TL;DR Majors: Biological Engineering

Today we'll be talking about biological engineering (Bioengineering or BioE for short). Now, for many high school students, this may be a new major that they have heard little about. This article aims to inform and inspire you to do your research and consider pursuing this growing and thriving field of study.

What is Bioengineering?

"Bioengineering is a rapidly growing field at the intersection of engineering, biology, and medicine. Founded on the principle that training in all three will equip students and researchers with unique skills, bioengineering is positioned to make the world a healthier, more sustainable, and more equitable place."

Bioengineering is a discipline that applies engineering principles of design and analysis to biological systems and biomedical technologies. As a Bioengineering major, you will gather knowledge on a wide array of different fields like mathematics, biology, computer science, and electrical/mechanical engineering, depending on what type of work you plan on doing. The reason for this very diverse coursework is that bioengineering often branches out into many different fields and subfields. We'll get more into the specifics of what specific types of work bio-engineers do in the next section.

What types of jobs can I get with a Bio-Engineering Degree?

"Examples of bioengineering research include bacteria engineered to produce chemicals, new medical imaging technology, portable disease diagnostic devices, and tissue-engineered organs."

As we've previously mentioned, Bioengineering majors can look towards an extensive range of fields and applications. A lot of the work that Bioengineers are doing revolves around very recent scientific advances that have allowed for a deeper study into the fields of molecular and genomic biology. Potential Bio-Engineering majors should be excited because they are going into a rapidly advancing field to understand that the work they will be doing is impactful and possibly revolutionary. Other examples of work bioengineers do include using gene editing to create more nutritious crops, designing more energy-efficient wind farms, or assisting in the creation of new vaccines and medicines.

How do I know if Biological Engineering is right for me?

"Students in bioengineering are trained in fundamentals of both biology and engineering, which may include elements of electrical and mechanical engineering, computer science, materials science, chemistry, and biology."

If any of these fields are something you are interested in or passionate about, I would recommend you reach out and see if the colleges you are applying to have a Bioengineering program. But don't take my word on it; as always, we try and reach out to students majoring in these subjects at top schools around the nation to give you their first-hand experience. Take it away, Miles!