<p>I am entering my sophomore year, and am currently studying biomedical engineering at my school. However, I am REALLY interested in aerospace engineering, and that is what I want to do with my life. My current school does not offer aerospace engineering, and either way I am considering transferring soon (either in Spring or Fall 2008). Anyway, if I change from biomedical to aerospace engineering in my Junior year of undergrad at my new school, I may run the risk of losing up to a year. </p>
<p>So, after I transfer, if I keep my current major (biomedical engineering, which I kind of like but is not my top choice), and graduate with it, can I still go to Grad school and do my M.S. or my Ph.D. in aerospace engineering? Or do you strictly do only what you took your B.S. in?</p>
<p>You don't have to complete an undergrad major in the subject you do a graduate degree in. However, it's advisable to at least take a number of upper-division courses in the subject you'd like to pursue in graduate school -- it will probably help you to convince the admissions committee that you're serious about changing fields, but more importantly, it will help you not to be so far behind when you actually enter graduate school.</p>
<p>So sure, complete your major in biomedical engineering. But be sure to take as many aerospace engineering courses (or mechanical engineering courses, if those are easier to fit into your schedule) as you possibly can.</p>
<p>Most schools use the operative phrase that you are capable "in the departments judgment of the applicant's relative qualifications for satisfactory performance in the school/program/research area." You have to demonstrate that you are up to the level of taking graduate classes with only minimal remedial work. </p>
<p>Without knowing what classes you will have graduated with in the biomed degree, and what research area you plan on doing in graduate school, it's hard to gauge how they will see your application. I know many people in the AE graduate program at my school... the vast majority were AE undergrads, many were ME, and a few were ChemE, EE, physics, etc. Some non-AE graduates are perfectly fine for transitioning to AE (ie. EE -> AE controls, ME -> AE structures, physics -> AE propulsion, etc.). </p>
<p>As molliebatmit said, if you know what area you want to get into, you should take that sequence of courses during your undergrad. For instance, if you want to do structures, take the statics, dynamics, structures I, and structures II course sequence in the AE or ME school. </p>
<p>If you are serious about a career change, and you aren't that far ahead, I would seriously consider changing undergrad majors. An MS is usually only 30-some credit hours, and that's not really enough to prepare you for a drastic engineering career change. You would certainly be more competitive and more employable with relevant degrees.</p>