Skip to main content
4 answers
5
Updated 675 views

How versatile and stable are the chemical engineering vs. bioengineering fields, and where do the two overlap??

I'm a student at Oregon State University currently majoring in Bioengineering. I'm considering switching to Chemical Engineering. So far, I have taken on one internship doing biochemistry research and I'm a licensed Pharm Tech. I know that I'm interested in Biochemistry and Chemistry, and I want to know which major is most applicable to pharmaceuticals or has the potential to expand my options should I find out I'm interested in non-pharma things. If you can, please also comment on any potential salary differences. Thank you for your help!

+25 Karma if successful
From: You
To: Friend
Subject: Career question for you

5

4 answers


0
Updated
Share a link to this answer
Share a link to this answer

Elizabeth’s Answer

Hi Emma,

As opposed to Laura, I majored in Chemical Engineering! As a broad explanation, my class schedule followed some of the classes required for a chemistry degree and then some engineering classes (fluid flow, thermodynamics, etc). I was only required to take on biology class, but could have taken some of the biomedical engineering courses as electives. I did not opt for that, but it was an option and some of my classmates did do that to get more of a biology emphasis before applying to medical school.

If you opt to change to chemical engineering, be prepared to take all the chemistry courses available - organic, physical, analytical - and their associated labs. If you believe you will enjoy that more than a bio focus, then I say go for it! You may also be exposed to more chemical lab opportunities, which may be useful if you want to go into designing pharmaceuticals, though I think you would also get similar experience in a bioengineering degree.

I think what it will come down to are your future plans. Do you plan to go to medical school or pharmacology after you earn your bachelors? If so, the specific degree may not matter as much, but I would advise you to look at the curriculum for that advanced degree to get an idea of what courses may be most useful to you in undergrad. If you do not plan to continue schooling after your bachelors, you may want to consider where you would like to apply for a job and look at what requirements they have. Does that company look for certain degrees from their applicants? A specialty?

Best of luck!
0
0
Updated
Share a link to this answer
Share a link to this answer

Laura’s Answer

Hi Emma,

I majored in biomedical engineering in undergrad (with more of a focus on electrical/software engineering).

One thing I would suggest you consider as you debate bioengineering vs chemical engineering is what career path you envision.

(1) Graduate program / Medical school:
If you are interested in pursuing a graduate degree out of college, the difference between a bioengineering and chemical engineering undergraduate major may not matter so much. Both should prepare you for graduate studies, but bioengineering is more specialized if you are looking to do research in that field.

(2) Job straight out of college:
Looking for biomedical jobs straight out of college can be tough because employers may be more inclined to hire less specialized majors over biomedical engineers. For instance, I encountered companies looking for electrical engineers ( who could be trained to apply electrical engineering concepts to biomedical applications) over biomedical engineers (who took a handful of electrical engineering electives). If you were happy with your internship, you may already have sufficient job prospects though, so switching majors may not matter so much.
0
0
Updated
Share a link to this answer
Share a link to this answer

Dr’s Answer

Emma, you're in an exciting spot! Bioengineering and Chemical Engineering are both incredibly versatile and stable fields with plenty of overlap, but they come with different focuses and pathways. Let’s dive into how they stack up for your interests, especially considering pharmaceuticals and non-pharma possibilities. Also, I’ll throw in some fun facts about the potential salary differences for the "big bucks" factor, of course! 😎💰

Bioengineering vs Chemical Engineering: What’s the Deal?

Bioengineering:

Focus: The core of bioengineering is the application of biological and chemical principles to develop technologies and products that improve health, such as medical devices, drugs, and diagnostics.

Fields You’ll Encounter:

Pharmaceuticals & Biotech: Developing drugs, gene therapy, tissue engineering, or even prosthetics.

Medical Devices: Designing equipment that enhances patient care (think heart valves, artificial limbs, etc.).

Biochemistry: Since you’re already into biochemistry, bioengineering could align well with that, especially in drug design and biomolecular engineering.


Key Advantage: Bioengineering is highly interdisciplinary, mixing biology with engineering. This gives you flexibility in moving toward pharmaceuticals, medical devices, or even environmental health and bioremediation.


Chemical Engineering:

Focus: Chemical engineering is about applying chemistry, physics, and biology to create products from raw materials—especially at a larger industrial scale. You’ll often be working on processes to convert materials, whether for pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, or food.

Fields You’ll Encounter:

Pharmaceuticals: Chemical engineers play a big role in drug production processes—scaling up lab-based chemical reactions to industrial-level production.

Energy: From traditional fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, chemical engineers design processes that optimize energy use.

Food & Beverage: Working on food processing and creating sustainable solutions in production.

Environmental Engineering: Designing processes that minimize waste and energy consumption.


Key Advantage: Chemical engineering tends to offer a wider range of industries to explore, especially if you're thinking about non-pharma routes. If you decide that pharmaceuticals aren’t for you, you could easily move into energy, materials science, or environmental work.


