<p>Hi guys Im trying to get some feedback on the issue of biomedical engineering as a secure career. I know that career opportunities are always changing. When I looked at past duscussions on this forum,maybe two yrs ago, it talked alot about not to invest time and money into BME which in my opinion doesnt make sense. From the research that Ive done so far it looks like BME would be a secure career to venture into, especially when you specialize into a certain field. I plan on doing a B.S. in ECE to fall back on and then an M.S. in BME. Im interested in biomedical imaging, neural engineering, and maybe even robotics. Im curious if anybody out there right now is studying BME, working in the BME field, what they do, and if they enjoy it. Thnaks for any replies.</p>
<p>My opinion is I would do a degree in ME and then go apply at and work for a biomedical company. A degree in ME will allow you to do a ton of engineering working (including biomedical engineering), while a biomedical engineering degree is more specialized.</p>
<p>Hey bigtrees your opinion does make sense. I have looked at job openings at different websites just to give me ideas. I should have mentioned a couple of other things. Im a texas veteran and I have the opportunity to receive my BS and MS for free. One catch to the free education is that Im not allowed to work will going to school…weird huh? So for now Im choosing a BS in ECE and then an MS in BME. If you think I should choose my M.S. in something else besides BME…why? Also, during my time at school I was thinking of doing volunteer work and internships at different companies for experience. Would you know or anybody else know if I am able to put this down on my resume as work experience? If so by the time Im done with school I would have my M.S. with maybe 3 yrs experience.</p>
<p>I’d do your undergraduate in what you want to do. If you want to do biomedical engineering, I’d do your undergrad in ME. I don’t think ECE pertains as much to biomedical engineering as mechanical engineering.</p>
<p>Masters degrees are purely optional in engineering. I don’t think they benefit you a lot, so I’d focus on getting your undergrad first and then worry about your grad degree later.</p>
<p>I say (like someone else posted)…go broad and use the broad major degree to work in the specialized area. Of course, I am biased since I used a math degree to basically get into computer science/I.T. and a systems engineering degree (grad) to use in software engineering, systems requirements and project management.</p>
<p>The “broader” degree opens of more opportunities in case your desired specialty does not pan out immediately.</p>
<p>Bigtrees, I would have to disagree with you that masters degrees don’t benefit you a lot. This would depend on the job, but in some engineering groups and some consulting firms, an MS is the norm. I found graduate school to be a worthwhile endevor. Moreover, I think an MS can be very worth while and can contribute to career advancement and/or technical specialization.</p>
<p>I’ve been told by a reliable source (5-yr masters just earned in biomed) that the field actually shows the most potential in the engineering fields. He says that while it may not be as prevalent as you would hope now, in a few years the improvements will be drastic. Thought this might help. Also if you could chance me that would be great. </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/859087-chance-me-please.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/859087-chance-me-please.html</a></p>
<p>I value education and am currently working on my MSME, and will follow with a MS Astro & Aero after my MSME.</p>
<p>However, the salary surveys typically show that a person with a masters degree in engineering makes about $1k to $5k a year more than the person with a bachelors degree. It’s not a lot of money, and small enough that I can say they are optional. Considering the MS programs cost between $30k and $60k, the ROI on a masters degree is fairly small.</p>
<p>That’s different than fields like Physics and Microbiology, where a BS in either of those fields doesn’t do much good…</p>
<p>(For personal reasons, a MS in engineering may be a good thing.)</p>
<p>First of all the 1k to 5k difference is low. From my experience it is around 8k to 10k.</p>
<p>Regardless of that, why are you paying for a MS in engineering? Either:</p>
<p>a.) You should get a research assistantship/fellowship that will pay tuition and a stipend (probably around 20k a year). This is common at research institutions.</p>
<p>b.) If you are in industry and are earning a masters part time, your company should cover tuition.</p>
<p>Either way, you shouldn’t be paying for or losing money while getting a masters in engineering.</p>
<p>Another point is that the masters will help you to advance your career and gain a higher level of technical skill. As I said, in consulting and other areas of design, the masters will be worthwhile.</p>
<p>Hey ME 76 just curious what your M.S. is in and if you went straight from your undergrad to your grad work? Im always looking at job postings to give me ideas and of course they all say bachelors required but masters prefered. My ultimate career goal is to be a technical specialist. Because Im a veteran, once I start working I lose my disability/s.s pay, but I think there ways to gain work experience in my situation. Instead of applying for “jobs” after my B.S. I was thinking of turning in my resume to companies for non paying yearly internships just to see what that particular field is like, either by email or in person. Does that sound crazy? Because of the economic slump would companies accept an offer like that?</p>
