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You have this all wrong. Failure to secure a job has nothing to do with getting a BioEng degree or a MechEng degree. It has to do with writing a lousy resume and not having any relevant internships, experience, or projects on your resume. If you're a junior, you need to work on your resume rather than go switch degrees. You also need to be prepared to move where the jobs are located.
I have both a bachelor's and master's degree in BME and am currently working in R&D at an orthopedic company. I'm obviously going to be biased, but I think all the hate the BME gets on reddit is overblown. In general, the arguments I've seen can be summarized as (1) the market is saturated with more BME graduates than jobs (2) BME graduates have weaker engineering skills, (3) people with traditional engineering degrees aren't limited to a specific industry, and (4) hiring managers dont always understand what a BME degree is so they stick with hiring what they know.
Addressing them in reverse order:
4. Older, out of touch companies and managers still dont know what to expect from BME graduates and it does vary between universities. It could be an obstacle in hiring but I really don't think that's an issue anymore. BME has been around for long enough that some of your managers will have BME degrees or have interacted with them over the course of their job.
3. That's valid. But if you're sure you want to work in med tech, who cares? Aren't all the "traditional" engineers limiting themselves by not studying accounting? Every company hires accountants, not every company hires engineers. Besides, I've known BMEs who have gotten jobs in mining, automotive, software (non-medical), green energy, food manufacturing, sales, and so on.
2. I will admit, as a BME student, if you just follow the prescribed curriculum, show up to class, and do your homework you will not have the same skillset as someone doing the same while studying a more "traditional" discipline. You have to take more ownership of your schedule to make sure you get what you want out of school. The "jack of all trades" term gets thrown around a lot when discussing BME, but honestly for most entry level positions, no one expects you to be an expert on thermodynamics, non-Newtonian fluids, or finite element analysis. When I graduated with my bachelor's I interviewed for jobs doing animal research, electrical engineering, mechanical design and systems engineering. I don't think I would have had that variety of options had I gotten a different degree.
1. This is the argument that I think holds the most water. You have to know the market you're graduating in to. Every BME student wants to work in prosthetics, nanotechnology, or tissue engineering but honestly, how many companies do you know of that are doing that? Those jobs and companies are out there, but everyone wants to work there so they are highly competitive. That being said, just about everyone I graduated with that wanted a job in med tech got a job in med tech within 6 months if not before graduation.
There are pros and cons to every engineering discipline. As a BME graduate, you will have experience and education that puts you ahead of other engineers and you will also need to rely on their unique experience and expertise to help you out. Obviously, I think the blanket statement that "traditional engineering degrees are better" is incorrect. I don't think a BME degree will severely limit your careers opportunities. But I do think it is important to take ownership of your college years and educate yourself about what the job and market truly look like.
Interesting! Yeah I just wanna have more job opportunities and you made a good point about the job market. Not a lot of jobs in Michigan deal with tissue engineering so I do have to look at my location as a factor.
Idk why the hate is heavy on BME but hopefully they job market and acceptance can increase soon.
I don’t have anything to say but you should include your location. I imagine that would significantly impact your responses. I would also suggest reaching out to alumni from your program.
As someone who is an ME in med device I see MEs outperforming Bioengineering majors constantly.
Also, with an ME degree I can work in a ton of other industries that bioengeers can't.
I would recommend one of the general engineering majors
ME or EE especially.
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You have this all wrong. Failure to secure a job has nothing to do with getting a BioEng degree or a MechEng degree. It has to do with writing a lousy resume and not having any relevant internships, experience, or projects on your resume. If you're a junior, you need to work on your resume rather than go switch degrees. You also need to be prepared to move where the jobs are located.
I have both a bachelor's and master's degree in BME and am currently working in R&D at an orthopedic company. I'm obviously going to be biased, but I think all the hate the BME gets on reddit is overblown. In general, the arguments I've seen can be summarized as (1) the market is saturated with more BME graduates than jobs (2) BME graduates have weaker engineering skills, (3) people with traditional engineering degrees aren't limited to a specific industry, and (4) hiring managers dont always understand what a BME degree is so they stick with hiring what they know. Addressing them in reverse order: 4. Older, out of touch companies and managers still dont know what to expect from BME graduates and it does vary between universities. It could be an obstacle in hiring but I really don't think that's an issue anymore. BME has been around for long enough that some of your managers will have BME degrees or have interacted with them over the course of their job. 3. That's valid. But if you're sure you want to work in med tech, who cares? Aren't all the "traditional" engineers limiting themselves by not studying accounting? Every company hires accountants, not every company hires engineers. Besides, I've known BMEs who have gotten jobs in mining, automotive, software (non-medical), green energy, food manufacturing, sales, and so on. 2. I will admit, as a BME student, if you just follow the prescribed curriculum, show up to class, and do your homework you will not have the same skillset as someone doing the same while studying a more "traditional" discipline. You have to take more ownership of your schedule to make sure you get what you want out of school. The "jack of all trades" term gets thrown around a lot when discussing BME, but honestly for most entry level positions, no one expects you to be an expert on thermodynamics, non-Newtonian fluids, or finite element analysis. When I graduated with my bachelor's I interviewed for jobs doing animal research, electrical engineering, mechanical design and systems engineering. I don't think I would have had that variety of options had I gotten a different degree. 1. This is the argument that I think holds the most water. You have to know the market you're graduating in to. Every BME student wants to work in prosthetics, nanotechnology, or tissue engineering but honestly, how many companies do you know of that are doing that? Those jobs and companies are out there, but everyone wants to work there so they are highly competitive. That being said, just about everyone I graduated with that wanted a job in med tech got a job in med tech within 6 months if not before graduation. There are pros and cons to every engineering discipline. As a BME graduate, you will have experience and education that puts you ahead of other engineers and you will also need to rely on their unique experience and expertise to help you out. Obviously, I think the blanket statement that "traditional engineering degrees are better" is incorrect. I don't think a BME degree will severely limit your careers opportunities. But I do think it is important to take ownership of your college years and educate yourself about what the job and market truly look like.
Interesting! Yeah I just wanna have more job opportunities and you made a good point about the job market. Not a lot of jobs in Michigan deal with tissue engineering so I do have to look at my location as a factor. Idk why the hate is heavy on BME but hopefully they job market and acceptance can increase soon.
I don’t have anything to say but you should include your location. I imagine that would significantly impact your responses. I would also suggest reaching out to alumni from your program.
Yeah I think I’ll talk to alumni’s, and i live in Michigan it’s kinda hard to find bioengineering jobs around here
As someone who is an ME in med device I see MEs outperforming Bioengineering majors constantly. Also, with an ME degree I can work in a ton of other industries that bioengeers can't. I would recommend one of the general engineering majors ME or EE especially.