JHU BME vs Georgia Tech Electrical

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Major/division admitted to at each college, if applicable to the college. Also, any special programs like honors programs or combined degree programs (e.g. BA/BS->MD).

I was admitted to the BME program at Johns Hopkins but am planning on double-majoring in BME (with devices focus area) + Electrical Engineering if I do go, since BME as an undergraduate degree is quite broad and I want a more in-depth understanding of medical devices/robotics. At Georgia Tech, I’ll be majoring in Electrical Engineering, probably with the focus area of bioengineering but open to others.

Desired major and post graduation goals (including if pre-med, pre-law, etc.).

NOT pre-med. I want to go more into the tech side of things, like medical wearables, humanoid robots, implantable chips, etc. At GT, I may even switch out of BME entirely and learn more about software/AI. The flexibility is pushing me towards choosing GT for now, because I’d feel terrible switching out of JHU BME.

International or domestic student (and state of residency if domestic).

International, but I have family in Atlanta (30mins away from GT campus) and New Jersey (about 2-3hr away from JHU campus). We are very comfortable with both families, and both would definitely help in the case of an emergency – even if we ask them not to!

Student preferences beyond the above (including weather, class sizes, campus culture, college demographics, fraternities/sororities, distance from home, etc.).

I’m interested in tech-based companies (not pharmaceuticals, more like robotics or hardware/software) and startup opportunities but debating whether it’s better to:

  1. Be at GT with more opportunities but also more competition due to a bigger class, or
  2. Be at JHU where the startup culture is slightly lacking (? I think) but I could potentially be able to standout more compared to the majority of other BMEs that are pre-med.

I prefer warmer cities and having many outdoor activities to do (running, hiking, love the beach!) but these aren’t very important factors to me. Also, I’m a bit picky with food so looking for good campus food along with nearby restaurants (walkable distance).

Preliminary assessment of each college based on the above.
Learning towards GT because JHU is contingent on me double majoring and I’m more ‘engineering’ rather than the ‘biomedical,’ but feel bad losing the potential name value of JHU BME and easy access to clinical testing at the hospital (though I’m aware it could be done at GT through their Emory partnership, perhaps with less resources than at JHU).

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Why is JHU contingent on a double major? I see what you wrote above but is there some scholarship that requires it?

Atlanta is obviously warmer.

Both will have outdoor activities. Obviously Baltimore is on the water but not exactly beach water and it’s not the ocean- but there are beaches. Not so for Atlanta - four hours east but the best is the gulf coast, five hours south. For ocean beaches, it’s about 2.5 hours from Baltimore I believe.

Any cost issues? Presumably Ga Tech is 1/2 the price if full pay?

Don’t know the area around JHU for food but lots of good eats in Atlanta. And less than two miles from Atlanta is an entire urban pedestrian mall - Salata is there and it’s wonderful. There’s other stuff closer to Tech.

Have you looked at career outcomes - which as an international may not pertain to you but you might find relevance.:

JHU for Biomedical 24/25 shows 115 grads, of which 98 reported so they have most. 44% working, 43% still in school, 2% still looking.

For EE, it’s a 75% knowledge rate (15 of 20) - so not many grads. 33% working, 53% continuing education, 7% can’t find.

JHU is saying for salaries - $97K and average of $102K. But they note (just saw this) - salaries are for all engineering. Not major specific. Biomedical is traditionally lower.

Ga Tech stats are for 2024/25. They don’t provide a knowledge rate (what % are responding) so no way to know.

Biomedical - 61% of people who want jobs have jobs. So that tells me 39% don’t. The show a median income of $80K. That’s 64 respondents (no idea how many total grads to determine a knowledge rate..

I put the image defining placement rate below.

For EE, it’s 31 grads and 77.4% of those who want a job have one. Median is $91.5K.

Best of luck in whatever you decide - ps, have you visited both?

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Our Student Outcomes – Imagine | Johns Hopkins University

Georgia Tech Career Survey Report: AY 2024-2025 | Office of Academic Effectiveness

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In saying JHU is contingent on double major, I meant I have the impression that BME in itself doesn’t provide enough in-depth study to work in the industry. This is why I had applied EE to GT, because it sort of allows me to apply my skills from EE into the field of BME. Conversely, I applied BME to JHU just because it is one of the best fields at the university and opens more doors than any other major, but still want the industry knowledge/skills that the double major with EE can help provide.

