<p>I have read on here that most people intersted in biomedical get an undergrad in either mechanical or electrical, then get a masters in biomedical. Why is this? Also, which would be more benefiticial to obtain a BS in, mrchanical or electrical and why?</p>
<p>Biomedical Engineering is very broad field. People from a variety of engineering and science backgrounds enter the field whether for graduate study or in the industry. It’s recommended that you pursue an undergrad degree in a classical science or engineering field (EE, ME, Physics, etc) and then do BME for grad, because then you will have a solid background in one area of engineering which you can then apply to the BME field. However, if you are SURE that you want to do BME for grad school, BS in BME is just fine because you have the added advantage of being exposed to all the different research areas via your different professors.</p>
<p>In regards to which BS will be more beneficial, it’s hard to say. It depends on your interest. What are of BME do you want to work in? Tissue engineering? MEMS? Biomechanics? Biomaterials? Microfluidics? etc. Choose a major based on the field you are interested in.</p>
<p>I wish I had some kind of insight to this before, but now I can shed some light on my experience. I graduated with a BSci in Biomedical Engineering from UCDavis without specialization. (although my curriculum and undergraduate research emphasized in biomechanics) Because UCD’s BME program was so new, there was a limited curriculum to begin with (newborn w/o accreditation). Although the name sounds enticing with the biotech industry booming, the BME program was just too broad for me to focus on skillsets in one particular field. For example, as a BME undergrad, classes were only sprinkled with usage in MATLAB, LABView, Autodesk Inventor (whereas in the ME program, classes used those programs more rigorously throughout the undergrad curriculum)
I’m working as a ME at my current company, and have learned most of my technical skillset either on the job or on my own time.</p>
<p>If I had to do this over, Mech. E would have been my major of choice to build a better foundation for myself. For all the biotech companies I have toured/inquired about (Genentech, Genencor, J&J, Bayer, etc. ) the engineers there are primarily ME’s with emphasis in biomedical engineering. The BME program may differ at other universities, but that was my experience. (take it w/ a grain of salt) ME in my opinion is a more versatile field of study.</p>
<p>^^^Were you able to get a job with your BME undergrad degree at a biomedical engineering company? Are you planning to do grad work in BME?</p>
<p>I also notice your degree is a bachelor of science, not a bachelor in engineering.
Does this make a difference in employability, admittance to grad school?</p>
<p>Thank you so much for the insight. Good luck to you!</p>
<p>There is no Bachelor’s of Engineering in CA. At least for all the state/UC system universities, all engineering degrees fall under the Bachelor’s of Science. I’m working with med. tech. at work, so it doesn’t stray too far away from my studies. It would be a different story if I was working in aerospace or automotive (beyond my curriculum).</p>
<p>wongjonsilver, were there any chemE’s working for those companies?</p>