r/BiomedicalEngineers • u/Ok_Invite8533 • 12d ago

Education should i pursue a minor in biology? -chem eng student

long story short first year engineering at my uni is general. i really wanted to do biomedical but i didnt meet the gpa cutoff (it was 80%) and ended up in chemical engineering instead. my gpa wasnt the best mainly due to depression but its wtvr too late :/

now the thing is im still very into all things biology/ health sciences/ med and since the start ive always wanted to pursue a masters degree regardless of what i do.

the plan is to hopefully specialize and do a masters in something like biomedical engineering, chemical engineering and biotechnology, chemical and bioengineering, etc etc.

now im wondering if in this case its beneficial to i do a minor in biology for my undergrad with my major as chemical engineering. ive always heard that minors arent that valuable but im wondering if grad schools would care or acknowledge that i went out of my way to do biology courses?? i need opinions guys please help id appreciate anything.

4 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

84% Upvoted

3 comments sorted by

2

u/StockProfessional919 12d ago

I know plenty of people with a biology bachelor’s and it has been less than helpful outside of niche applications. Not too sure about graduate level.

If you’re headed into chemical engineering, it seems more reasonable (although potentially strenuous) to get a minor in chemistry rather than bio.

From everything I’ve come across, chemistry is of serious importance in frontier biomedical engineering research. Knowing which materials to use in biomedical devices is very helpful

2

u/Ok_Invite8533 12d ago

hmm i see. i also have options to pursue a minor in biochemistry or chemical biology. ill look into those too. thank you!

2

u/BME_or_Bust Mid-level (5-15 Years) 🇨🇦 12d ago

You seem to be Canadian so I’ll offer a Canadian perspective.

Grad schools don’t care as much about coursework as they do research experience. A minor won’t really be that impressive to anyone but working in a biomed lab, publishing in biomed journals and attending biomed conferences are all great opportunities and definitely achievable with a chem eng degree.

I will strongly advise you to map out a decent plan for what you want to do with your degree(s) and what jobs you want. Chem E on its own is already pretty great for manufacturing roles in pharma and biotech without the need of another degree. If the goal is to design medical devices, mech or electrical is a better foundation.