JHU is a little under 2x the cost of GT since I am full pay for both. While this isn’t an important factor for my parents, I do think the ROI at GT is a huge plus.

Thank you for sharing the stats. I looked at the Student Outcomes for JHU, and it’s a bit concerning that 43.9% of BME majors seem to be doing research - that’s not exactly what I’m interesting in pursuing. And throughout 2020-2025, only 10 in entrepreneurship. Also, JHU median salary just for Bachelor’s is $75k whereas you said for GT electrical, median is $91.5k. Doesn’t make for a great comparison, though, because like you mentioned JHU is not major-specific and BME is generally lower anyways.

Also, I looked at some of the student organisations and projects at both universities.

  1. JHU: I found mainly the Applied Physics Lab and Technology Ventures. Most of them don’t interest me, and some may not accept international students due to their association with US Defence. But, collab with Amazon for AI is quite cool and they do list them as a top employer as well. + Funding seems very generous because I think they’re really trying to push the startup culture and are private.

  2. GT: I found tons of projects that align with my passions (Agile Locomotion & Manipulation, AI Makerspace Nexus, Robotic Human Augmentation, Smart and Connected Bioelectronics), but they’re presumably more difficult to get into as well. Many more tech-oriented companies in Atlanta than Baltimore but ultimately I guess it depends on how much effort you put in - though I’m guessing it’s significantly easier in Atlanta to get into big tech.

I haven’t visited JHU. I liked the GT campus, tons of good food options. But from my research (watching YouTube tour videos), JHU campus seems beautiful too. And I like the proximity to water even if it isn’t really beachy. - Again, not concerned about this too much.

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I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed, but doesn’t mean that over half aren’t?

Where do you see JHU is $75K for a Bachelors? That’s all majors. You have to select an engineering major and they don’t break out. There is no question outcome wise JHU, based on data shown, is superior. Now, they might place in different kind of jobs - like consulting, etc. And double the cost - does factor in an ROI.

It’s fine to pick Ga Tech - but make sure you are looking at the right JHU data. JHU gives you a knowledge rate whereas Ga Tech doesn’t but you know JHU data is likely accurate where with Ga Tech it’s too hard to know.

I hope you visit and can make the right decision for you. There’s no wrong decision I’d say.

Good luck.

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Yeah for sure - some others are in healthcare, consulting, etc. But I definitely do see some engineers and entrepreneurs. I guess the relatively smaller community has its own benefits.

Response rate for GT is 34.92% (it’s in the summary table), very less compared to JHU. So I’ll take the data with a grain of salt. Undoubtedly, JHU data is more representative of their class.

I see $75K for Bachelors if I select only “Bachelors” in the degree level filter.

Thank you so much for your help!

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Others may disagree but to me if you’re not reporting, you’re not doing as well on average - and their not finding a job rate (at Ga Tech) is very high. But that’s a school reporting rate - not a major reporting rate you’re seeing.

People say but US News ranks it so high. And I’m not denigrating Ga Tech - it has tons of kids like you and resources galore. But US News ranking is a popularity contest amongst academics. There’s no data involved - no admission, no placement, etc. so I think people relying on US News are….well, relying on garbage as far as rating a program. Just my opinion.

I’m a fan of career data. Many aren’t…but I am.

How Programs Are Assessed and Ranked

In spring and summer of 2025, deans and senior faculty rated the academic quality of peer programs they were familiar with on a 5-point scale: outstanding (5), strong (4), good (3), adequate (2) or marginal (1). Individuals who were unfamiliar with a particular program were asked to select “don’t know.”

Each qualifying school or program was sent two peer assessment surveys.

An average peer assessment score was calculated for each program using a trimmed mean, which removes the two highest and two lowest scores to reduce the impact of outliers. Programs with at least 10 ratings after trimming were then ranked in descending order based on this score.

Programs with an average score below 2.0 (1.5 for computer science) are grouped alphabetically in a ranking range rather than receiving a specific numerical rank.

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I’ll be blunt. I don’t think your assessment of how engineering majors relate to engineering careers is really accurate. Particularly in the areas you are talking about, the name of your major won’t necessarily matter as compared to what classes you actually take, what you do for internships, and then possibly what you do for a grad degree.

