Biomedical Engineering Careers
Students who graduate from the Biomedical Engineering program have a wide variety of career choices. Typically, about 60% of biomedical engineering students go on to either graduate school or enter a professional degree program like Medicine, Law, or Business. The remaining students take positions in industry. The BME program at UC prepares students to work for medical device companies, automotive companies in the area of injury prevention, or for biomedical research laboratories. The program has a solid foundation in the core mechanical engineering sciences so that the student can also pursue employment in more traditional engineering companies.
Students frequently find co-op positions with companies that design and manufacture medical devices, and in research laboratories within the Colleges of Engineering and Medicine and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Some of the medical device companies that hire our students co-op with include:
- Atricure, located in West Chester, Ohio, makes surgical instruments to treat cardiac disorders
- Ethicon, located in Blue Ash, Ohio, is a division of Johnson & Johnson that designs and manufactures medical instruments for minimally invasive surgery.
- Biomet, located in Warsaw, Indiana, designs and manufactures total joint replacements and other orthopaedic implants. The President and co-founder of Biomet is a College of Engineering alumnus.
- Depuy, located in Warsaw, Indiana, designs and manufactures total joint replacements and other orthopaedic implants.
- Nike, located in Seattle, Washington, designs and manufactures footwear.
- Zimmer, located in Warsaw, Indiana, designs and manufactures total joint replacements and other orthopaedic implants.
Job Outlook
Biomedical engineers are expected to have employment growth that is much faster than the average for all occupations through 2014. The aging of the population and the focus on health issues will drive demand for better medical devices and equipment designed by biomedical engineers. Along with the demand for more sophisticated medical equipment and procedures, an increased concern for cost- effectiveness will boost demand for biomedical engineers, particularly in pharmaceutical manufacturing and related industries. However, because of the growing interest in this field, the number of degrees granted in biomedical engineering has increased greatly. Biomedical engineers, particularly those with only a bachelor’s degree, may face competition for jobs. Unlike the case for many other engineering specialties, a graduate degree is recommended or required for many entry-level jobs.
Earnings
According to a 2005 salary survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, bachelor's degree candidates in biomedical engineering received starting offers averaging $48,503 a year and master's degree candidates were offered $59,667.
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