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Biomedical/Medical Engineering Degree

119 schools compared · Average earnings $63,751/yr

Students study how engineering principles apply to healthcare, including medical device design, prosthetics, imaging systems, biomechanics, and tissue engineering. Graduates typically pursue careers at medical device companies like Medtronic and Stryker, hospitals, pharmaceutical firms, and biotech startups. Biomedical engineering is one of the fastest-growing engineering fields, driven by aging populations and healthcare innovation.

What Biomedical/Medical Engineering Graduates Do

With a biomedical engineering degree, you’ll likely start your career in a lab or office, designing and testing life-saving technology. Your days will involve using CAD software to model a new prosthetic limb, running experiments on biomaterials, or analyzing data from clinical trials for a diagnostic device. As you gain experience, you can advance into an engineering manager role. Here, your focus shifts from hands-on design to overseeing project budgets, coordinating with regulatory bodies, and leading teams of engineers. Alternatively, the path into academia as a postsecondary teacher is growing quickly, involving teaching, running a research lab, and mentoring students.

AI will significantly change the daily work in these fields. With moderate exposure, routine tasks like initial data analysis or drafting device schematics will be increasingly automated. This doesn't eliminate the need for your expertise; it shifts it. Your value will come from validating AI-generated designs, solving complex problems the AI can't, and making critical judgments that require human insight. Adaptability is essential.

Schools Offering

119

Avg Grad Earnings

$63,751/yr

Avg DegreeOutlook Score

59/100

AI Automation Risk

High

55% task exposure

Common Career Paths

Where Biomedical/Medical Engineering graduates typically work, ranked by salary. Salary ranges show 25th–75th percentile spread. This field has roughly 19,900 combined openings per year.

Career Path	Salary Range	Openings/yr	Growth	AI Risk
Architectural and engineering managers	$167,740 $135K$207K	14,500	+3.8%	41%
Bioengineers and biomedical engineers	$106,950 $87K$134K	1,300	+5.2%	59%
Engineering teachers, postsecondary	$106,120 $80K$136K	4,100	+8.1%	50%

Architectural and engineering managers

$167,740

$135K $207K

14,500 openings/yr +3.8% growth 41% AI risk

Bioengineers and biomedical engineers

$106,950

$87K $134K

1,300 openings/yr +5.2% growth 59% AI risk

Engineering teachers, postsecondary

$106,120

$80K $136K

4,100 openings/yr +8.1% growth 50% AI risk

Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. Salary range shows 25th–median–75th percentile (national).

Best Schools for Biomedical/Medical Engineering

Top 20 of 119 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. Click any row for full AI scenario analysis and earnings projections.

