Biological Engineering Vs Electrical Engineering (Updated)

[Shuckle]

I am currently entering a 4 year university (University of Hawaii at Manoa) from a community college and have completed all of the GE (general education) requirements for UH and the engineering college requirements (Calc 1 - 4, Gen Chem 1 and 2, Phys 1 - 2 ... ect) I have yet to take the breadth classes for engineering. My current problem is choosing between the two. Also, I choose engineering as my undergrad knowing my ultimate goal is to get into medical school, because it sounds fun and I want to learn how things work and why they work.

Deciding factors​

Biological Engineering
PRO
Bio engineering curriculum overlaps with Pre - Med classes

• Organic chemistry 1 (class and lab)
• Biology 1 and 2 (class and lab)
• Cell and Molecular biology (class and lab)
• Physics (calculus based) 1 and 2 (class and lab)

CON

• General biology bores me compared to human biology
• Not part of the engineering school (Agriculture school)

Uncertainty factor:

• will it be fun?
• job outlook just in case i can't get into medical school.
• GPA

Electrical Engineering
PRO

• I really enjoyed the electrical and magnetism part of Physics
• Job out look seems fairly good
• Part of the Engineering school

CON

• All my Pre - med classes except physics and biology are extra classes I do not need
• Looking at an extra 2 semester of school
• (temporary condition) because i'm taking classes at community colleges the commute time between my house and the other community college is very time consuming.

Uncertainty factor:

• I've heard this is one of the hardest engineering majors out of the ones offered at Manoa (Mechanical, Civil, Computer). Keeping my GPA above 3.5 might be very difficult, that's not to say biological engineering is any easier.

UPDATE:

I achieved a degree in EE, applied to medical school in 2017, got rejected. Worked as a nuclear engineering for 2 years and decided that medicine is something that I still wanted to pursue. Applied in 2020 and received an acceptance to a DO school. Class of 2024!

UPDATE: 03/15/2024

Matched into radiology

AMA.

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[EngineerPreMD]

I am currently entering a 4 year university (University of Hawaii at Manoa) from a community college and have completed all of the GE (general education) requirements for UH and the engineering college requirements (Calc 1 - 4, Gen Chem 1 and 2, Phys 1 - 2 ... ect) I have yet to take the breadth classes for engineering. My current problem is choosing between the two. Also, I choose engineering as my undergrad knowing my ultimate goal is to get into medical school, because it sounds fun and I want to learn how things work and why they work.

Deciding factors​

Biological Engineering
PRO
Bio engineering curriculum overlaps with Pre - Med classes

• Organic chemistry 1 (class and lab)
• Biology 1 and 2 (class and lab)
• Cell and Molecular biology (class and lab)
• Physics (calculus based) 1 and 2 (class and lab)

CON

• General biology bores me compared to human biology
• Not part of the engineering school (Agriculture school)

Uncertainty factor:

• will it be fun?
• job outlook just in case i can't get into medical school.
• GPA

Electrical Engineering
PRO

• I really enjoyed the electrical and magnetism part of Physics
• Job out look seems fairly good
• Part of the Engineering school

CON

• All my Pre - med classes except physics and biology are extra classes I do not need
• Looking at an extra 2 semester of school
• (temporary condition) because i'm taking classes at community colleges the commute time between my house and the other community college is very time consuming.

Uncertainty factor:

• I've heard this is one of the hardest engineering majors out of the ones offered at Manoa (Mechanical, Civil, Computer). Keeping my GPA above 3.5 might be very difficult, that's not to say biological engineering is any easier.

What do you like? If you're a total math geek, EE is the way to go. If you're a huge chemistry/bio person, go BioE. Personally, I would do BioE just because of the 2 extra semesters. It doesn't seem like much now, but when you're ready to get out of there you'll drag through those last two semesters. Also, maybe figure out what you're interested in. I find that people are interested in topics due to the problem solving process, not the content. So people who like basic bio eventually like human bio once they're sufficiently exposed and vice-versa since the learning process is similar. Same with physics vs. EE vs. math, or history vs. literature.

