Biomedical Engineering Prospects Seem Rosy in USA

By Bichlien Hoang, IEEE, and Lee R. Moffitt, IEEE

As someone famously said, “Predicting is very difficult, especially about the future.” (This quote has been variously ascribed to Niels Bohr, Woody Allen, Yogi Berra, Victor Borge, etc.) So we should be grateful to those who do take this difficult task in hand. A number of organizations have done this with regard to the job prospects for Biomedical Engineering. As we come to the end of the year and look forward to 2012, it seemed a good time to bring together a few of these crystal ball gazings.

MSN’s CareerBuilder.com in an article ‘Best bets for jobs in 2012‘ says “If you’re a job seeker, consider exploring a career in one of these nine occupations, all of which are expected to grow in 2012” and lists Biomedical Engineering as #1. And a year ago, in its ‘Careers’ page US News online said of Biomedical Engineering, “As one of the 50 Best Careers of 2011, this should have strong growth over the next decade”.

Another online site, www.collegegrad.com, has suggested equally positive prospects for biomedical engineering employment, saying, “An increasing demand for cost-effective medical products should boost the demand for biomedical engineers, particularly those working in pharmaceutical manufacturing and research. The best job prospects are expected for biomedical engineers with master’s degrees in the field.”

The sites mentioned above make use of a Bureau of Labor Statistics report of May, 2010 which provides a wealth of information about employment and salaries in the field. One especially interesting aspect of the report is the inclusion of maps which show the distribution of jobs and salaries by US States.

Another Bureau of Labor Statistics report that is widely cited projects a 72% growth in Biomedical Engineering jobs over the decade from 2009-2018, sending it to the top of their chart of ‘Occupations with the fastest growth’.

Lastly, if job stress is an issue, consider this report from CNN Money, which ranks Biomedical Engineering as one of the ’10 least stressful jobs’! Good prospects for job growth, respectable salaries, and low stress, make Biomedical Engineering sound like a winner!