<p>It was MS in ME and full time right after undergrad. It was paid for a with research assistantship. The advantage to this is being able to focus on class and getting a research based degree. Also, it can be completed in under 2 years as opposed to 4 or 5 years part time. In most cases, someone going part time will not engage in research. Either way I think the masters will pay off.</p>
<p>I would go for a payed internship. There are still some out there. I have never heard of unpayed internships in engineering.</p>
<p>I think you have done your research well. I asked a similar question a while back and the general consensus is that it is better to undergrad in a more broad field like mechE or EE before you pursue bme. bme will have just as many career opportunities as any other field if not more. </p>
<p>My only concern is that enrollment in bme programs is on the rise making the field more competitive. I would think that this would impact the available jobs in the market. How do yal feel about this?</p>
<p>Yeah it does make sense to do your undergrad work in a broad field such as EE so you have something to fall back on. I also think that BME is on the rise because of the baby boomers getting closer to retirement. Health technology is also changing to help physicians and surgeons with numerous tasks. Aggie I know you mentioned that the BME programs is on the rise and will be competitive but alot of the students have to remember that you need to enjoy math and science. So did anybody here do any paid interships while undergrad/grad work? If so, did it affect their study time? Im assuming that the company would work around your schedule because you might be a potential employee. I plan on attending U of H and in their graduate programs they have M.S. with research/thesis and then non thesis M.S. programs. Im pretty sure I know the difference but I dont know why somebody would choose the non-thesis program. Besides all this if anybody is interested in BME here is two websites that I found interesting: <a href=“http://www.acad.bme.gatech.edu/downloads/careerguide.pdf[/url]”>http://www.acad.bme.gatech.edu/downloads/careerguide.pdf</a>
<a href=“http://www.wpi.edu/Images/CMS/BME/BMESjobs.pdf[/url]”>http://www.wpi.edu/Images/CMS/BME/BMESjobs.pdf</a></p>
<p>The difference between the thesis and non-thesis MS degrees is the thesis can lead to a PhD while the non-thesis is a terminal degreee. The thesis requires spending one or two quarters doing a minature research program in conjunction with faculty.</p>
<p>Since I don’t plan on pursuing a PhD, I am enrolled in a non-thesis MS.</p>
<p>part of the problem doing a research thesis is that a faculty member has to take you in and may pay for your student fees while you’re in school. additionally, the professor (likely) would have to spend time and resources training your to use the lab equipment, no matter how proficient you were in industry/as an undergrad. </p>
<p>that makes it very difficult to get a research thesis, most professors dont see it as worth the time they’re going to invest in you only to have you bounce in less then a year before you get any good research out of you. why would they invest everything into you and let you walk away so soon if they probably have plenty of graduate students willing to [strike]waste[/strike] spend 4 years in their lab?</p>
<p>on the other hand, the primary educational opportunities from a non-thesis masters is fairly limited. everyone in industry i’ve talked doesnt really care because the non-thesis masters is essentially just more classes. it doesnt necessarily show an ability to think/propose new ideas (which a phd will provide). as BigTrees said, the pay increase isn’t there, and that speaks more than what the wanted ads say. </p>
<p>on the other hand, it can be helpful to have a masters degree if:
- company is paying for it and its part time, or they pay you to do it full time.
- you did you’re undergrad at a small or very local school and you want to move elsewhere in the country. in southern cal, CSULB is a fairly good school. i dont think anyone in, say, florida or vermont knows about it. going to a school like stanford or ucla to get the masters will help your resume “stand out” and afford you whatever industry/alumni connections it can.
- there are more, but im lazy and its not a big deal.</p>
<p>lastly: you can get a thesis master is you enter a phd program. as part of your qualifying/advancement exams (whatever they call it), you will get a masters. most people dont bother getting one as its needless paperwork if you’re planning on getting the phd. on the other hand, some people discover they dont like research/want to spend 3-4 more years working in a lab and walk out with a masters.</p>
<p>I understand that you have to love what you do, but when I say competitive I am referring to there being many graduates with only a certain number of jobs to fill (not competition among your peers during college). I know that Biomedical Engineering Jobs are on the rise as noted by 20+% growth in government survey, but it seems that many different engineering fields are capable of doing the same job as a BME so there will be competition between ME’s, ChemE’s, EE’s, and BME’s to get the most sought after jobs. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong. I would love to know that there are plenty of opportunities for everyone to get employment, but I know the real world rarely works that way.</p>