<p>Hello, CCers. Way on down the road, I would like to design biomedical equipment due to my love of engineering, math, and anatomy/physiology. However, the general notion on CC is that getting an undergrad degree in BME is useless. Therefore, I plan on studying ChemE in college because I also like chemistry. This is where my question is. I was wondering if I did get an undergrad degree in ChemE and a masters in BME, would I be able to get a chemical engineering job if I had trouble finding a biomedical job?</p>
<p>You don’t actually have to tell them you have a BME Masters if you don’t want to.</p>
<p>What sort of machine would you actually like to design? If you want to do sensors/scanning equipment, your best bet is probably do to a degree in EE with a focus on signals. ChemE is probably most useful if you’re interested in drug delivery or some biocompatibility sorts of things. Mechanical is a good background for prosthetics.</p>
<p>The reason people say BME isn’t a great undergrad field is because you wind up getting a little bit of every “main” engineering field without becoming especially knowledgeable about any of them. If you do an undergrad degree in the part of engineering that compliments the flavor of BME you’re interested in you’ll get a lot more out of your MS.</p>
<p>I know you asked about ChemE, but I wanted to give you food for thought. </p>
<p>I run a research group in EE. As an employer, I find an MS valuable only if it’s in my area of EE. In that case, we’ll pay you a fair bit more to work for us. </p>
<p>However, my company pays employees to get their MS so if you already come in with an MS even if it’s in EE, but it’s not in my area, it does me no good, because while I’m expected to pay you more for it, you already have the official credential, MSEE, and I no longer have a mechanism to send you for your MS to learn what you need to learn to work for me. You’ve already played your MS card in a different area. In that case I’d prefer to hire a BS whose grad school I can pay for in my area. In other words, your value is based on what your capabilities are, not on what your degree is. </p>
<p>I would say if you know the specific area that you want to work in, then getting an MS can be a great thing. However, there is great value to getting a job with a BS and getting your MS part-time and paid by your employer. </p>
<p>On the other hand, if you can greatly upgrade your school, like doing a BS at a mid-level school, and then doing an MS at a top school, you are likely to find enough recruiters in your area of specialty that it can be very lucrative. </p>
<p>I’m hoping with the increasing available of free online education, there will be more opportunities for to get the necessary knowledge.</p>
<p>ClassicRockerDad, I’m actually curious about your opinion on the free online classes. My girlfriend recently finished her MS (sponsored by her employer similar to how you described), and was looking at doing some of the EdX or Udacity courses since in her current position she has a lot of downtime. Do you feel it’s actually worth something putting on her resume, or should she mostly just look at it as something to keep her busy?</p>
<p>Ok. Thank you for your insight. It is very helpful! Are there a lot of companies out there that will pay for you to get your M.S. part-time or are companies like yours a rare occurrence? Thanks for everything.</p>
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<p>I don’t know. I’m curious myself. I think it’s potentially a good way to stay current and learn some new things. I don’t know how well it works for getting your initial credentials. I may try one myself. </p>
<p>I was thinking more along the lines of giving people who need to evolve themselves to a slightly different area from the specific area of their advanced degrees, the opportunity to broaden themselves to create more opportunities.</p>
<p>I suppose if you put it on your resume, it’s fair game for someone to ask you about it and see how much you know. I guess if you learned the material well, then I’d say bring it. But it looks pretty bad when you put something on your resume and then don’t really know it. The reader is disappointed. Better not to disappoint.</p>