do you want to major in biomedical eng.?</p>
<p>Job market is not there without graduate degree, mechanical serves as good undergrad for any biomedical masters.</p>
<p>of course the risk of not being able to find a job is offset by the fact that you are very ready to attend medical school.</p>
<p>rsala is expressing a popular opinion on these boards. Another downside is that BME is probably going to be harder than a biochem degree, so you will potentially be less competitive for med school admissions.</p>
<p>well i actually want to pursue a career in biomedical engineering. i mean, the option to go to medical school is there but i actually like the field itself. </p>
<p>i think most engineers nowadays, myself included, are planning on pursuing a graduate degree anyways. the job market for biomedical engineers is on the rise actually, it’s an extremely fast-growing field right now.</p>
<p>Coincidentally, I just had a presentation on the BME department today.
At UF it is small, and relatively new with the department only forming around 2002. The presentation said it was ranked 47th, but then again it isn’t as established as say Johns Hopkins.
Yes there is supposed to be a new undergraduate program starting next year, and it was said only around 20 students would be accepted. (How to get in to it they didn’t go over as we were not eligible for it) They are moving into a new building this year which is very promising and its very close to Shand’s so there may be some good synergy there.
However, even if you don’t enter the new BME undergraduate program, it’s not that bad. The graduate BME program at UF accepts many students of any engineering background, as the core undergraduate classes for majors such as chemical, mechanical, and biological engineering differ very little. There is even a joint masters program coupled with many of the current engineering majors allowing students to take BME graduate level courses during their senior undergraduate year to cut their graduate studies by about one year.
It may even be more beneficial to utilize a more established program, as there will no doubt be some difficulties in the beginning with establishing an effective curriculum and acquainting the staff.</p>