<p>Which biomedical engineering program is better in your opinion - The University of Texas at Austin or Vanderbilt? I am pretty sure I will go to UT, but I want to get rid of any doubts that I may have.</p>
<p>Johns Hopkins is the best. hands down.</p>
<p>Vandy is better. UT austin recruits more than 100 students per year, while Vandy only recuits about 15.
UT austin is big,but Vandy is of better quality.</p>
<p>Why is Vanderbilt of better quality? In the rankings for the biomedical engineering rankings, UT is ranked 19th while Vanderbilt is unranked. Yes, it is a graduate ranking. I have yet to find any departmental rankings for specific undergraduate engineering programs. So, what exactly makes the program at Vanderbilt better nanjinger?</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/engineering-majors/382751-usnews-2008-engineering-ranking-compilation.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/engineering-majors/382751-usnews-2008-engineering-ranking-compilation.html</a></p>
<p>Nanjinger -
I recall my son’s letter stating something like 75 to 100 studentswere accepted into UT’s BME program. I know it was not more than 100. I have no idea how UT compares to Vandy in the BME rankings.</p>
<p>Just finished the BME program at UT. At UT, the BME students seemed to me some of the most ambitious, involved, and diligent students of the bunch, barring Plan II graduates (plenty of folks were BME/Plan II). Typical students are in the top 3% of their graduating high school class. With respect to department sizes, UT’s department is proportional in size to Vandy’s considering each school’s total undergraduate enrollment. Both are ABET accredited (important!) and the two collaborate on projects such as VaNTH.</p>
<p>I can’t talk to Vanderbilt, but these are my thoughts on the UT BME program:</p>
<p>1) It’s new and has some growing pains. The curriculum continues to be updated, but the advisers and department have a great deal of leeway in adding students to courses, working around pre-requisites, and other ‘hiccups.’ BME students are often given the benefit of the doubt in enrolling into classes for which they don’t necessary have all the pre-reqs. </p>
<p>2) Did I mention the accommodating attitude? As a function of this ‘newness,’ the department takes to heart student suggestions for degree plans, independent theses, outside study, and the like. UT’s added multiple courses at the suggestion of a student-faculty advisory board.</p>
<p>3) UT BME’s curriculum is l o n g. At 134 hours, it’s only 2 hours short of the 5-year architecture program here. Roughly 40% of students graduate in five years and add a minor or second major (such as Plan II). Make a point to graduate in 4 years - I wish I had. </p>
<p>4) Undergraduate research is incredibly easy in which to become involved. Of course, you’ll need to seek out and research projects thoroughly, but professors are very open to new students. If you’re persistent and stick with a group for 1-2 years, you’ll have an independent project in no time.</p>
<p>5) There is no attached medical school in Austin, TX. There’s a great deal of collaboration with MD Anderson Cancer Center (arguably the top facility in the world), including specific UT programs and cross-listed faculty. UT San Antonio and UT Southwestern also provide some collaboration and there are plenty of hospitals in Austin; however, I firmly believe that an adjacent medical school is important to any BME program. </p>
<p>6) UT’s big, at 37,000 undergraduates and another ~12,000 graduate students. Although there’s very little hand-holding for students, just about any piece of equipment or resource you could ever need is on the main campus. If not, it’s on the research campus a few miles away (if you need to use the research reactor, solar research grid, <em>other</em> supercomputer, or <em>cleaner</em> clean room). The resources are remarkable, but you must be proactive in seeking them out.</p>
<p>7) The BME department continues to receive a large share of the research funding at UT and continues to expand. In the five years I spent here, it’s moved from a floor of the EE building to one of the nicest buildings on campus and it has continued to expand its faculty. In an technology entrepreneurship class I took here, over half of the inventions provided to the class came from the BME department alone out of the entire college of Natural Sciences and School of Engineering.</p>
<p>8) Although BME students seem to outperform CHE’s and EE’s (and definitely natural sciences folks) in cross-listed courses, few companies seem to look for BME’s with only a bachelor’s degree, considering they’re an unknown quantity and a relatively new discipline. Unless you’re interested in professional (med, law) or graduate school, I’d study a traditional discipline and take your upper division electives in the BME or bioengineering program at your university. It’ll make you more marketable to potential employers.</p>
<p>To sum it up, I’ve had a great experience with the UT BME department. My candid advice would be to study EE/CHE/ME at UT, get involved in a BME research lab, take upper division BME courses, and finish in 4 years. Or double major in Plan II and take 5 years.</p>
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<p>Pffffffffffff 
EEs dominated 374K/L when I took it.</p>
<p>Even though this is off-topic, I’m pretty sure CHE’s get the highest grades in general pre-req classes (i.e. math, chemistry, physics, etc.). I heard about it from a professor who keeps track of grades by engineering major.</p>
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<p>Well almost every BME major at my orientation chose to skip to 408D… :P</p>
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<p>Again, almost every BME major at my orientation skipped these classes. I seem to be the only one not getting out of Chem :S</p>
<p>I’m talking about classes you can’t skip, as well – like M408D (which you can’t skip with the typical AP/IB credit), M427K, etc.</p>