RMGsmom

My son is waffling between chemical engineering and food/ag/bio engineering. He wants an employable degree after 4 years and the option of pursuing med school afterwards. The FAB Dept has a pre-med/pre-vet option which seems attractive. However, if down the road, he doesn't pursue med school, what would a biological engineer do? I don't think he is interested in the food or agriculture part of the degree, and he does not want to work in a rural location.

Forever LSU

Tell him to go chemical. Biological Engineers basically just do research developing biological products. The bio field has only really been breaking ground for the past 50 years or so. There is not in much of jobs, now that all depends on your location. Now, if he wanted to do biomedical engineering that would be a great choice. Chemical would give him the most versatility in the job market. Depending on the school, he might have to take his second bio lecture and lab as electives. Most schools only require chemE's to take one class of biology. He would satisfy all of his chemical and physics electives for med school though. I know a few people who pursued the chemical engineering option and are now attending med school. Word to the wise. Chemical Engineering will have a heavier course load than pure chemistry or biology. He will have to work harder than every other major to stay competitive. He better keep it above a 3.5. It will be hard to justify a lower GPA just because he majored in engineering. Another note, engineering should never be pursued as a back up plan or a stepping stone. In other words, you should be an engineer because that is what you like to do. Medical school should be the back up option. If he doesn't love what he is doing, he will have a hard time cranking out engineering physics problem sets and statics problems. He just better know what he is getting himself into. He better love physics, chemistry, biology, and differential equations. Because that is all you do.