Educational Preparation

College/University Coursework
You don't need a biomedical or pharmaceutical engineering degree in order to get started in this industry. There are many opportunities available to graduates with degrees in other engineering disciplines like chemical, computer, electrical, or mechanical engineering. The majority of engineering programs - regardless of specialty - include core curriculums that will enable the recent graduate to work in any of the job functions discussed in previous sections. If, however, you want to start pursuing this specific path right away, consult with your academic advisors and consider coursework related to the field such as:

• Biomechanics
• Biomedicine for Engineers
• Chemistry for Engineers
• Clinical Development and Engineering
• Computational Methods in Biology
• Image Processing and Reconstruction Tomography
• Instrumentation in Biology and Medicine
• Introduction to Micro and Nanobiotechnology
• Orthopedic and Rehabilitative Engineering
• Pharmaceutical Facility Design and Maintenance
• Pharmaceutical Reaction Engineering
• Principles of Pharmacokinetics and Drug Delivery
• Process Engineering in the Pharmaceutical Industry
• Regulatory Science for Scientists, Engineers, and Managers
• Statistics
• Validation & Regulatory Affairs

Internships, Co-ops & Research Experiences
Work experience will always count in your favor, especially in an industry where networking is so central to your career development path. The Biomedical Engineering Alliance for Industrial Internships offers a centralized site where companies and research institutions post internships, co-ops, and jobs in biomedical engineering firms. Also listed there are university-based research opportunities.

Research experience at a university will also make you a stand-out candidate when it comes time to get a job. Aside from opportunities in the engineering departments, there are many valuable experiences awaiting engineers in biology and material science departments that will prepare you for a career in the healthcare industry. Even if your plan is to specialize in something like validation processing, working in a biochemistry lab or on cancer research studies will enhance your understanding of the types of facilities and work processes you will encounter and the sort of issues your work will address.