Hi, I am in high school and am considering a career in bioengineering. I have heard that it can be difficult to find a job with only a B.S. in bioengineering. Is this true? Would I be better off getting a B.S. in biology/bioengineering and then get a M.S. in bioengineering? Thanks for all the help!
Yes, an M.S. makes you more employable than just the B.S.
You’d probably be best served with a BS in a traditional engineering discipline–mechanical, electrical, or chemical–followed by an MS in bioengineering.
I have heard AuraObscura’s advice many times. The problem with an Engineering degree in biomed is that you are only qualified to work in biomed. While Mech E can do Mech E and biomed in the area of medical devices. Chemical E can Chem E and do biomed in the development of drugs. You get the idea. With Biomed, you will need the MS to be competitive with all the others with undergrad degrees.
You really need a BS in engineering to go on to get a MS because with a degree in Bio, you still need the basic engineering courses inorder to do the MS. It is harder to switch fields because of that.
I don’t understand why people keep parroting this BME B.S. vs M.S. nonsense ever since I was about to start college (3 years graduated now). I didn’t listen to it, I went BME with a B.S., and am now in a biotech/medical device company that is by all accounts leading edge for cardiovascular endoprosthesis’ doing some super awesome stuff.
I worked at J&J for a year, then Baxter for a year, and now I do a lot of the recruiting stuff these days for college grads. We’ve got explosive growth right now (just like many medical companies are/will in the next decade), and I go through about 12 interview candidates a week, hundreds of resumes, with HR and computers filtering out thousands of applicants. I can say that both Fortune 500 public companies I worked at, and now a private (still multi-billion) company, B.S. and M.S. degree’d resumes are LUMPED TOGETHER. Maybe I just happen to work at places that are ahead of the curve, but guess what, a M.S. doesn’t teach you anything more than a B.S. for actual work in industry (of course exceptions exist), and companies know this. M.S. grads typically want a slightly higher paycheck for requiring the exact same amount of training and final duties as a B.S. grad. Furthermore, I met some of the best and brightest engineers of my time in the BME program at my school; companies hire for potential, most medical companies have more than eagerly added BME majors to their list of desired requirements on all job requisitions that can be fulfilled by your Mech. E or Chem. E., this development has happened noticeably and dramatically in the last 3 years, go check for yourself.
With that being said, there obviously ARE requirements for BME programs, just like other engineering. It’s on yourself to ensure your program attended is up to par as far as paper credentials (ABET, etc.) and verbal credentials (wide network of alumni in BME companies, curriculum that teaches hot topics in BME companies, etc.). You suspect the 60-70% growth of BME careers in the next decade will be met by the supply? I think we’ll have a shortage. This shortage is on top of the general engineer shortage. The Mech. E and Chem. E’s are going to be spread thin within their own automotive, manufacturing, energy, defense, etc/other industries… Companies (have realized) they have a great talent pool, and that they can’t afford (literally lose money) by not hiring a BME grad (again, typically cream of the crop).
It keeps being parroted because one person’s experience doesn’t make a trend.
Additionally to quote a BME engineering who posted here, the BME industry has a god, its called the FDA. It take years for products to come to market. The FDA has a tremendous influence on the market so companies must hire the best in order to try and get thru the FDA process. The most knowledgable ones will be the MS graduates.
Your education level has absolutely nothing to do with getting it through the regulatory approval process.
I hope that my comment didn’t come off as “I did it so every one can too!” That would mean that I think it’s still just possible rather than probable. I hope that what you read was both data and anecdotal evidence that DOES indicate a trend.
guoster, you are not a hiring manager. You are not in any position to know what your boss is looking for in staff being hired. So while you may not think having more educated/experienced folks will help smooth the process, I am afraid you are wrong.
I agree with AuraObscura and Lakemom, major in mechanical, electrical, or chemical engineering for your BS. Here are my experiences as a bioengineering BS graduate from one of the top three bioengineering schools (2013).
