1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,832
Enrollment
4,550
What is a Biomedical Engineer?
A Biomedical Engineer's work varies from designing prosthetics and artificial organs to creating and developing technology used to monitor, diagnose, and heal patients, as well as monitoring and testing equipment, and software and offering training to the medical staff using it, and so on.
As a scientist who hopes to bridge the gap between and even fuse two complex branches of knowledge - medicine and engineering - biomedical engineering has various areas of study within it.
To work as such a Biomedical Engineer you will need to obtain at least a Bachelor's degree in Biomedical Engineering or a related field. Gaining certain certifications and going through accredited programs might be a wise investment for the future of your career.
What Does a Biomedical Engineer Do
Biomedical engineers combine engineering principles with medical and biological sciences to design and create equipment, devices, computer systems, and software used in healthcare.
How To Become a Biomedical Engineer
Biomedical engineers typically need a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering or bioengineering from an accredited program in order to enter the occupation. Alternatively, they can get a bachelor’s degree in a different field of engineering and then either choose biological science electives or get a graduate degree in biomedical engineering.
Biomedical Engineer Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of field service technician you might progress to a role such as engineer eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title project engineering manager.
Biomedical Engineer
Project Engineering Manager
7 Years
Engineering Director
13 Years
Manufacturing Engineering Manager
10 Years
Product Development Manager
7 Years
Senior Engineering Manager
12 Years
Director Of Manufacturing Operations
14 Years
Show More
Average Salary for a Biomedical Engineer
Biomedical Engineers in America make an average salary of $79,436 per year or $38 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $108,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $57,000 per year.
Average Biomedical Engineer Salary
$79,436Â Yearly$38.19 hourly
What Am I Worth?
Roles and Types of Biomedical Engineer
The role of a biomedical engineer includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general biomedical engineer responsibilities:
- A. Conducting an equipment management program that meets current jcaho
- Perform repairs, preventive maintenance and calibrations on general-use instrumentation. Perform acceptance testing on general-use instrumentation assist with modification of instrumentation, with supervision construct
- Enter/request purchase orders, check requests, travel reports
There are several types of biomedical engineer, including:
Engineer
Role:
Engineers design and develop new products in a variety of different industries. They might be mechanical or software engineers or create electric machinery, design chemical or geotechnical processes, or help to structure civil or management disciplines. Whatever the case may be, engineers are involved in creating the diverse technologies that facilitate the processes of our lives in different areas. Combining creative thinking with the principles of mathematics and science using a wide range of technical skills, engineers work on the design, manufacturing, installation, and maintenance of various products from machines, vehicles, buildings, and roads to software or social processes serving consumers, businesses, and societies.
Engineers are creative thinkers and brilliant problem solvers. They excel at mathematical, scientific, and mechanical analysis. They follow plans and blueprints with a strong focus, yet remain flexible and work well under pressure.
Engineers develop systems for solving various problems as members of a team. They know that a single component is worthless without their counterparts, so they have to be great communicators, as well, to be successful at their job.
Engineers are creative thinkers and brilliant problem solvers. They excel at mathematical, scientific, and mechanical analysis. They follow plans and blueprints with a strong focus, yet remain flexible and work well under pressure.
Engineers develop systems for solving various problems as members of a team. They know that a single component is worthless without their counterparts, so they have to be great communicators, as well, to be successful at their job.
- Average Salary: $92,077
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
Development Engineer
Role:
Design, creation, and testing of new products for companies are the responsibilities of Development Engineers. They work in every imaginable industry and develop substantially varying products. One developer can make mechanical toys while another can build medical devices in their career. Also known as product development engineers, they have experience in a field like mechanical engineering or biotech.
Development engineers can work in teams developing or hired to create devices or goods independently. Although much of the task is performed by them alone, they report whether a product has been developed or not to a team leader, project manager, or manager. At the same time, these professionals make around $90,340 per year.
Many employers prefer developmental engineers to have a bachelor's degree in engineering or a related discipline, such as biotechnology, for a pharmaceutical company. However, employers also accept applicants who have industry-related or RD-specific work history in place of education.
Development engineers can work in teams developing or hired to create devices or goods independently. Although much of the task is performed by them alone, they report whether a product has been developed or not to a team leader, project manager, or manager. At the same time, these professionals make around $90,340 per year.
Many employers prefer developmental engineers to have a bachelor's degree in engineering or a related discipline, such as biotechnology, for a pharmaceutical company. However, employers also accept applicants who have industry-related or RD-specific work history in place of education.
