I’m a senior in high school and I’m currently looking at colleges. I want to get a degree that will put me into a good position to get a job in some kind of neuroprosthetics field but I don’t really know where to start.
Bio or biomedical engineering would probably be most applicable. I’m at Pitt, not bio, but I have several friends who are with a goal of working with prosthetics. I believe Pitt’s bioe major may even have prosthetics as a concentration option.
Maybe minor in neuroscience or even just take some neuroscience classes if you know you specifically want to do neuroprosthetics.
Any of the traditional engineering disciplines–mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and chemical engineering–can lead to that kind of work. If you’re interested more in the design and dynamics of the prostheses themselves, mechanical engineering might be the best, or chemical engineering if you’re interested in the materials and/or biomimetic materials. If you’re more interested in the controls side, then mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or computer science/engineering would work. The most flexible path would probably be to major in mechanical engineering with a concentration in mechatronics or electromechanics (or just taking electives in those areas if no such concentration exists at your school), and taking a few biology/neuroscience electives if you want to, then getting a relevant MS (in ME, BME, or possibly even EE or CS).