Anonymous wrote:Do NOT do biomedical engineering.

You're not good enough to do biology and you're not good enough to do engineering. Stick to mechanical, electrical, or computer. That's where the $$$ is, is those degrees can always transition later anyway to bio applications if one is truly interested.

I agree with this, particularly for undergrad. Do a foundational engineering undergrad and save the bio specialty for grad school. I’m a mechanical engineer in a biomed field and many I know who did biomedical engineering as an undergrad felt like they got an engineering lite education.

Do NOT do biomedical engineering.

You're not good enough to do biology and you're not good enough to do engineering. Stick to mechanical, electrical, or computer. That's where the $$$ is, is those degrees can always transition later anyway to bio applications if one is truly interested.

Anonymous wrote:I appreciate people speaking of their own experiences, but wondering about very recent grads-- are employers still paying for grad school? About a decade ago, it was common for employers to pay for MBA programs but that has really been declining... wondering if the same is true in engineering.

NP here. I think you need to consider the field of engineering to understand this question. As a PP said, bioengineering/biomedical engineering is different than most other engineering disciplines in that there is a higher expectation that people will have graduate degrees...usually PhDs. I have cousins who are relatively recent PhD grads in these fields, and I remember that for them there wasn't really a question of not getting a PhD. I know that they finished their BS degrees a few years back, but I'd be hard-pressed to imagine that the trends have shifted much having talked to them extensively when they were making decisions about what to do.

I can't speak for general trends in employers paying for MBA's etc (my engineering-heavy employer does not, AFAIK), but PhDs are typically funded at the university through teaching or research stipends. With engineering disciplines, there might not be funding for the first year since many students will opt for a terminal masters degree...but that will vary by department. I have an MS in engineering and a PhD in a different science. My engineering department funded first year students (and still does) only if they were planning to pursue a PhD or in a handful of cases as a recruiting tool. By contrast, science PhD programs fund students from the beginning, usually because there isn't much value in an MS degree.

The large household name company that paid for my master's in full 10 years ago still offers tuition reimbursement, but now imposes a cap on the annual amount, and I believe repayment conditions if you leave the company too soon after. So I imagine others may have cut back also.

I appreciate people speaking of their own experiences, but wondering about very recent grads-- are employers still paying for grad school? About a decade ago, it was common for employers to pay for MBA programs but that has really been declining... wondering if the same is true in engineering.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every engineer I know save one has gone to grad school.

+1. At least half the ones I know got masters right after bachelors.

The vast majority of engineers in my graduating class went to work. So many mechanical, civil, electrical, chemical, industrial, aerospace engineers, etc are drawn to engineering jobs that don't require grad school.

A handful, like me, went directly into grad school. Another chunk (but not majority) went to work first then got a grad degree in business, law, engineering management, or engineering later. That said, every single person I know with an undergrad in BME went to grad school/med school, often straight out of undergrad.