- Average Salary: $93,206
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
Biomedical Engineering Technician
Role:
Biomedical engineering technicians are in charge of keeping medical equipment functional. They work in hospitals, nursing homes, medical suppliers, or doctor's offices to repair equipment used and sold in these settings.
Individuals working in this position are expected to do maintenance work and calibrate medical equipment. They deal with broken electronic and hydraulic devices and keep documentation of these activities.
You generally need a degree in electronics or medical technology to be hired as a biomedical engineering technician. Candidates with proven professional experience in electronics or computer technology might get a job regardless of educational background if they're lucky. Alternatively, relevant military training can give you a pass to land a biomedical engineering technician position.
Individuals working in this position are expected to do maintenance work and calibrate medical equipment. They deal with broken electronic and hydraulic devices and keep documentation of these activities.
You generally need a degree in electronics or medical technology to be hired as a biomedical engineering technician. Candidates with proven professional experience in electronics or computer technology might get a job regardless of educational background if they're lucky. Alternatively, relevant military training can give you a pass to land a biomedical engineering technician position.
- Average Salary: $59,711
- Degree: Associate Degree
States With The Most Biomedical Engineer Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active biomedical engineer jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where biomedical engineers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Average Salary: Job Openings:
Number Of Biomedical Engineer Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 1,465 | $92,699 |
| 2 | Virginia | 576 | $77,131 |
| 3 | Texas | 573 | $71,222 |
| 4 | Florida | 474 | $69,857 |
| 5 | New York | 402 | $87,044 |
| 6 | Washington | 351 | $76,324 |
| 7 | Maryland | 327 | $90,666 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | 302 | $92,555 |
| 9 | Illinois | 288 | $73,278 |
| 10 | Colorado | 280 | $70,134 |
| 11 | Georgia | 220 | $78,149 |
| 12 | North Carolina | 218 | $79,683 |
| 13 | Arizona | 200 | $85,207 |
| 14 | Michigan | 198 | $78,302 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | 190 | $63,888 |
| 16 | Ohio | 179 | $73,996 |
| 17 | Oregon | 169 | $85,245 |
| 18 | New Jersey | 168 | $86,018 |
| 19 | Indiana | 137 | $90,398 |
| 20 | Minnesota | 134 | $86,343 |
| 21 | Alabama | 121 | $49,870 |
| 22 | Wisconsin | 101 | $76,705 |
| 23 | Utah | 96 | $66,206 |
| 24 | Missouri | 78 | $66,642 |
| 25 | Tennessee | 76 | $65,256 |
| 26 | South Carolina | 76 | $54,964 |
| 27 | Connecticut | 66 | $84,836 |
| 28 | Delaware | 63 | $72,904 |
| 29 | Nebraska | 57 | $52,475 |
| 30 | Arkansas | 49 | $71,999 |
| 31 | Louisiana | 49 | $72,169 |
| 32 | Iowa | 48 | $83,636 |
| 33 | Oklahoma | 46 | $66,454 |
| 34 | New Hampshire | 45 | $79,094 |
| 35 | Kentucky | 43 | $57,199 |
| 36 | Nevada | 39 | $78,723 |
| 37 | New Mexico | 30 | $77,924 |
| 38 | Idaho | 30 | $73,112 |
| 39 | Mississippi | 26 | $53,142 |
| 40 | Kansas | 25 | $82,586 |
| 41 | Rhode Island | 23 | $73,535 |
| 42 | West Virginia | 22 | $80,104 |
| 43 | Vermont | 21 | $89,303 |
| 44 | South Dakota | 19 | $56,183 |
| 45 | Hawaii | 19 | $50,311 |
| 46 | Montana | 18 | $58,689 |
| 47 | Alaska | 17 | $57,622 |
| 48 | Wyoming | 16 | $89,221 |
| 49 | Maine | 16 | $69,638 |
| 50 | North Dakota | 10 | $85,659 |
Top Colleges for Biomedical Engineers
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
3. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,381
Enrollment
34,564
4. University of California - San Diego
La Jolla, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$14,167
Enrollment
30,279
5. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
6. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,522
Enrollment
13,760
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
8. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-State Tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
9. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
10. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
In-State Tuition
$53,430
Enrollment
5,963
Top Skills For a Biomedical Engineer
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 11.0% of biomedical engineers listed patients on their resume, but soft skills such as analytical skills and communication skills are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Biomedical Engineer Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Biomedical Engineer templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Biomedical Engineer resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Biomedical Engineer Demographics
Biomedical Engineer Gender Distribution
Male
75%
Female
25%
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among biomedical engineers, 25.0% of them are women, while 75.0% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among biomedical engineers is White, which makes up 58.3% of all biomedical engineers.
