PHD in Engineering after undergrad degree in biology and chemistry?

Hi, I was wondering if anyone could speak on the topic of going to a PHD program for engineering after an undergrad degree in biology or chemistry, most likely a program that is related such as chemical engineering or bio molecular engineering. Is it common/would this put you at a disadvantage in applying for such programs? Thanks.

It is possible to go from biology to a bioengineering-type program; in fact, many websites point out that they take students with a variety of undergraduate degrees, provided they meet the pre-requisite requirements. Chemistry/chemical engineering isn’t my area, so I can’t really speak to that front. For bioengineering, there are usually certain classes they expect you to have completed (such as multi-variable calculus, linear algebra, and differential equations). I’d recommend looking at the websites of programs you might be interested in to see what they require.

The important question, though, is why you want to do it. A PhD is primarily a research degree, so the most important factor is your advisor and what research is going on in the department. I moved from a neuroscience undergrad to bioengineering for grad school, and the primary reason was because it turned out that the bioengineering departments were the places doing the research that interested me.

Yea, I have found that bio engineering and the research going on in that field is what appeals to me the most right now. I am going into Cornell this year as a freshman with a intended major in biology. However, I am able to internal transfer into the college of engineering quite easily if I wish. Would this be a better path to take in order to provide better experience and readiness as well as opportunities for such a PHD program in the future? Would this change possibly increase my chances of gaining acceptance into such programs?

It’s all about your experiences. If your background can help an engineering research group out, then you can be admitted.

If you’re just an incoming student now and can easily switch to bioengineering as you start, why not do it? If you already know you want to go into that area, the best course of action is probably to go for it now.

One of the main issues you will face is Math. I used to have classmates in masters in Environmental engineering who studied chemistry and biology. They were forced to take additional classes in Calculus at the undergrad level because we were an engineering school and they needed to be proficient in Math in order to graduate with an MS in Engineering. There was one person who was doing a PhD whose undergrad was in Anthropology who had to cover a lot more than just math.

Thanks everyone for the advice. @nanotechnology I think I’ll be taking your advice and switch whenever I’m allowed to.

However the only concern I would have would be GPA as Cornell’s engineering is known for its grade deflation. Would this impact me greatly in application? Or would someone looking to do major research and earn a PHD in engineering able to more than easily be able to go through cornells program.

Like most graduate programs, admission to most graduate engineering departments is very competitive. Nevertheless, schools do accept candidates who do not possess an B.S. Engineering degree. The key is, is there a professor working in your area of interest/research? Also, who is paying the bill can be an important factor. An employer-funded applicant is very favorably looked upon, all else being equal. Any PhD applicant whom has a couple of years of work experience has an advantage.

An employer-funded PhD applicant is not necessarily an advantage. It is situational. On the one hand, as a PI, that means I don’t have to pay for said student. On the other hand, it also means that student may have other responsibilities other than my research program and may have a strict graduation time limit, which is nearly impossible to predict at the outset. It will be rather PI-dependent whether this is an advantage or disadvantage.

A couple years of work experience is also not necessarily a plus. Again, it likely depends on the PI, but a few years of work experience that is more related to the PhD work than the undergraduate degree is definitely a plus. On the other hand, a few years of work experience also gives you time to forget some of the more academic topics or finer details in the field that weren’t used in the job and may be important in the research lab.

following

Bioengineering PhD programs seem to be relatively flexible on undergraduate major, although they commonly expect some undergraduate course work like calculus, differential equations, organic chemistry, biology, and calculus-based physics. Among these courses, the math and physics courses are typical for engineering majors, but biology majors may have to specifically choose them over the less rigorous versions that most biology majors take. But engineering majors may have to add the biology and organic chemistry courses as electives (unless they are in bioengineering or chemical engineering).

http://www.bme.jhu.edu/graduate/phd/apply
https://bme.gatech.edu/bme/georgia-tech-emory-bme-phd-program
https://be.mit.edu/academic-programs/prospective-graduate/graduate-faq

Because engineering is about solving design problems using math and science, it may be a good idea to get some such experience as an undergraduate engineering major before planning on PhD study in bioengineering.