Having done the engineering premed thing, I think it's kinda not worth it for most people. I did it because I'm much better at engineering classes than basic bio. I basically spent no time on classes because that was my thing, but other pre-med engineers really struggled with time and grades, while not getting much slack for it in admissions.

 

[Shuckle]

What do you like? If you're a total math geek, EE is the way to go. If you're a huge chemistry/bio person, go BioE. Personally, I would do BioE just because of the 2 extra semesters. It doesn't seem like much now, but when you're ready to get out of there you'll drag through those last two semesters. Also, maybe figure out what you're interested in. I find that people are interested in topics due to the problem solving process, not the content. So people who like basic bio eventually like human bio once they're sufficiently exposed and vice-versa since the learning process is similar. Same with physics vs. EE vs. math, or history vs. literature.

Having done the engineering premed thing, I think it's kinda not worth it for most people. I did it because I'm much better at engineering classes than basic bio. I basically spent no time on classes because that was my thing, but other pre-med engineers really struggled with time and grades, while not getting much slack for it in admissions.

Ahh I see thanks for the advice. But yes I am a math geek XD. I might be the fact that the professor did not make the bio class fun at all, I will find out more as i'm taking the second semester of Bio at another campus.

 

[sliceofbread136]

It depends on your goals.

Do you want some applicable skills when you leave college? Go electrical engineering

Do you want to go with the easier engineering degree but learn nothing that is really useful? Go with biomedical engineering

My suggestion: if you are interested in radiation oncology or radiology research in the future go with electrical engineering. If not, then do microbiology or spanish as your major

 

[amazing tekkers]

Go with EE

 

[Dr.Zoidberg]

Do you want some applicable skills when you leave college? Go electrical engineering

This is true.

Do you want to go with the easier engineering degree but learn nothing that is really useful? Go with biomedical engineering

This is not true.

Why on Earth would anyone think that BioE wouldn't give you anything useful? Also, why would it be easier? It varies at every school. My advice, go with the one you'll be more interested in. EE will be a ton of math. BioE will be a lot of math. Premed-wise, EE will give you a lot of directions with regard to devices and medical equipment if you want to take a gap year (or years), but BioE will give you a lot of opportunities in research, pharma, devices/equipment, and a lot more. I did BioE, but ended up taking a lot of programming/electronics courses since I liked the math. I ended up with a pretty sweet job at a biotech company that combines that stuff with my wet lab research interests and some cool business projects.

Your major should have absolutely nothing to do with your future choice of specialty. If you want to go to med school, go with the major that will help you to get there. That's usually the one you're most interested in, since you will work harder in those classes (and it won't seem like work). I loved my major and ended up doing well enough to be in a great position to apply for MD/PhD programs next year, meanwhile I doubt I would've cleared a even a 3.5 in a traditionally "easier" major like Spanish or English.

 

[EngineerPreMD]

Ahh I see thanks for the advice. But yes I am a math geek XD. I might be the fact that the professor did not make the bio class fun at all, I will find out more as i'm taking the second semester of Bio at another campus.

Well, EE is good for the math geek. Personally, I hated biology after I got my first B eek in high school in "Advanced Biology" (damn you Mr. Corretto!). Didn't take it again for 5 years. Ended up loving it in college, and now I'm applying to med school. Who would've thought? Give it another shot. Once you get past the straight memorization it gets a lot more fun. I'll admit I look down on it at times for being easy and kinda trivial (I mean, memorization is going the way of the tv antenna), but it's useful and there's a whole world out there of pretty badass scientists doing cool stuff with it.

 

[Earl Simmons]

Neither

 

[Afford]

If you want a job as a backup plan, EE will help you out much more. At my school, Biological engineering was by far the easier major to get a higher GPA in. I'm not for sure if it was because there were more pre-meds, so people cared about their grades more or the curves were nicer for biological engineering classes. I think at my school, professors understood that many of the biological engineers were pre-med, so they might have been more lenient than EE professors. I would ask your career center because they probably have exit survey information for the exiting GPA of people from each major.