While it is possible to get a job as a biomedical engineer, the struggle is much harder than it has to be. Out of my class of ~100, only 5 got real engineering jobs. The problem we faced was that many had “bioengineering research experience” in labs on-campus, but I now would classify the work and research to be in the domain of biology and biologists (think stem cells, protein engineering, tissues, biomaterials, cancer research). If anyone does major in bioengineering, while I wouldn’t recommend it, do get experience doing traditional engineering work (develop software, do fermentation for biochemical, or learn how to build physical stuff like a MechE would). It will help enormously after you graduate.
Another thing to consider so your not just taking my word for it:
https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Bioengr.stm
look at where these bioengineering graduates ended up (and consider those that didn’t reply to the survey). Scientist, research associate, and researcher are biologists. Out of UC Berkeleys class of ~100, they too only had a few engineers.
no0ne5 brings up a good point, having experience is a trump card that surpasses all majors or education levels. But this is the case in ANY field. I’m not saying you will have a worse chances with higher education levels here, it’s just that I’m simply pointing out changing times for BME B.S. majors. Also, I am NOT saying that you will do better than going Mech. E or Chem. E. Again, just saying BME’s with a B.S. have a much higher chance of employment than is commonly touted around here. Lakemom, what makes you think I’m not a hiring manager? I am in fact one. Did you read what I wrote in my OP? I can tell though that you’re not in the medical/biotech industry with your statement earlier regarding the FDA and M.S. grads.
Simply saying I’m wrong or saying my experience doesn’t make a trend doesn’t really add to the conversation, so please address each point (at least one point) I made and tell me why it’s not true or flawed. I’ve gone through many business strategy sessions for hiring, and a lot of the stuff I said not only makes sense, but is literally a competitive advantage for businesses who utilize it.
To add to my previous point; I do agree a problem that BME’s have is that they do not set themselves up for employment. Just like no0ne5 says, they do undergraduate research in a lab, do some internships (again at school in a lab) over the summers, and/or do some research fellowship with NASA or the like (which is great, but not for industry). They have set themselves up for one thing: further education. The only jobs you could get is as a lab rat, or something completely mundane like a patent researcher are the USPO. The key is that the faculty and curriculum at BME programs are actually gearing their students for research type positions (after they’ve done more school), and by research I mean tissue engineering and publishing papers, not R&D or NPD development on a novel endoprosthesis and bringing it to market. To become an industry professional, you have to do co-ops and internships IN industry like every other engineer. You don’t see Mech. E or Chem. E doing work in a lab, no, they are in their desired respective fields out there at companies gaining the skills on their resume to be employable. I know you’re going to say “it’s because the other engineering fields HAVE those experiences offered to them.” No, no they don’t, they pursue it. You simply do not see BME’s applying to a API manufacturing facility to be an intern doing process control. Almost all internship and co-op programs are receptive to BME’s. I ask you guys this, a BME major who has 5 years industry experience post graduation as an Quality Engineer, is going up against a Mech. E major also with 5 years industry experience as a Quality Engineer. Applying to the same position in the medical field, do you think the BME will always lose out? No, it depends entirely on the strength of the applicant/interview. An engineering degree is a check box. Afterwards, it’s up to you. Now, pre-job, you may say all they can read is the title on that piece of paper to judge you. If that’s truly the case, then that’s your own fault. Refer to what I wrote above about setting yourself up for employment.
If you graduated 3 years ago that makes you about 25 or 26 tops. It sounds like you are doing recruiting. That is not the same thing as being the responsible manager who has to fire people too.
I quoted someone who is in your field about the God-FDA statement, which I stated. I never claimed to be in the biomed field.
Its great to be enthusiastic about what you do. I wish you good luck in your future.
That’s not true. You see a ton of mechanical engineers and chemical engineers working in research labs while they are in school. You just happen to also see a lot of them doing internships and co-ops, and a fair number that do both.
Lakemom you’re right, I’m not the one who fires people. But I’m still waiting to hear from you about what I said doesn’t ring true in terms of hiring people.
Thank you for the wishes, I just am trying to ensure that the new college students get the latest and most pertinent information regarding career fields. The cyclical telephone game that people tend to go by because their relative/friend said something about how “teachers are sooo short handed right now,” and decide to go be a teacher, only to be unemployed as many of us millenials are, is getting to be a glaring hole in our educational strategy as a country. Use data! We have data driven targeted ads for buying things, but not for buying an education, which is sad really.