Job Prospects in Duke BME?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Duke University
1

<p>Hey,</p>

<p>I'm a Duke student thinking about switching from a Physics to a BME major. However, I've heard that BME students in general are having a hard time getting jobs, and that many companies believe that electrical/mechanical engineers are more qualified due to the broadness of the BME curriculum.</p>

<p>But of course, Duke's BME program is very highly regarded. Given this, what is the general job placement of undergraduate BME majors (the ones who plan to go straight into industry, that is)? Are most students able to find a job?</p>

2

<p>Check out the slides here for the Class of 2013:
<a href=“http://www.bme.duke.edu/sites/bme.duke.edu/files/BMEOrientation2013_0.pdf[/url]”>http://www.bme.duke.edu/sites/bme.duke.edu/files/BMEOrientation2013_0.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>About 40% “work for pay” whereas 24% go on to graduate or professional schools. The rest travel, intern, volunteer, etc. Of the industries people pursue, the top field is engineering at 24%. Shortly behind is medical/pharma at 20%, consulting and financial services both at 14%, and health care and sciences both at 10%. IT (8%) and military (2%) round out the choices.</p>

<p>Here’s the BME grad student placement:
[Job</a> Placements After Graduation | Duke Biomedical Engineering Department](<a href=“http://www.bme.duke.edu/grad/placements]Job”>PhD Career Outcomes | Duke Biomedical Engineering)</p>

<p>Here’s the breakdown of pratt in general:
[Where</a> Our Undergrads Go | Duke Pratt School of Engineering](<a href=“http://www.pratt.duke.edu/undergrad/applicants/where-students-go]Where”>Where Our Undergrads Go | Duke Pratt School of Engineering)</p>

<p>In general, I would say job prospects are very solid for undergrad BME Duke graduates, but definitely varied. Some get jobs with the more typical BME-type roles with Medtronic, Guidant, Styker, etc. but most pursue opportunities elsewhere. Consulting and finance are both popular, but certainly engineering/medical/pharma/healthcare/sciences still comprise (together) a bit more than 50% of the students.</p>

<p>Hope that helps!</p>

3

<p>fridayed: I certainly understand that your focus is appropriately on immediate, post-graduation job prospects; however, I believe it is also valuable to consider where your Duke degree may reasonably lead in a decade or two. The Physics degree is fine, but I doubt if many (perhaps any) other degrees have the true potential – now, and especially in 10 or 15 years – that BME has.</p>