 

[sliceofbread136]

This is true.

This is not true.

Why on Earth would anyone think that BioE wouldn't give you anything useful? Also, why would it be easier? It varies at every school. My advice, go with the one you'll be more interested in. EE will be a ton of math. BioE will be a lot of math. Premed-wise, EE will give you a lot of directions with regard to devices and medical equipment if you want to take a gap year (or years), but BioE will give you a lot of opportunities in research, pharma, devices/equipment, and a lot more. I did BioE, but ended up taking a lot of programming/electronics courses since I liked the math. I ended up with a pretty sweet job at a biotech company that combines that stuff with my wet lab research interests and some cool business projects.

Your major should have absolutely nothing to do with your future choice of specialty. If you want to go to med school, go with the major that will help you to get there. That's usually the one you're most interested in, since you will work harder in those classes (and it won't seem like work). I loved my major and ended up doing well enough to be in a great position to apply for MD/PhD programs next year, meanwhile I doubt I would've cleared a even a 3.5 in a traditionally "easier" major like Spanish or English.

BME is known far and wide as the easiest engineering major out there. That may not be true at every single school but it is at most.

BME is that kind of "jack of all trades" major, where they try and give you bits and pieces of chemical, electrical, and mechanical engineering with alot of bio thrown in. What you end up getting out of it (atleast from what I saw at my school) is a whole lot of nothing. Compared to all the other engineering majors out there you have almost 0 applicable skills. I tried to specialize in imaging and EE stuff, but my fellow electrical engineers blew me out of the water.

"Your major should have absolutely nothing to do with your future choice of specialty." I would've agreed with this back in premed, but in med school I've met many people who use what they learned in college to help them in the lab and in the clinic. I would 100% rather know very good spanish right now than the knowledge I gained from BME (which I've already forgotten due to not being useful at all)

 

[RedPhys]

EE all the way
Personally, I think Engineering Physics is better than EE, but between EE and BME, EE any day.

 

[Dr.Zoidberg]

BME is known far and wide as the easiest engineering major out there. That may not be true at every single school but it is at most.

BME is that kind of "jack of all trades" major, where they try and give you bits and pieces of chemical, electrical, and mechanical engineering with alot of bio thrown in. What you end up getting out of it (atleast from what I saw at my school) is a whole lot of nothing. Compared to all the other engineering majors out there you have almost 0 applicable skills. I tried to specialize in imaging and EE stuff, but my fellow electrical engineers blew me out of the water.

"Your major should have absolutely nothing to do with your future choice of specialty." I would've agreed with this back in premed, but in med school I've met many people who use what they learned in college to help them in the lab and in the clinic. I would 100% rather know very good spanish right now than the knowledge I gained from BME (which I've already forgotten due to not being useful at all)

Sounds like you just got a bad education. I can't compete with the MechE's on modeling or design, or with the ChemEs on process/manufacturing, but due to my education I've been able to really blow some EE's and even CompSci's out of the water since I focused there. I can tell you that in the biotech world, your willingness to crack open a book, technical manual, or even a research journal and read for detail is far more valuable than having a better background in the fundamentals of EE.

The knowledge itself is secondary to the process. A few years at a job will teach you the background and skills you need to do it well. It's the education that teaches you how to use those skills better than the people around you. As for OP, you're trying to get into med school. Choose accordingly.

 

[Shuckle]

Thanks for the input guys, I'll let you know my decision as the week goes on when classes start. I was also considering Mechanical engineering only because i heard that my school will start to offer a focus in aerospace engineering, but I'm not sure how long it will take to implement that.

 

[Blue Blood]

I am currently entering a 4 year university (University of Hawaii at Manoa) from a community college and have completed all of the GE (general education) requirements for UH and the engineering college requirements (Calc 1 - 4, Gen Chem 1 and 2, Phys 1 - 2 ... ect) I have yet to take the breadth classes for engineering. My current problem is choosing between the two. Also, I choose engineering as my undergrad knowing my ultimate goal is to get into medical school, because it sounds fun and I want to learn how things work and why they work.

