<p>I'm going to be a Freshman at UC Berkeley next semester. I'm currently declared a bioengineering major, but I'm also considering switching to electrical engineering. I was hoping to get some input regarding the two fields.</p>
<p>I originally chose bioengineering because it's such an interdisciplinary subject and all of the research going on in the field is extremely intriguing to me. Also, I know the growth rate of the bioengineering job market is phenomenal. I'm somewhat considering going to medical school also, so bioengineering would leave that path open for me (though I don't think I would like the medical route as much). At the same time, I've noticed that the bioengineering job market is extremely small to begin with, so the relative growth rate isn't that significant. After a brief search, I couldn't find very many companies that are willing to hire bioengineers (whether it be in a biomedical devices firm or a medical research company). That's why I'm looking at electrical engineering; even though it doesn't interest me quite as much, it seems like a safer field as far as job availability.</p>
<p>If anyone with experience in either of these two fields has any feed back/knowledge to share, I really appreciate it.</p>
<p>Can someone please answer: I am also considering this!</p>
<p>In my humble opinion, you will be better off switching to EE. I think a degree in EE will give you a stronger foundation. You can always find bioengineering related work with a degree in EE or ME. </p>
<p>I am somewhat familiar with the medical device industry and my observation is that hardly anyone with just a BS in bioengineering gets hired for entry level jobs. Most people I work with (doing R&D work) did bioengineering specialization at graduate level. </p>
<p>Again, I feel you’ll be better off doing EE and use electives and internship opportunities to give your education a bioengineering flavor.</p>
<p>Please make a new thread instead of bumping old ones.</p>
<p>At my school, BME/bioengineering is seen almost solely as a pre-med track. Many people enter the field believing that they’ll go to medical school, and if they doesn’t work they can always get a job in an engineering field. That generally goes horribly wrong. Out of 50 BME’s that graduated last year, 3 got jobs and the majority of the rest went on to medical school or stayed to get their masters. Even those with masters still had poor employment outlooks.</p>
<p>That’s just my perspective, though. For example, in the OP’s case, one could probably get a job just off of the prestige of Berkeley engineering. I know there are other universities that have strong bioengineering programs, particularly at the graduate level where there’s massive funding for it right now, but there aren’t as many industry prospects. The BME jobs that are around generally go to EEs/MEs, though, as they have more expertise in the specified role, as opposed to only the knowledge of the field that applies to BME.</p>
<p>At Berkeley, bioengineering majors’ job prospects do not seem to be as good as those of some other engineering majors:</p>
<p><a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Major.stm[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Major.stm</a></p>