<p>I am attending SUNY University at Buffalo in the fall for Chem E and I would like to minor in Biotechnology. I have read on the forums here that minors really don't help with careers that much but my goal after undergrad is to go the PhD route, and I'm thinking it's somewhere in the biochem area that I would like to do research. Is it worth it to do the minor or is there something else I should be doing with my time to better prepare me for grad school? I really want to get involved with undergrad research, even freshman year if I can, but would doing a minor and that be too much?</p>
<p>The majority of ChemE’s I’ve worked with in the industry have had some form of academic exposure to biochem/biology. Those who I have talked to said that having academic biochem/biotech experience on their resume made them very desirable by employers in biotech firms. With just a Bachelor’s, I am almost certain that having a minor in one of these fields would significantly help you in gaining employment. Also, what you could do, if your school allows, is dedicate your elective credit to bio/biochem courses and declare your concentration in ChemE as biochemistry. That way you could still show you have proficiency, but not have to carve out room in your schedule for a minor. An internship would help immensely as well.</p>
<p>If possible, you could try to get into a grad program in biotechnology or biochemical engineering, which should give the same effect. I am not very familiar with graduate admissions, so I am not sure how much a minor would help you get into these specific programs, but I’d expect that having a background in biochemistry is probably required.</p>
<p>Regardless of employment, I would say that any person entering the biotech industry would be face a steep learning curve and be greatly hindered by a lack of understanding of biochemical principles and techniques as, in some cases, the line between engineer and biochemist becomes very blurred.</p>
<p>If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.</p>