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Medical engineer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a medical engineer. Medical engineers usually study electrical engineering, biomedical engineering, or mechanical engineering. 53% of medical engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 185 real medical engineer resumes to see exactly what medical engineer education sections show.
The most common colleges for medical engineers are the University of Cincinnati and the University of Cincinnati.
There are also many online medical engineer courses to help get the education required to be a medical engineer.
What education do you need to become a medical engineer?
What degree do you need to be a medical engineer?
- Bachelor's, 53%
- Associate, 20%
- Master's, 14%
- High School Diploma, 5%
- Other Degrees, 8%
What should I major in to become a medical engineer?
- Business, 8%
- Other Majors, 38%
Most common colleges for medical engineers
| Medical engineer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Cincinnati | 12.00% |
| New England Institute of Technology | 8.00% |
| The University of Texas at Arlington | 8.00% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 8.00% |
| Central Washington University | 4.00% |
Best majors for medical engineers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electrical Engineering | 26.4% |
| 2 | Biomedical Engineering | 18.7% |
| 3 | Mechanical Engineering | 8.8% |
| 4 | Business | 7.7% |
| 5 | Engineering | 7.7% |
Best colleges for medical engineers
The best colleges for medical engineers are Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Johns Hopkins University.
A medical 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 medical 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 medical engineers.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
2. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
3. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,522
Enrollment
13,760
4. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
5. University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$53,391
Enrollment
8,568
6. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$13,226
Enrollment
31,568
7. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
8. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA • Private
In-state tuition
$17,653
Enrollment
16,405
9. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
10. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
20 best online courses for medical engineers
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8. ISO 13485 - IQOQPQ - Process Validation for Medical Devices
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9. Medical Device Regulation 2017/745 EU regulatory affairs.
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16. Medical Device Regulation (MDR): Intro for Device Designers
An introduction to the EU's Medical Device Regulation (MDR) for those involved in developing medical devices...
17. ISO 13485:2016 - Design and Development of Medical Devices
Design and Development of Medical Devices in the perspective of ISO 13485:2016 and Medical Devices Industry...
18. Internal audit on Medical Device QMS - ISO 13485:2016
Successfully conduct an internal audit based on requirements of ISO 13485:2016 for Medical Device Development and QMS...
19. Deep Learning with PyTorch for Medical Image Analysis
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20. Medical Terminology 101
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Top 10 most affordable universities for medical engineers
The most affordable schools for medical engineers are University of Florida, california state university - long beach, and city college of new york of the city university of new york, the.
If the best universities for medical 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 medical 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. 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
4. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
5. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
6. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
7. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
8. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Pomona, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,353
Cost of attendance
21,302
9. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
10. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for medical engineers
The hardest universities for medical engineers to get into are Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Johns Hopkins University.
Some great schools for medical 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 medical 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
3. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
5. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
6. University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN • Private
Admissions rate
18%
SAT average
1,502
7. California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,566
8. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,517
9. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
10. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for medical engineers
The easiest schools for medical engineers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, pennsylvania state university - dubois, and texas a&m; university - kingsville.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a medical 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 medical engineers.
1. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
2. Pennsylvania State University - DuBois
DuBois, PA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,079
3. Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,035
4. Old Dominion University
Norfolk, VA • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,093
5. Pennsylvania State University - Altoona
Altoona, PA • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,094
6. Cleveland State University
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,111
7. Capitol Technology University
Laurel, MD • Private
Admissions rate
69%
SAT average
1,070
8. Widener University
Chester, PA • Private
Admissions rate
69%
SAT average
1,115
9. Lamar University
Beaumont, TX • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,043
10. Washington State University
Pullman, WA • Private
Admissions rate
77%
SAT average
1,123
Average medical engineer salary by education level
| Medical engineer education level | Medical engineer salary |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | $88,170 |
Medical engineer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025