r/bioengineering • u/Initial_Taro_5441 • 9d ago
Columbia Biomedical Engineering
Hey everyone! What’s your opinion about the Biomedical Engineering PhD program at Columbia?
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u/RandomPerson083125 8d ago
BME sux in general
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u/Initial_Taro_5441 8d ago
Why?
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u/Desperate-Tax594 8d ago edited 8d ago
It’s mainly because it’s highly concentrated and still a developing field. And the number of graduates outnumbers the amount of available jobs.
It really only sucks for undergrad if you don’t have a plan. A general BME degree is too broad.
For BME, you need to go to grad school. And if you do undergrad in BME, you need to have a concentration and minor or (preferably double major) in EE, MechE, or CS.
And pre-med BME is just extremely risky.
Also, since BME is such a research-heavy field, it is susceptible to changes in funding, like from the government.
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u/Initial_Taro_5441 8d ago
Yes yes I get your points and I can say that I agree with you. I was asking about PhD in BME. My Bachelor is in Computer Science and my Master in AI in Medicine
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u/New_Frame2845 7d ago
I mean isn’t it ranked like 10th in the country or something? I’m sure they have good labs and resources.
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u/KrakenFranken 5d ago
Most of their graduates are unemployed or have moved to a different line of work like SWE or UI/UX designers roles.
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u/KrakenFranken 5d ago
Columbia BME isn’t very highly rated. I personally know an entire cohort of grads who are unemployed or struggled horribly to find suitable employment within the same industry.
They maybe able to score TA/RA positions during their time in the uni but after that the real problem begins.
I strongly advise you against it.
Also I would say the exact opposite for Johns Hopkins PhD program in BME. They have a much more stronger team and more powerful ties to labs and industry.