Mohamed
Would a Biomedical Engineer recommend getting a Biomedical Eng. degree or get a Mechanical engineer degree and move laterally to the biomedical field?
Considering Both options as I get apply to engineering programs. #engineering #mechanical-engineering #biomedical-engineering
4 answers
Luis "Lou" Herrera
Luis "Lou"’s Answer
Like I said, It's not what I find engaging about it, it is what YOU find interesting, what makes you want to learn more about it.
You need to find your passion and pursue it. If you don't know EXACTLY what you want it is OK and very normal, but I am sure there is things that interest you. If you like cars, or machines of any kind, Mechanical engineering is a great field to start with. But if making machines that can heal and help save lives is what interests you, Biomedical might be a better field for you to pursue.
Spruce Cox
Spruce’s Answer
Sounds like you saw that your school offers several kinds of engineering degrees that you could sign up for right away. If you know exactly what you want to do then picking one now is fine. If you’re not sure now, I recommend ME to start. Many engineering degrees have pretty much the same curriculum for the first two years, so that will give you little more time to decide. If you later choose biomed then you can switch over and almost all your credits will follow you. But if you decide not to switch, you’re already on track for ME.
In your question you ask about moving laterally from ME to biomed. If you mean graduating in ME and immediately start looking for biomed work, I would not recommend that because you would have no directly applicable biomed classes or projects or experience. If you decide late in school that you want to do biomed, then work with your advisors and select the best path for you: finish ME and add one or two extracurricular biomed classes and some projects or small research activities, finish ME and add another year or so for a double major, or add another two years or so for a Masters in biomed.
Good luck.
Nick Cobane
Nick’s Answer
I would recommend the mechanical engineering degree. If you're unsure about the path you want to take, a mechanical engineering degree is a much more flexible option; you can get that degree while involving yourself in biomedical projects. Unless you plan to pursue a PhD I woould not recommend an undergrad BME degree.
Luis "Lou" Herrera
Luis "Lou"’s Answer
Go with your heart.
If you are truly interested in Biomed. go for it. But, if you want to "keep your options open" go for Mechanical.
Hi Lou! Thank you for your answer. I would love to hear about what makes Mechanical Engineering so engaging to you? What factors do you think a student should take into account when considering between that and Biomedical?
Christian Varsava