<p>I'm hoping to get a career in BME and the general response I get is "I recommend you get a masters in BME before applying for jobs". Does the masters degree refer to MEng or MS (I've also heard there's a MSE?) I know the general difference between them but I've also heard from some people that even though MS is more research-oriented, it's still more preferred than MEng (I want to go into industry, which MEng sounds more suitable for). Is there any dis/advantage(s) of getting a MS as opposted to a MEng? </p>
<p>I'm hoping to go into industry after getting my masters, and MAYBE pursue a PhD later on in my life, but getting a job is my first goal at the moment.</p>
<p>What stage of schooling are you at?</p>
<p>BME is a broad field and saying you want to go into industry can mean a number of things when deciding on career planning. I want to get a better sense of where your mind is at. If you are in high school, there is a good chance you haven’t had the hands on experience in the biomedical field.</p>
<p>I can give you more information when you get back to me.</p>
<p>P.s. My background is so far only as a student. I am just starting a Bioengineering non-thesis M.S. from the University of Pittsburgh. My concentration is Biomechanics and I plan to focusing on neural engineering because I want to work with human movement, orthopedics, and prosthetic.</p>
<p>^^^JohnIsaac, what did you get your undergrad degree in? Why did you choose a non thesis versus thesis MS? And how are you liking the University of Pittsburgh?</p>
<p>I too am interested in the difference between the MS and MSE. Is one less employable than the other?</p>
<p>Mentegut, my undergraduate degree is in exercise physiology. My career goals was originally to move on to Physical therapy but I found that the field wasn’t right for me. However, I am still interested in the same medical problems that had led me towards physical therapy in the first place, and that are mentioned above.
I choose a non-thesis Masters out of practicality more than anything else. Regardless of which I choose, I needed prerequisite engineering courses that I had not gotten from undergrad. However, the 2year thesis Masters requires a hefty amount of research experience; experience I did not have. This translated to at least 4 years or prereqs and grad courses thesis Masters because I was so behind. Meanwhile, the non-thesis only would take 2 years for me; 1 year of prereqs and 1 year for the professional masters. Also, I have no interest in research, all I want is a job in industry.</p>
<p>I would like to say a bit more about AznGambit17 question. I have noticed a good deal of speculation over the prospects of Bioengineers in industry on this website. It is a competitive field for sure but what career isn’t nowadays. The biomedical industry isn’t something new and is not going away. You have to make yourself stand out in someway; internships, co-ops, research experience and good grades will set you up for a job. That being said, a B.s. can get you a job but not at the level most people want. Glorified lab technicial was how one of my professors put it. If you want more, at some point a Masters in Bioengineering will be necissary. It is the trend for all Engineering degrees.</p>
<p>The reality of things is that if you do well, I don’t think you should worry about job prospects. You should worry about if this is really what you want to do for the rest of your life. Industry will eventually want a Master’s degree in from any engineering field but an extra year is worth it if you really enjoy it.</p>