Katia
Is it possible to do research as an undergrad with a major in biomedical engineering?
I'm still in high school, but I'm planning to pursue a career in the field of biomedical research. I was told that I would need to major in biomedical engineering to do so, but that I wouldn't be allowed to do any research. Is this true? And if so, what would be some majors in which I can do biomedical research as an undergrad? #college #science #college-major #biology #research #biomedical-engineering #undergraduate #medical-research
3 answers
Nick Cobane
Nick’s Answer
Universities frequently have undergraduate research programs that can help you get lab experience early on (e.g. https://lsa.umich.edu/urop/students.html). You'll generally be doing very rote grunt work early on but as you gain more experience you can take on larger projects. The existence of such a program and the overall research reputation of the university should factor into your decision on where to go for college.
Also, I would argue that you do not necessarily need a degree in biomedical engineering to do biomedical research. An undergraduate degree in chemical engineering, biology, mechanical engineering, or electrical engineering could also set you up for appropriate research, depending on what exactly you wanted to work on. In any case, if you're serious about research as a career, you'll likely need to continue on to get your PhD.
Thank you so much for your answer! That definitely cleared things up for me. I am actually considering getting a PhD, but thankfully I still have time to think about that.
Katia
Ann Gianoglio Burk, MBA
Ann’s Answer
Hi Katia,
Nick is spot on here. You can absolutely do research in your undergraduate. I would hone your search for a university to schools that are research schools and not Liberal Arts schools. For example, Penn State University requires a certain amount of research to be integrated into their curriculum at the undergraduate level and even have contests for undergraduate students to get published for their research studies.
Ann recommends the following next steps:
Ian Sarad
Ian’s Answer
Katia,
Doing undergraduate research is a great way to learn more about the field, and building relationships with professors can lead to job opportunities and make it easier to get into grad school. As mentioned above, the early lab work is more labor intensive and less research based. Expect to wash a lot of dishes and sweep a lot of floors.
Just remember that everyone starts at the bottom and has to show that they are willing to put in the work if they want to advance. Most of the real research happens in grad school anyway.
Thank you for your answer!
Katia