<p>Hi all,</p>
<p>I just completed my junior year in undergrad and am debating whether I should pursue a Ph. D in Bioengineering/Biomedical Engineering (my B.S. will be in BioE) . I am currently leaning towards looking for a job out of undergrad and doing a Master's in a few years. I know that I want to eventually work in industry, possibly for a biomedical device company, and I have no interest in being a professor. If I were interested in designing biomedical devices, would I need a Ph. D, or would a Master's suffice?</p>
<p>Generally if an industry job wants you to have a PhD, they send you. A master’s is a good starting point if you can’t find a job right out of school.</p>
<p>Generally if an industry job wants you to have a PhD, they send you</p>
<p>I’m not sure that’s actually true. Some industries might send you and fund you for the PhD, but PhD programs are typically already funded, and many people leave o their own and pursue a PhD when they feel that they can’t advance where they want. </p>
<p>Generally speaking, in industry you can do research with an MS but you cannot direct research or do the bulk of the higher-level research tasks. A PhD is going to be preferred for the kind of work that you are looking for. I would say that if you are looking specifically to DESIGN the devices, you will probably need a PhD. I would wager that the MS-level researchers may assist in the design and primarily work on the construction and deployment of such devices, but I’m not sure.</p>
<p>I would suggest pursuing an MS first, and then finding a job and working for a while. Once you are in such a company, you can see if you are doing the work you want to do with the MS or whether you need to return for the PhD to do that kind of work. Or another thing you can do is look for jobs right now doing what you want to do, and see what kinds of degrees those jobs require.</p>
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<p>In my experience this never happens, outside of a couple of defense contractor types closely related to the government. Companies will send you to get an MS, but not a PhD.</p>
<p>^That’s what I’ve always been told, although I am in a different field. Perhaps it’s different.</p>
<p>You’re not going to get industry to fund a doctorate because they are already able to get plenty of doctorates directly.</p>
<p>My advice for you is to get a JOB in engineering first. Then, if you decide to go back to school you’ll be better prepared and informed.</p>