This is good news, though, because I think it frees you to do what you seem to want to do, which is choose Georgia Tech. The “name value of JHU BME” as compared to the “name value” of a GT engineering degree, at the undergrad level, isn’t actually something you need to worry about, including because that comparison probably doesn’t actually favor Hopkins anyway. And then “easy access” to relevant internships and such is also not something that actually favors Hopkins.

So you can pick Georgia Tech with confidence you are not actually giving up anything of note that would be relevant to your aspirations. Hopkins would be fine too, but you want Georgia Tech, so go for it.

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There are a ton of opportunities to work in the field of assistive technology at Georgia Tech. Congratulations, sign on the dotted line and welcome to Atlanta!

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I also vote for Georgia Tech

Congratulations!

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That’s very fair. Thank you for being honest, and I completely agree that what I do will matter much more than where I am.

Just worried about giving up the resources available at JHU particularly within the field of medicine, and perhaps better connections with professors/peers thanks to the smaller community.

Thanks for the response.

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I understand the nature of the concern, but I think you will find that successful Georgia Tech engineering students have no problems finding many opportunities for internships in your current target industries–or others. Note that while plenty is going on in Atlanta, you are by no means limited to doing internships there. Georgia Tech engineers intern and ultimately work all over the country, and indeed world.

You also mentioned possibly being more flexible with your path at Georgia Tech, and I think this is really very important. As you get started, do internships, and so on, you may find your interests evolving. It is really hard to predict in advance exactly what you will want to do, and I think putting yourself in a position to let that process unfold as freely as possible is a very good idea.

The community side of things is always hard to predict in advance, but I am pretty confident if you make a point of it, you will find your friend groups, connect with professors, and so on at either place. And it sounds to me like the overall setting at Georgia Tech would be more to your liking, and while you said that wasn’t a top priority, that kind of thing can actually feed into how you are doing socially.

In the end it is not like there is a bad choice here. I just see it as pretty clear that based on what you have said, your pros for Hopkins are too dependent on you following a very specific path, whereas your pros for Georgia Tech leave you open to a great overall experience that allows you to really go wherever your evolving interests would lead.

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Gentle reminder OP is international, so is going to have relatively tougher time getting internships in the US. Nor can OP count on staying in the US beyond OPT time after graduating.

I also would lean more GA Tech for this poster because I expect Tech has more on-campus options for them to work (which isn’t as limited to international students as off-campus work is.) I don’t know that for sure though, so something for OP to research.

For OP, I wouldn’t necessarily look at outcomes from these schools as being representative of what may be open to an international student, also something to research.

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Here’s the problem with choice - and you have two outstanding ones.

Choice - that’s the problem with choice.

You bust your tail to get into great colleges - but - you can only choose one.

So no matter what you choose, you’ll feel a sense of loss.

But - just know, at either school, you have EVERYTHING TO GAIN.

Even if JHU were better on the averages, you are one of many - so you will have some at JHU outperform Ga Tech kids and vice versa.

And you’re also saving $200K - if you choose Tech (not suggesting you should - there are great arguments for both and at both you’ll win).

So yes missing - but that’s the case for both.

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If GT is your first choice that’s great. Don’t look back.

As an fyi, GT isn’t known for the accommodations. School dining plans are not great. That said, there’s lots of fine food options around campus. Atlanta is a large city with plenty of diverse dining and grocery choices. Everyone figures it out. I wouldn’t not attend because of the food. Good luck.

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That is indeed an important reminder. I don’t think this really undermines the comparison in the sense Georgia Tech has a global reputation, but you are quite right I might have painted a somewhat more cheery picture than warranted for an International engineering student seeking internships specifically in the US.

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Agreed, I wouldn’t hesitate to choose Tech if I were OP if global rep is a potential concern.

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Yes, absolutely. That’s how I narrowed down against including USC. Though I would love to attend university in Cali, I’ve come to realise I could just as well (try to) spend summers/etc there for internships and other programs.

Any reason you say that, particularly? Trying to factor in Duke in Durham, NC as well.

100%, I see that now. Also, college life may be easier not having to double-major just to be happy with my academic standing.

Thanks a lot for your detailed review.

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Yes, sort of expecting that. Will figure it out/suck it up if I end up going there. Would you say it’s because GT is a public university?

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I don’t think private/public matters. There are public schools with great dining options. For some reason GT just keeps falling with food. Dorms are mediocre.

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The three typical considered top rated in the country are public.

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