<p>Duke has excellent medical programs which puts it very close to the top of my college lists.</p>
<p>I plan to go into the field of research in very advanced prosthetics (think bionics, cybernetics, etc). However I am not sure which school to apply to, as the field is a mix of both engineering and biology -</p>
<p>but Pratt has a Department of Biomedical Engineering ( Welcome</a> to Duke BME | Duke Biomedical Engineering Department ). Now I'm not sure which one to apply to, as the field of bionics is in its infancy and AFAIK there is no college so far with a dedicated department to the field, as most research has been a mix of multiple fields...</p>
<p>Go to the the Undergraduates section of the Duke BME website ([Undergraduate</a> Program | Duke Biomedical Engineering Department](<a href=“http://bme.duke.edu/undergrad]Undergraduate”>Undergraduate Study at Duke BME | Duke Biomedical Engineering)) and email one of the professors listed on the left side as Directors of Undergraduate Studies. Explain you are a prospective student and that you are interested in working in prosthetics after obtaining a PhD, and ask what opportunities are available through Duke’s BME department that will allow you to pursue this interest as an undergrad. Because this is a very specialized field, you really won’t be able to engage in prosthetics until pursuing a PhD program (no matter what undergrad institution you attend); you will need lots of foundational knowledge in this field.</p>
<p>It seems like Pratt will be better suited for you, unless you are more interested in approaching the prosthetics discipline through the perspective of a neuroscientist or computer scientist. My Pratt friends told me that Duke’s BME program tends to focus more on medical devices (electrical engineering background), but I have heard of friends working a bit on prosthetics. </p>
<p>Thus, I highly suggest you email the professors listed on the website that I provided to get their opinion.</p>
<p>Pratt over the College of Arts and Crafts. Also consider bioengineering at Rice–residential college system affiliated with the largest medical complex in the world.</p>