Jobs for the Major
How this major affects a job search
Biomedical engineering majors have an advantage over some other majors, as it's training for a specific career. It's right out there for you. Not only that, but the industry is steadily growing and is a regular on lists of top ten most useful college majors.
The downside is that the industry is primarily concentrated in two places: California and Minnesota. So if you're willing to relocate, you have a better chance of landing a job. That, and you can make some useful connections. While Stanford might not have the best program, the local contacts you'll get going there might make it more attractive than some of the other schools.
Like a lot of heavy science degrees, postgraduate work is helpful. Here, though, it's a "go big or go home" situation. Those with Bachelor's degrees report some trouble getting work, but it's the Master's degree holders that have it worse. They spent more time in school, and it's not helping them over the Bachelor's. The PhDs have it made. Well, not made, but they are highly sought-after employees.
To put it simply, things are looking good for Biomedical Engineers, and they continue to improve.
Common Career Fields
Tissue engineering. Ever wanted to be in a room just surrounded in lungs? Sure, who hasn't? Tissue engineers are focused on growing organs, which sounds terrifying but is actually pretty great. Imagine how many lives could be saved if everyone who needed a transplant was just one artificial heart away?
Genetic engineering. One word: dinosaurs. Okay, probably not dinosaurs, but so many other things. Tinkering directly with genes helps eliminate horrifying genetic diseases. It may also turn us into X-Men. Shmoop supports both.
Veterinary medicine. That's right. Some Biomedical Engineers are all about our four-, six-, no-, and...how many legs do millipedes have? Doesn't matter. The point is that pets have health problems, too, and people love their pets. There's a market for the same kinds of devices, from kidneys that'll keep a cat healthy to a better prosthetic leg for a three-legged dog.
Sports biomechanics. If you like sports and have ever been devastated when your favorite player went down with a season- or career-ending injury, this is a great place to use the degree. As teams approach the fitness of players in increasingly sophisticated ways, they're learning to prevent injuries before they happen. Make sure no kid ever has to say, "Please don't be his ACL, please don't be his ACL, please don't be his ACL..."
Biomaterials. Ever want to transform someone into a human/animal hybrid? This isn't quite that, but it depends on how loose your definition of "hybrid" is. Biomaterials is the use of material from animals or plants in human beings. So if you were wondering if a tiger's head could be used in a knee replacement, well, the answer is probably no. Except you'd know for sure.
Rehabilitation engineers. Maybe you're all about helping out the disabled. Good for you. You're officially better than most. This field concentrates on developing technology that helps people overcome and live with handicaps. Recent advances have made this an exciting career, and you'll be at the forefront of helping people, which makes you an evil genius for a better tomorrow. Well, maybe that's just a genius.
BioMicroelectromechanical systems. Called BioMEMS, because no one can be expected to remember all of that. This is the real science fiction stuff. MEMS are tiny robots, and yes, this is totally real and not some crazy future tech. Well, it is, but the future is like, next week or so. These machines will be able to perform surgery without ever cutting someone open...which, as you probably know, is the worst part of surgery. The hope is that they'll be able to hunt down and repair problems before they happen. Yes, this includes shooting cancer with a laser.
Current unemployment of the major
11.0%Percentage of majors who get a higher degree after college
50%Stats obtained from this source.