Biomedical Engineering VS Biomedical Science: Which Degree Is Yours?
You love science and have set your heart on a career in medicine. After a long time of weighing up your degree options you’ve narrowed down your choice to biomedical engineering and biomedical science. Great, so now all you need to do is decide whether a biomedical engineering degree or a biomedical science degree is the ideal course for you.
It is vital that you get this decision right, because if you end up on the wrong course you will not only waste years of your life studying something that you are not really interested in, but it will also cost you a lot of money to do so. To help you decide the right degree for you, there are some important aspects you need to take into consideration.
Choosing your degree
While a biomedical engineering degree and a degree in biomedical science can seem similar on the surface the actual skills and knowledge you will gain on these courses will be very different. You need to decide if your personality and educational strengths lie in the more technical biomedical engineering course or whether they are suited to the biology orientated biomedical science course. It is vital that you analyze your strengths thoroughly, even getting a second opinion from someone who knows you well, in order to have a good idea about which course you are more suited to. Keep in mind that it is not just about which course you are suited to, but also which degree is suitable for your own goals and aspirations.
Career path
Deciding on what sort of career you want at the end of your degree will be an important factor in determining whether you should choose to study for a biomedical engineering degree or a biomedical science one. If you want a career that is more engineering and design-based then opt for a biomedical engineering course, whereas if you think you would rather have a more research-based medical career then biomedical science is the degree for you. Also, even though you are only considering your degree options now, you should also think further ahead and consider which degree will get you on a post-graduate fellowship program or, if you are already considering on going on for a further degree, which one will be the best at providing the qualification for this.
Which college?
Another important thing to take into consideration is the college you want to study at. If you have your heart set on a certain college then you need to see which degree course they teach and use this as a method of narrowing down your choice. Alternatively, you should also have a look at the break down of the course, what is taught and how, as if it is more theoretical and you know you are better at practical work then this should have some influence on your final decision.
Your application
Remember to keep in mind the differences between these degree courses when writing your application for your chosen college. If you are writing a biomedical science personal statement, for example, you should ensure that you emphasize your biology grades and your interest in research and medicine; whereas if you are writing a biomedical engineering personal statement, you should instead highlight your interest in engineering and technical design.
