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I have been set on majoring in Biomedical Engineering under a pre-med track for a few years and I was wondering how difficult it is to switch majors within an engineering department of a college throughout the four years of my undergraduate degree?

I am not quite sure if biomedical engineering will be the best fit for me and I won't know this until I try it out in college and I am worried that I will not be able to switch majors easily. I also want to study under a pre-medicine track which might make it more difficult to switch majors. No college seems to be able to tell me how difficult it would be to switch majors under a pre-med track so it makes me slightly worried. I was wondering if anyone had advice for that. #college #engineering #medicine #pre-med

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Luis "Lou"’s Answer

Premed is mainly courses to get you ready for the medical school entrance exam. There is no "career" if you don't go forward with Med school. Biomedical engineering is a career that you can pursue even if you decide not to go through with Med. school and will definitely prepare you for it..
The first 2 years for all engineerings are pretty much the same. The real differences starts on your junior year.
If you transfer from Biomed to a field that is close (say Chemical or Mechanical) you lessen the chances of "loosing credits" (having taken classes that won't count for graduation in that field, like Biology and advanced Organic Chemistry in the case of ME). If you transfer to something like Civil or Industrial, you'll "loose" more credits.
I recommend you decide on a field before the end of your sophomore year.
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Shakita’s Answer

In 1998, I graduated with an Electrical Engineering degree with a specialization in biomedical engineering and I was also pre-med. I majored in Electrical Engineering because, at the time, it was a new field, and I wanted to be sure there would be enough employment opportunities available for me (Electrical Engineering is a much broader field than biomedical engineering). Luckily for you, the field of biomedical engineering is growing and full of opportunity now. So, you do not have to worry about what I was faced with then.

I am not sure how colleges and universities approach this now, but I will explain how it worked for me in 1998. In each engineering discipline or major, you will take core classes consisting of calculus, physics, chemistry, history, and English. This usually takes place in your first two years. After the second year, you will begin to take classes in your major. For me, I took electrical engineering classes and some biomedical engineering classes to meet my specialization requirements. You will be given a number of "FREE" electives. If you're pre-med, your "FREE" electives consist of Organic Chemistry, Biology, Biochemistry, and other relevant pre-med classes. Your academic advisor should be able to tell you what you need to take in order to apply to medical school.

If you decide to "switch majors" and your free electives are in organic chemistry, biology, and biochemistry, it probably won't hurt you, but it may not make much sense if you decide to pursue a major unrelated to science. You will still have fulfilled your "free" elective requirements, and you can still graduate on time. However, if you need a "free" elective for a pre-requisite for another course that you need to take, it may pose a problem.

MY ADVICE: Do as many informational sessions with people in the industry as possible now and in the first two years of your program to avoid an extra year of work if you decide to switch majors. You'll still graduate, but it may take you longer.
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