Daria
What major would be best to earn a degree in to pursue a career in pharmaceutical engineering?
I want to be a pharmaceutical engineer to make medications to help treat or cure various diseases in humans, but pharmaceutical engineering really isn't a major in itself. Chemical engineering seems to have a large focus on natural resources, like drilling oil, or working wth nuclear materials. Biomedical engineering seems to focus on the design of prosthetics. Pre-med programs seem to be geared towards becoming practicing doctors and pharamcy programs don't seem to go into the chemistry behind making medication. #pre-med #biomedical-engineering #chemical-engineering #pharmacists #choosing-a-major #pharmaceutical-industry
2 answers
Michael Trocchia
Michael’s Answer
There are universities with pharmaceuticals engineering programs
Paul Stein, EIT
Paul’s Answer
If you really want to be formulating the medicine themselves and not focus on the equipment, you want a degree in a natural science like chemistry or bio-chemistry. If you want to stick with engineering, chemical engineering might be best.
I am a mechanical engineering in the pharmaceutical industry but focus on the water purification side of the business. To me it's equally as gratifying and interesting, knowing majority of the major bio-pharm companies use our equipment.
With that being said, I believe a chemical engineering degree will be the only program to give you the foundation to formulate medicine for pharmaceuticals. That is if you choose to stay with engineering and not chemistry or biology.