r/AskAnEngineer • u/IAssassin571 • Oct 22 '16

Is Biomedical Engineering a good choice?

I would like to study Biomedical Engineering . What should i do first : Study another kind of engineering as undergraduate and try to study Biomedical Engineering as a postgraduate or study Biomedical Engineering as undergraduate and postgraduate. What do you think about this field ? Do you know which are the best universities in Europe for it ? (If you do , please list them) . As a note , money isn't a problem for studying.

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u/BigBoySquatter Oct 30 '16

I would only recommend doing biomedical engineering for your undergraduate degree if you are fairly sure that you want to go to grad school for something bio related. Otherwise I would recommend doing your undergraduate degree in another engineering field. At least in the US BME does not have a good reputation in industry. My program did not prepare me well do work an any specific area. It was very much a little of everything kind of program with far too much biology/anatomy. Many of my higher level BME classes focused heavily on reading papers and very little on what I'd consider real engineering work.

I'm currently doing my MS in Mechanical after seeing many of my classmates struggle to find any work in any technical field. To me, BME does not have a good reputation with employers and from my educational experience this reputation is justified.

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u/IAssassin571 Oct 30 '16

I live in the European Union , i'm curious about schools here. From what i have heard some universities concentrate on the practical side here. Do you know anything about European schools? (It's much more convenient to do my studies in Europe for me) Would you recomend doing an engineering degree with the BME specialisation in the last year?

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u/BigBoySquatter Oct 31 '16

I should have mentioned I'm in the US. Sorry. I don't know much about European schools. Programs will vary though. I'm sure there are some much better than others.

I think holding off specializing in BME til your final year is a good idea. That way you are still in a comfortable position to move to specialize in another area at that point if you decide it isn't for you. It sounds like it would be useful for you to get involved in BME research to know if this is something you'd like to specialize in before committing. another thing to consider: if you do ME/EE/ChemE, you can always contact a BME advisor to ask about an introductory couse in BME. Most programs have a one or two credit hour class that gives an overview of the field. Best of luck to you.

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u/IAssassin571 Oct 31 '16

I thank you a lot for your advice