- The most common foreign language among biomedical engineers is Spanish at 36.8%.
Online Courses For Biomedical Engineer That You May Like
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Visualisation is a rapidly progressive specialty in academia, research and industry, and becoming the future of science. With the advancement of digital technologies and their applications, biomedical visualisation is an evolving and popular field. With new techniques and technologies to image, process and analyse data related to the human body, and its biological processes, it is at the forefront of the digital revolution. Why not view our course trailer video. Copy and paste this link into...
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In this class, we present a broad overview of the field of medical software. You will learn from Yale professors and a series of industry experts who connect the course concepts to their real world applications. We begin by discussing medical device regulatory structures, data privacy and cybersecurity regulations, and key support technologies such quality management systems and risk management. We then take a detailed look at the medical software life cycle, starting with identifying user...
See More on Coursera3. Design and Interpretation of Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are experiments designed to evaluate new interventions to prevent or treat disease in humans. The interventions evaluated can be drugs, devices (e.g., hearing aid), surgeries, behavioral interventions (e.g., smoking cessation program), community health programs (e.g. cancer screening programs) or health delivery systems (e.g., special care units for hospital admissions). We consider clinical trials experiments because the investigators rather than the patients or their doctors...
See More on CourseraJob type you want
Full Time
Part Time
Internship
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Best States For a Biomedical Engineer
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a biomedical engineer. The best states for people in this position are California, Massachusetts, Maryland, and Indiana. Biomedical engineers make the most in California with an average salary of $92,699. Whereas in Massachusetts and Maryland, they would average $92,555 and $90,666, respectively. While biomedical engineers would only make an average of $90,398 in Indiana, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Massachusetts
Total Biomedical Engineer Jobs: 302
Highest 10% Earn:
$127,000
Location Quotient:
1.12
$92,555
Avg. Salary
2. Wyoming
Total Biomedical Engineer Jobs: 16
Highest 10% Earn:
$120,000
Location Quotient:
0.91
$89,221
Avg. Salary
3. Vermont
Total Biomedical Engineer Jobs: 21
Highest 10% Earn:
$121,000
Location Quotient:
0.93
$89,303
Avg. Salary
How Do Biomedical Engineer Rate Their Jobs?
5.0
Rewarding profession. • June 2019
5.0
Rewarding profession. • June 2019What do you like the most about working as Biomedical Engineer?
Inventing smart ways of mproving human lives. Show MoreWhat do you NOT like?
Low salary compared to other engineering fields. Show MoreTop Biomedical Engineer Employers
Most Common Employers For Biomedical Engineer
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Intuitive Surgical | $108,037 | $51.94 | 10 |
| 2 | Stryker | $100,088 | $48.12 | 13 |
| 3 | Abbott | $99,357 | $47.77 | 9 |
| 4 | General Electric | $95,029 | $45.69 | 24 |
| 5 | BD | $94,251 | $45.31 | 12 |
| 6 | Analog Devices | $92,895 | $44.66 | 8 |
| 7 | TeraRecon | $87,206 | $41.93 | 17 |
| 8 | Medtronic | $86,058 | $41.37 | 96 |
| 9 | Hillrom | $85,479 | $41.10 | 8 |
| 10 | U.S. Food and Drug Administration | $82,765 | $39.79 | 10 |
Biomedical Engineer Videos
A Day in the Life - Biomedical Engineer
Becoming a Biomedical Engineer FAQs
Do Biomedical Engineers Go To Med School?
No, biomedical engineers do not go to med school. While med school is not a requirement to enter this career path, there are significant educational requirements.
A biomedical engineer needs to earn at least a bachelor's degree in biology, biochemistry, biomedical engineering, or some other similar field. Some biomedical engineers may choose to go to med school or get a master's degree in biomedical engineering, but this is not required to work in the field.
How Many Years Does It Take To Become A Biomedical Engineer?
It typically takes four years of education and two years of work experience to become a biomedical engineer. This usually covers the time it takes to earn a bachelor's and either gain a master's degree or work experience in the field.
Is Biomedical Engineering A Good Career?
Yes, biomedical engineering is a good career. Like most roles in healthcare, choosing to become a biomedical engineer is a good career decision. This position is in high demand and comes with very comfortable salaries.
Is It Hard To Be A Biomedical Engineer?
No, it is not hard to be a biomedical engineer. At least, no harder than any other kind of engineer. While this field, in general, is hard to get into, for people who have an aptitude for engineering, it is challenging but rewarding.
Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering questions.