I was accepted into UNC Chapel Hill for Biomedical Engineering and NC State for Chemical Engineering, and I’m having a hard time deciding which I would rather attend. I know that the Biomedical program is a dual degree program as well. Does anyone have any feedback on either school and/or either program? Thank you so much!
Kudos to getting accepted to both colleges; both are WONDERFUL colleges. I too get accepted into UNCs Bio program but deferred from NCSU (chem engineering) so I am awaiting to hear back. Salary wise, chemical engineering tops BME (65,000 to 54,000) and CE receives 11,000 more after graduating. CE is also a much much more broader field which can allow you to have a wider variety of job opp. but BME may have the potential to grow in the near future, so IMO I’d go with CE (I may be biased xD) but go with whatever you feel you’d succeed best in
My daughter was also accepted to both for BME. It is a tough decision for the following reason. Everyone at both schools are accepted into the first year engineering program with a declared intent of studying BME or CE etc. Toward the end of freshman year you must then apply for acceptance to your desired program. You are not guaranteed a spot. BME is especially difficult to get into with each campus taking 80 students. So, assuming the worst case scenario where you are not admitted to BME at UNC there is no other engineering available, but plenty of sciences. If you attend NCSU there are numerous other engineering paths if you definitely want engineering.
@ Classof15Parent - Does that hold true for all engineering @ NC State ? My son was looking at Computer or Electrical engineering. So he was accepted into Engineering @ NC State however from what you are saying … he will then have to apply to his desired program ? or is that only for Biomedical ? My son was accepted to UNC Chapel Hill (where he would major in Computer Science) and Clemson (Engineering Honors College) and NC State & VA Tech for Engineering.
I’d look into WHERE CE jobs are located…I’ve seen discussions that CE jobs are located where factories are which is often rural (which explains why need to pay $ to get you to live there.) Suspect BME careers would be heavily located in more urban and suburban places.
NCSU for chemical engineering; safer bet.
My son recently graduated from NC State in ChemE. Engineering students at NC State are accepted into the College of Engineering and then matriculate into their desired school after they completed a core of courses, but it is based on your grades. Some disciplines are harder to get into than others. Chemical, biomedical, aerospace and nuclear may require a higher GPA than do civil or mechanical. I’m a Civil Engineer btw.
As far as work areas, it is true that many ChemE jobs are in rural areas, which is what my son decided, but it was his choice. He turned down offers in Raleigh and Charlotte and Atlanta. And yes, the pay is pretty good, average starting around $70K. And that pay in a rural area, if that is what you like will provide a higher standard of living.
Comparing the schools, both are great, but very different. My wife and I and son are state grads and a second son is at State now (physics), so yes I am a little biased. Greek life is much more prominent at UNC and less so at NCSU, which is pretty typical for engineering schools. Both offer many clubs, activities, study abroad opportunities and recreational programs. My middle son, has spent a semester in Europe, performed research at national and international labs and presented papers at international science conferences.
Also, many kids looking at the BioMed program are also interested in med school. Not sure if that is your case, but both programs would prepare you for that. My son flirted with that option and there is a program at State to help prepare you for this path. In the end, he was ready to graduate and start work.
Best of luck!
Thank you so much! After looking into it, I think I’ll be attending State next year with the intent to enroll in the dual major program that combines Paper Science Engineering and Chemical Engineering. It took a lot of soul searching, but I definitely believe I want to go down the process engineering route and not medical route hence my decision (I also recently visited State again and realized how much I truly loved it!)
Best of luck!
Good Luck! If you go the paper science route, be sure to enquire about scholarships, most all the kids in that program can get one. My son was in that for his first year, but decided later not to pursue the paper side, enjoyed the straight ChemE better.
Where did your son decide to go and why. Now that he had gone through school for a semester, can you give us some input. Thanks a lot…