Biomedical engineer education requirements

Q: What degree do you need to be a biomedical engineer?

You need a bachelor's degree in a related field, such as bioengineering or biomedical engineering, to be a biomedical engineer. Some biomedical engineers hold engineering degrees such as electrical or mechanical engineering. These majors help biomedical engineers looking to work heavily in engineering.

Q: What job can you get with a biomedical engineering degree?

You can get many jobs with a biomedical engineering degree, such as a biostatistician, a biomedical engineering professor, and a biomedical engineer. Typically, these all require special qualifications, but a degree in biomedical engineering can be extremely beneficial to all of these career paths.

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a biomedical engineer. Biomedical engineers usually study biomedical engineering, electrical engineering, or mechanical engineering. 65% of biomedical engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,527 real biomedical engineer resumes to see exactly what biomedical engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for biomedical engineers are the DeVry University and the DeVry University.

There are also many online biomedical engineer courses to help get the education required to be a biomedical engineer.

What education do you need to become a biomedical engineer?

What degree do you need to be a biomedical engineer?

The most common degree for biomedical engineers is bachelor's degree, with 65% of biomedical engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 16% and master's degree degree at 12%.

Bachelor's, 65%

Master's, 16%

Associate, 12%

Doctorate, 3%

Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a biomedical engineer?

You should major in biomedical engineering to become a biomedical engineer. 54% of biomedical engineers major in biomedical engineering. Other common majors for a biomedical engineer include electrical engineering and mechanical engineering.

Biomedical Engineering, 54%

Electrical Engineering, 14%

Mechanical Engineering, 5%

Engineering, 5%

Other Majors, 22%

Most common colleges for biomedical engineers

Biomedical engineers often get their degrees at DeVry University, University of Connecticut, and New Jersey Institute of Technology. Here are the most common colleges for biomedical engineers in the US based on their resumes.

Biomedical engineer common college	Percentages
DeVry University	9.59%
University of Connecticut	7.76%
New Jersey Institute of Technology	7.31%
Worcester Polytechnic Institute	6.85%
George Washington University, The	5.94%

Show more common biomedical engineer colleges

Best majors for biomedical engineers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Biomedical Engineering	54.0%
2	Electrical Engineering	14.5%
3	Mechanical Engineering	5.0%
4	Engineering	4.9%
5	Electrical Engineering Technology	4.0%

Show more common biomedical engineer majors

Best colleges for biomedical engineers

The best colleges for biomedical engineers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.

A biomedical engineer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for biomedical engineers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become biomedical engineers.

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

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

20 best online courses for biomedical engineers

Advertising disclosure

1. Introduction to Medical Software

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...

2. Introduction to Medical Imaging

4.5

(827)

Your guide to the history, science, math, and economics of medical imaging systems (e.g., X-ray, CT, MRI, Ultrasound)...

3. Medical Device Process Validation. ISO 13485. IQ OQ PQ.

4.4

(900)

Validate a process to gain approval to sell medical devices in the EU, U.S. & Internationally. Compliance to ISO 13485...

4. ISO 13485 Demystified - Medical Devices' QMS 360° Insights

(648)

Deep dive into the world of ISO 13485 international standard for medical devices' QMS, basic concepts & requirements...

5. Practical Regulatory Affairs 2020 - US FDA Medical Devices

4.4

(726)

A practical course discussing the US FDA Medical Device regulations for real-world situations...

6. Internal audit on Medical Device QMS - ISO 13485:2016

4.3

(578)

Successfully conduct an internal audit based on requirements of ISO 13485:2016 for Medical Device Development and QMS...

7. ISO 13485 - IQOQPQ - Process Validation for Medical Devices

4.1

(389)

Installation Qualification (IQ), Operational Qualification (OQ) & Performance Qualification (PQ) Medical Devices...

8. ISO 13485:2016 - Design and Development of Medical Devices

4.2

(408)

Design and Development of Medical Devices in the perspective of ISO 13485:2016 and Medical Devices Industry...

9. Medical Devices Quality Management System - ISO 13485:2016

4.2

(631)

Awareness and Application for the requirements of ISO 13485:2016 for Medical Device Development and QMS...

10. Medical Device Regulation 2017/745 EU regulatory affairs.

4.3

(764)

Understand regulations for medical devices in simple terms to gain market approval of a medical device in the EU...

11. EU Medical Device Regulatory Affairs explained Simply

4.3

(391)

How to get approval to sell Medical Devices within the European Union. Understand regulatory affairs & ISO 13485 2016...

12. Desktop IT Support Level 1 & 2 in real life (Troubleshooting

4.2

(1,443)

Learn everything in real life Troubleshooting for IT Help Desk , Helpdesk , IT Support , System Administration and IT...

13. The Simplest Guide to Clinical Trials Data Analysis with SAS

4.4

(1,044)

Step into the world of Pharmaceutical industry Clinical Trials Clinical Research Biostatistics Clinical SAS SAS...

14. Electric Circuits for Electrical Engineering and Electronics

4.5

(593)

Start your career in electrical & electronics engineering by learning everything about electric circuits and electronics...

15. Deep Learning with PyTorch for Medical Image Analysis

4.6

(837)

Learn how to use Pytorch-Lightning to solve real world medical imaging tasks!...

16. Electrical Power Equipment

4.6

(939)

Learn how electrical equipments operate and how they fit together into a network...

17. Medical Terminology

4.7

(3,688)

Introduction to the meaning of various roots, terms and combining forms that are components of medical words...

18. Electrical Power Engineering Principles

4.7

(1,112)

Learn all the basic theories and principles of electrical engineering...

19. Reliability and Maintenance Engineering - FMEA

(533)

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis - A mechanical engineering approach to risk management of plant and machinery...

20. Electricity for Electronics, Electrical Engineering A-Z 2023

4.5

(273)

Fundamentals of Electricity & Electric Circuits for Electronics - Circuit Design - Electrical Engineering...

Top 10 most affordable universities for biomedical engineers

The most affordable schools for biomedical engineers are University of Florida, california state university - long beach, and florida state university.

If the best universities for biomedical engineers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for biomedical engineers.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

4. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,140

Cost of attendance

14,430

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

8. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

10. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,353

Cost of attendance

21,302

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for biomedical engineers

The hardest universities for biomedical engineers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for biomedical engineers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for biomedical engineers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,517

5. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

6. California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,566

7. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

8. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

9. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,545

10. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for biomedical engineers

The easiest schools for biomedical engineers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, cleveland state university, and capitol technology university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a biomedical engineer without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for biomedical engineers.

1. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

2. Cleveland State University

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,111

3. Capitol Technology University

Laurel, MD • Private

Admissions rate

69%

SAT average

1,070

4. Purdue University Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, IN • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,080

5. Washington State University

Pullman, WA • Private

Admissions rate

77%

SAT average

1,123

6. Pennsylvania State University - Altoona

Altoona, PA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,094

7. Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,093

8. Widener University

Chester, PA • Private

Admissions rate

69%

SAT average

1,115

9. Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

1,086

10. Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis

Indianapolis, IN • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

1,111

Average biomedical engineer salary by education level

Biomedical engineer education level	Biomedical engineer salary
Bachelor's Degree	$75,477

Biomedical engineer education FAQs

What degree do you need to be a biomedical engineer?

What job can you get with a biomedical engineering degree?

What is the best college for Biomedical Engineers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering questions.

Search for biomedical engineer jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse architecture and engineering jobs