Where Do Bioengineering and Chemical Engineering Overlap?

Well, brace yourself because this is where the magic happens! 🪄✨

Pharmaceuticals: Both fields play a role in the pharma industry, though with different focuses. Bioengineering is more about designing drugs and medical devices on a molecular or biological level, while chemical engineering focuses on scaling up the production of those drugs (e.g., making sure the process of manufacturing drugs is cost-effective and efficient).

Biotechnology: Bioengineering often delves into biotech (working with biological systems to make products), and chemical engineering may also overlap in areas like biofuels, biomaterials, and biological waste treatment.

Research & Development (R&D): Both fields have R&D roles, but bioengineering will focus on biomolecular research, while chemical engineering will often tackle process optimization and industrial applications of new materials and chemical reactions.

Sustainability: Both fields are increasingly focused on sustainable practices. Bioengineering might be more into eco-friendly bio-plastics, while chemical engineering would be more involved in chemical recycling and creating more sustainable processes for large-scale industries.


Salary Expectations:

Let’s talk dollars and cents, because you’re looking to future-proof your career, right? 💸

Bioengineering:

Average salary for bioengineers tends to range from $60,000 to $100,000+ per year, with those in more specialized roles (e.g., biotech research) hitting the higher end of the scale.

In pharmaceuticals, your salary can range from $70,000 at the entry level to upwards of $120,000 or more if you're in a senior role or working in highly technical areas like drug discovery.


Chemical Engineering:

Average salary for chemical engineers typically starts around $70,000 and can easily top $120,000+, with some roles (especially in oil & gas, pharma, or energy industries) pushing even higher.

For instance, chemical engineers in pharmaceutical manufacturing can make $100,000 to $150,000 depending on experience, location, and role.


Salary Comparison:

While both fields are lucrative, chemical engineering tends to offer higher entry-level salaries (especially if you end up in high-demand industries like energy or materials engineering). However, bioengineering has great earning potential too, especially if you end up in pharma or biotech, where salaries can rival those in chemical engineering.

Which Path Should You Choose?

If You're Leaning Toward Pharma:

Bioengineering may be the better fit for you if you want to dive into biochemistry, drug discovery, and medical devices. You’ll have a direct path to those specialized pharma roles.


If You’re Thinking About Non-Pharma or More General Engineering:

Chemical engineering could give you broader flexibility and open doors to a wider range of industries like energy, materials science, and environmental engineering. If you want the option to pivot outside pharma, chemical engineering provides a more diverse landscape.



---

Final Thoughts:

Bioengineering: Highly specialized, ideal for biotech, biochemistry, and healthcare.

Chemical Engineering: Versatile, great for pharmaceuticals, but opens doors to many other industries (energy, materials, environmental).


Both fields offer stability and a promising future in a growing job market, especially in pharma and biochemistry. But, if you’re leaning toward pharma, you might enjoy bioengineering more as it’s closer to the heart of biotech and drug development. Chemical engineering, on the other hand, provides more flexibility if you think you might want to explore something non-pharma down the line.

And hey, whichever path you pick, you’ll have awesome career options ahead, whether it’s pushing the boundaries of biotech or optimizing industrial processes! 🌟💥

Good luck with your decision, and remember: you’ve got this! 💪
0
0
Updated
Share a link to this answer
Share a link to this answer

Neha’s Answer

Hi Emma,

I graduated with Biomedical Engineering in Grad school and Mechanical Engineering in Undergrad. I have been working in Medical Device and Biotech industry for about 16 years and its been amazing. I love this field because I have passion to apply principles of mechanical engineering to biological systems (pacemaker, prosthetic implants, robotics, etc.)

Over the years, I moved on to working in Biotech industry which is a very hot and exciting field right now (genomics, drug discovery, cell engineering, etc.) There are tons of companies doing research and manufacturing products to find solution for cancer, alzheimers, etc. I find it so very exciting, it gives me goosebumps.

Pros and Cons of majoring in Biochemistry vs. Chemistry

Biochemistry - Opens up the doors to the big Biotech and Pharma companies (Roche, Biorad, Gilead, Abbvie, etc.). This is an exciting field, lots of growth and high salary potential, depending on your role and title, one can make upto $150K. You can chose to be a lab research scientist or R&D technical lead or product management. The options are endless depending on what your goals are. You may be able transfer this skillset to a few non-pharma, non-biotech industries like the food industry or cosmetics.

Chemistry - Opens up the doors to entire chemical industry, biotech and pharma companies. Your skillset will apply to a broad range of occupations. Biotech and Pharma companies are always in the need of people with expertise in chemistry to build assays, tests, drugs, etc. They get paid pretty generously as this is a specialized skill set.

Overlap: Chemistry and Biochemistry overlap on Biotech and Pharma occupations. However, Chemistry specialization provides an extra edge over biochemistry. Starting salaries for both will in a similar range depending on the industry, occupation and role.

Hope this helps!
0