Electrical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering Program

Hi,

I am interested in biomedical engineering but have read many negative results in job opportunities when following the degree. My counselor suggests that I follow a degree in electrical engineering as many of the jobs in the biomedical industry are held by electrical, mechanical, and chemical engineers. I really want to follow that idea, but I am very confused as to which colleges would allow me to get a degree in electrical engineering while also having an interest in biomedical engineering.

WPI has BS through PhD programs in BM with four different concentrations. One of these concentrations is Bioinstrumentation and Biosignal. They also have a five year BSD/MS program. Check out https://www.wpi.edu/academics/study/biomedical-engineering-bs for direct program details.

WPI’s educational structure is truly different. I suggest you check out the university approach @ https://www.wpi.edu/project-based-learning/wpi-plan. Even with this unusual approach, all ten of the engineering programs are ABET accredited including Biomedical Engineering. The school is very active in the BM area.

Where did you hear that job placements were poor? You can visit at https://www.wpi.edu/student-experience/career-development/outcomes and learn what the WPI job placements, average salaries and graduate school placements were in 2016. The EEs averaged $71,278 first year out. The BM’s averaged only $60,691 with 44 taking jobs at 44 different companies including Johnson&Johnson, IBM, Boston Scientific, Draper Labs, Mass General, and Siemens. Twenty went to graduate school at BU, Brown, Cornell, N E College of Optometry, University of NY Binghamton, University of Toledo, Weill Cornell Medical College and WPI. MS in BM only earned another $3000 at starting salary.

If money is what you are looking for, consider Robotics Engineering at $73,276 for BS and $82,125 with MS and hope the market does not change in five years.

Now what do you want to do? All these figures are starting salaries. Where will you be ten years later? Don’t listen to me, I’m a retired farmer! You won’t go hungry with any of these options. :bz

I think this will match a good deal of programs. WPI is one of them. Start by looking at schools with both programs, and then look for the places that have some more flexible (while still ABET accredited) degrees.

A college does not need to have a formal biomedical engineering track, you can create one yourself. You can just take some life sciences courses while doing a more traditional engineering degree, and then you will exit with a traditional engineering degree with a biomedical engineering focus.