Hiring Biomedical Engineers as opposed to more traditional Engineers

[joshthekid]

I am currently enrolled in a Masters of Engineering program in Biomedical Engineering. My undergraduate degree is in Applied Physics with minors in biomedical engineering and math. I got into BME primarily because I am interested in medical imaging and medical devices not really interested in pharma or tissue engineering and that it has a great job outlook. What I have been hearing from some people though is that BME is such a broad field that actually having a biomedical engineering degree is not necessarily a great thing. That is to say that a lot of biotech companies employ chemical, electrical, and mechanical engineers because they might have more precise knowledge in one area, say like mechanical and materials design. I have been looking into switching over to electrical engineering but I think that it might be a little more challenging then BME because I have undergrad training in that where as I have no electrical experience. I am wondering for those who are in the biotech field what there perception of the hiring market is at a masters level.

Not to say that peoples opinions are not valuable but I am really looking for somebody who is in the industry especially someone on the senior level.

Thanks

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Thanks for the post! Sorry you aren't generating responses at the moment. Do you have any further information, come to any new conclusions or is it possible to reword the post?

 

[Choppy]

I don't know if this helps, but I think a lot can depend on the specifics of your degree (i.e. the projects you do and the courses that you complete) than the title of the degree. BME is a broad area. Companies that do imaging, for example, will hire engineers for all sorts of different jobs and will need people with expertise in electrical, mechanical, processess, algorithm design, etc. and so when they're recruiting they're likely to consider diverse sets of candidates. The fields then narrow as they look for more specialized expertise.

If you're thinking about transferring, maybe first look at where recent graduates of your program are ending up. Maybe even try to set up an informal interview or job shadow.

 

[Ben Espen]

I can field this one. I've worked in the Medical Device field for ten years, and interviewed a lot of different people with different backgrounds. BME is a degree that is still finding its niche in the world. 5 years ago, I myself said that I would rather hire a MechE than a BME, but I think the BME programs are getting more aligned with with industry is actually doing, and so I'm seeing more value in it than I used to. If you are interested in medical devices, I do not think a Masters in Biomedical Engineering will hurt you. As always, use the connections of your department, through professors, fellow students, and alumni to find out who is hiring from your department, and see if you like what those companies do.