Help! I want to go from Biology to Engineering. Should I do Second Bachelors? or BU's LEAP program?

College Majors Engineering Majors
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<p>Hello,</p>

<p>I am currently a senior finishing my last undergraduate semester. I will be graduating with a BA in Biology this December (the degree took me 4.5 years). I have a 3.55 GPA and was planning on applying to Physician Assistant school this summer.
HOWEVER, after working in a hospital over the summer I sadly realized that taking care of sick patients is not something I am cut out for. I shadowed multiple doctors and PA's and have decided that it is not the career I want to spend the next 30+ years doing.Anyways, now I am graduating with my Biology degree and 30k worth of debt, trust me this is good for my school. </p>

<p>As someone who has always been interested in science I am seriously considering getting into Biomedical Engineering or Chemical Engineering. The two options I am contemplating are,</p>

<ol>
<li>Getting a second bachelors degree in Chemical Engineering from my current university (it has the option for a focus in biomedical engineering) With summer courses I could graduate in 2.5 to 3 years and it would cost me about 50K.</li>
</ol>

<p>--> Basically 80K total debt for BA in Biology + BS in Chemical Engineering</p>

<ol>
<li>Doing Boston Universities LEAP program where they take non-engineering majors and do a one year accelerated program of engineering prereqs and then put you into their masters programs where you can graduate with a Masters in Engineering . They have electrical, mechanical, manufacturing, and biomedical options. If I chose this program I would graduate with a Masters in Biomedical Engineering in 3 years. However this option would cost me 135K. </li>
</ol>

<p>-->165K total debt for BA in Biology + Masters in Engineering </p>

<p>My dilemma; Over the course of the next 30 years is it worth getting a new Bachelor's in ChemE or should I go for the Masters Eng in Biomedical. Part of me wants to use my bachelors that I have already earned and get the Masters at BU, but it is so ridiculously expensive and I feel like It is more limiting than a general Chemical Engineering degree. Also, I worry about future employers asking how I was able to get a masters in engineering when I only have BA in biology. </p>

<p>I would rather go to school now compared to taking an entry level Biology job somewhere (there are not many opportunities for growth in the science industry if you only have a bachelors in Biology). Also, I am not too keen on getting my masters in something like Biochemistry or Microbiology as the job prospects are very limited without a Phd. </p>

<p>Sorry for the huge rant! Any help would be greatly appreciated!</p>

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<p>Two B.S. degrees will not give you any great advantage in the job market. Earning a M.S. in Chemical Engineering is the better option, IF YOU CAN AFFORD IT.</p>

<p>Would the Boston University program provide any advantage over a standard M.S. program at any other engineering school? Most M.S. programs are two years or less in duration.</p>

<p>Keep in mind, institutional financial aid/scholarships for graduate students mostly goes to PhD candidates. Some schools would probably can provide teaching assistantships while you study for your graduate degree.</p>

<p>You need to search for relatively low cost M.S. degree options because your potential for unmanageable student loan payments is significant.</p>

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<p>Bump</p>

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<p>I got my BS in Cell Biology. Originally I had planned to go to medical school. Near graduation, I had a shift in priorities and interests (though I suppose the shift started much earlier, gradually), so I worked for a while. Thought about going to grad school for biochemistry, or an MPH, but decided against those. A few years afterward, I eventually decided I would like to do mechanical engineering.</p>

<p>Like @LakeWashington said, two BS degrees is not a great advantage in the job market. In my case, I also felt like I had already been an undergraduate; I didn’t want to do undergraduate-level work and do undergraduate-level things. If I was to get another degree in another field, I wanted to do work at a higher level. I took a couple additional math classes and applied to MS programs in mechanical engineering, and am currently at a well-ranked school doing just that.</p>

<p>You could do a program like BU’s LEAP–many people seem to credit it with their successful transition into engineering. But I honestly don’t think it’s worth the cost; you could just take some (or all) of those classes as a non-degree student at a school that’s most convenient for you. Depending on what classes you took for your bachelor’s and how well you did in them, you may have to take just a few or a lot of engineering pre-reqs. Different graduate programs have different requirements, and it varies wildly. I am probably a rarity in that I took a few extra math classes but not a single actual engineering course. Having a solid GRE helps.</p>

<p>It will also depend on whether you apply for research-based MS programs. Funding is practically nonexistent for coursework-based MS programs, but the situation is somewhat better for research-based MS programs (though even then, most funding goes to PhD students). I am currently funded as a TA and am paying a fraction of the tuition and fees that it would cost me for a coursework-only MS. On this note, having research experience–even if it’s not in an engineering discipline–can help for gaining admission to research-based graduate programs.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t worry about employers asking how you got an MS in engineering with a BS in bio, at least not in a negative sense. If you are admitted to and are able to get through a graduate program in engineering, it’s proof in itself that you can do engineering. I talked to a number of recruiters at a job-fair type event recently; a lot of them asked me about the transition from a BS in bio to an MS in mechanical engineering, all of them in a curious (not negative/skeptical) way; some asked me how I felt it would make me a better candidate for a specific position, etc. Of course, the more skills you pick up along the way (programming languages, technical skills, etc.) the more it will offset any doubts a potential employer might have. Yeah, if you’re a bio BS to ME (or BME) MS job applicant applying for jobs at a biomedical device company, for example, and you don’t have any relevant CAD or coding experience, it will hurt you. If you do have the requisite skills/experience for the job, your background can only help.</p>