Deciding factors​

Biological Engineering
PRO
Bio engineering curriculum overlaps with Pre - Med classes

• Organic chemistry 1 (class and lab)
• Biology 1 and 2 (class and lab)
• Cell and Molecular biology (class and lab)
• Physics (calculus based) 1 and 2 (class and lab)

CON

• General biology bores me compared to human biology
• Not part of the engineering school (Agriculture school)

Uncertainty factor:

• will it be fun?
• job outlook just in case i can't get into medical school.
• GPA

Electrical Engineering
PRO

• I really enjoyed the electrical and magnetism part of Physics
• Job out look seems fairly good
• Part of the Engineering school

CON

• All my Pre - med classes except physics and biology are extra classes I do not need
• Looking at an extra 2 semester of school
• (temporary condition) because i'm taking classes at community colleges the commute time between my house and the other community college is very time consuming.

Uncertainty factor:

• I've heard this is one of the hardest engineering majors out of the ones offered at Manoa (Mechanical, Civil, Computer). Keeping my GPA above 3.5 might be very difficult, that's not to say biological engineering is any easier.

Do what you enjoy. From your posts it seems EE will be a much more enjoyable major.

 

[Afford]

Thanks for the input guys, I'll let you know my decision as the week goes on when classes start. I was also considering Mechanical engineering only because i heard that my school will start to offer a focus in aerospace engineering, but I'm not sure how long it will take to implement that.

Good luck! It's a hard choice because engineering usually requires a lot of credits, so it's more difficult to change your major down the line and graduate on time.

 

[becomingdoctor]

CS with some experience with genomic data will beat both

 

[redpanda]

Do you want to go with the easier engineering degree but learn nothing that is really useful? Go with biomedical engineering

Everybody in my bioengineering class who is not in med school/residency now is currently employed in an engineering field. Odd for people with no skills from their degree.

Either is fun. EE probably has more widely varied job prospects for just a BS, but either will serve you fine to get an internship in the summer that pays decent money for an undergrad.

 

[Dr.Zoidberg]

CS with some experience with genomic data will beat both

Not sure whether this is fantastic advice or amazing advice. If you're thinking basic science research, this is as "hot" and "in-demand" as it gets, especially since the best CS grads are all being swept into the Google/Facebook/Yahoo!/Microsoft jobs.

 

[Flukes]

Computer science > EE >> BME

If you are good at CS/EE, get a job in California and don't even think about medical school.

 

[dechristine]

Computer science > EE >> BME

If you are good at CS/EE, get a job in California and don't even think about medical school.

Unless he wants to be a doctor...

As a physics major, I'm biased toward EE... If you like math, you should go for EE. EE will definitely be challenging, but I think you're more likely to do well in a major you like (because you're more willing to work for it) than one you don't.

 

[pkwraith]

BME is known far and wide as the easiest engineering major out there. That may not be true at every single school but it is at most.

Obviously, IE is not offered at your school.

I'll also note that the Biological Engineering (school of agriculture, general biology and not human) that OP is describing is not what most of us know as BME, so it's a BioE vs EE, and not a BME vs EE. .

 

[MajorBubblez]

BME. It's a bit easier than EE if you're not as mathematically gifted (which most people aren't, not a slight against OP personally) and it trains you to critically analyze problems involving medical situations or technologies.

 

[Shuckle]

Update in original post

 

[Whale2018]

my ultimate goal is to get into medical school because it sounds fun and I want to learn how things work and why they work.
Fun? If you go there you will be in charge of a person's life. Don't medicine Is not a game

 

[Shuckle]

my ultimate goal is to get into medical school because it sounds fun and I want to learn how things work and why they work.
Fun? If you go there you will be in charge of a person's life. Don't medicine Is not a game

its the game of life

 

[Shuckle]

Updated in original post

 

[pablo213]

Updated in original post

Props to you. EE is like black magic to me ngl.

 

[privatesugar]

Updated in original post

You're a king for updating a post that's 9 years old. Congratulations friend.