#	School	DW Score	Earnings	ROI
1	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA	74 70–75	$81,186/yr	24.1x
2	Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Atlanta, GA	72 69–73	$74,562/yr	20.9x
3	North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC	72 69–73	$74,016/yr	26.9x
4	University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI	71 68–72	$74,094/yr	20.1x
5	Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN	71 68–72	$72,749/yr	22.2x
6	University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT	71 68–72	$68,783/yr	25.1x
7	Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers, FL	70 67–71	$62,972/yr	34.5x
8	Florida International University Miami, FL	70 68–71	$62,254/yr	34.7x
9	Indiana University-Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN	69 66–70	$71,852/yr	19.2x
10	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL	69 66–70	$71,485/yr	15.1x
11	University of California-Davis Davis, CA	69 66–70	$68,419/yr	16.3x
12	University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA	69 67–70	$67,170/yr	18.2x
13	University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA	69 67–70	$65,045/yr	18.4x
14	Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX	68 66–69	$63,249/yr	18.3x
15	University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA	68 66–69	$57,874/yr	19.8x
16	University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY	68 66–69	$55,974/yr	22.2x
17	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN	67 65–69	$76,184/yr	13.3x
18	University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA	67 64–68	$73,348/yr	14.0x
19	University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Cincinnati, OH	67 64–68	$72,166/yr	14.7x
20	University of Toledo Toledo, OH	67 65–68	$69,711/yr	16.0x
21	Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ	67 64–67	$60,828/yr	17.4x
22	University of Iowa Iowa City, IA	67 65–68	$58,144/yr	19.4x
23	CUNY City College New York, NY	67 65–68	$56,711/yr	26.1x
24	University of Delaware Newark, DE	66 64–67	$71,980/yr	13.2x
25	University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI	66 64–67	$68,410/yr	13.2x
26	Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH	66 64–67	$65,469/yr	15.9x
27	University of California-Riverside Riverside, CA	66 64–67	$61,342/yr	15.3x
28	Binghamton University Vestal, NY	66 64–67	$58,999/yr	18.5x
29	The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX	66 64–67	$56,045/yr	18.5x
30	University of California-Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA	66 63–67	$55,856/yr	15.8x
31	University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus Waterbury, CT	65 63–66	$66,075/yr	12.5x
32	University of Connecticut-Avery Point Groton, CT	65 63–66	$66,075/yr	12.5x
33	University of Connecticut-Stamford Stamford, CT	65 63–66	$66,075/yr	12.5x
34	University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus Hartford, CT	65 63–66	$66,075/yr	12.5x
35	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI	64 61–65	$70,307/yr	11.4x
36	University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA	64 62–65	$67,627/yr	11.0x
37	Clemson University Clemson, SC	64 62–65	$65,110/yr	12.7x
38	Michigan Technological University Houghton, MI	64 62–65	$63,831/yr	11.8x
39	University of California-Merced Merced, CA	64 62–65	$57,223/yr	14.7x
40	University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville, VA	63 61–64	$66,823/yr	10.3x
41	University of Connecticut Storrs, CT	63 61–64	$66,075/yr	10.6x
42	New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ	63 61–64	$63,449/yr	11.4x
43	Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ	63 61–64	$62,097/yr	11.7x
44	University of Akron Main Campus Akron, OH	63 61–64	$61,226/yr	14.0x
45	The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX	63 61–64	$58,916/yr	13.2x
46	University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL	63 61–64	$55,011/yr	14.1x
47	Oregon State University Corvallis, OR	63 62–64	$48,134/yr	16.9x
48	Oregon State University-Cascades Campus Bend, OR	63 62–64	$48,134/yr	18.2x
49	University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA	62 59–63	$93,310/yr	3.6x
50	Wentworth Institute of Technology Boston, MA	62 58–63	$80,401/yr	5.3x
51	University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR	62 59–63	$59,504/yr	15.6x
52	Colorado School of Mines Golden, CO	62 60–63	$56,529/yr	10.9x
53	University of Houston Houston, TX	62 61–63	$48,329/yr	19.6x
54	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN	62 61–63	$47,261/yr	16.2x
55	University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia, SC	61 59–62	$57,311/yr	13.5x
56	Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD	60 57–61	$76,928/yr	3.7x
57	Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA	60 57–61	$73,710/yr	4.0x
58	Wright State University-Main Campus Dayton, OH	60 60–61	$45,570/yr	17.9x
59	University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA	59 56–61	$80,508/yr	3.1x
60	Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, MA	59 56–60	$78,283/yr	3.3x
61	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY	59 56–60	$74,427/yr	3.5x
62	Southern California Institute of Technology Anaheim, CA	59 56–60	$74,115/yr	8.1x
63	Northwestern University Evanston, IL	59 57–60	$68,592/yr	3.9x
64	California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA	59 56–60	$66,090/yr	22.6x
65	Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS	59 59–60	$45,483/yr	18.2x
66	University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL	59 61–60	$42,570/yr	23.2x
67	Drexel University Philadelphia, PA	58 55–59	$74,860/yr	3.3x
68	Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY	58 55–59	$72,344/yr	3.5x
69	Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA	58 55–59	$70,696/yr	3.4x
70	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC	58 56–59	$70,561/yr	18.6x
71	George Washington University Washington, DC	58 56–59	$69,942/yr	3.4x
72	Duke University Durham, NC	58 56–59	$69,873/yr	3.4x
73	University of Florida Gainesville, FL	58 56–59	$60,524/yr	22.7x
74	Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA	58 56–59	$54,133/yr	10.6x
75	Rice University Houston, TX	57 54–58	$88,307/yr	2.9x
76	Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH	57 54–58	$78,815/yr	2.9x
77	Marquette University Milwaukee, WI	57 54–58	$73,526/yr	3.7x
78	Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA	57 54–58	$72,440/yr	3.1x
79	Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA	57 57–58	$44,717/yr	14.7x
80	Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, NJ	56 53–57	$73,454/yr	2.9x
81	Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Terre Haute, IN	56 53–57	$71,714/yr	3.1x
82	University of Rochester Rochester, NY	56 53–57	$69,414/yr	2.9x
83	Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN	56 54–57	$63,402/yr	3.1x
84	Milwaukee School of Engineering Milwaukee, WI	55 52–56	$70,090/yr	3.4x
85	Boston University Boston, MA	55 53–56	$69,209/yr	2.8x
86	Syracuse University Syracuse, NY	55 53–56	$64,660/yr	3.0x
87	University of Memphis Memphis, TN	55 52–56	$62,454/yr	14.1x
88	Louisiana Tech University Ruston, LA	55 53–56	$62,384/yr	14.4x
89	The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX	55 53–56	$60,705/yr	15.9x
90	North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC	55 53–55	$52,948/yr	18.6x
91	Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY	55 60–56	$39,035/yr	20.8x
92	University of New Hampshire-Main Campus Durham, NH	53 50–54	$76,755/yr	9.0x
93	Rowan University Glassboro, NJ	52 49–53	$67,609/yr	9.8x
94	University of Miami Coral Gables, FL	52 50–53	$67,064/yr	2.6x
95	George Mason University Fairfax, VA	52 50–53	$63,981/yr	10.6x
96	University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Denver, CO	52 50–53	$55,550/yr	12.9x
97	University of Maine Orono, ME	51 49–52	$59,864/yr	10.9x
98	Wichita State University Wichita, KS	51 49–52	$51,636/yr	12.8x
99	University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth North Dartmouth, MA	50 47–51	$60,237/yr	8.9x
100	University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA	50 48–51	$57,062/yr	10.3x
101	Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL	49 47–50	$54,047/yr	9.6x
102	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI	49 47–50	$50,472/yr	11.6x
103	Miami University-Oxford Oxford, OH	48 46–49	$58,914/yr	7.3x
104	University of the Pacific Stockton, CA	47 44–48	$77,099/yr	2.5x
105	Trine University Angola, IN	47 45–48	$67,702/yr	3.8x
106	Brown University Providence, RI	45 43–46	$74,180/yr	1.7x
107	Widener University Chester, PA	45 43–46	$68,762/yr	2.2x
108	Lawrence Technological University Southfield, MI	45 43–46	$64,298/yr	2.8x
109	Temple University Philadelphia, PA	45 43–46	$54,415/yr	5.2x
110	Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL	44 43–45	$48,572/yr	2.5x
111	Washington State University Pullman, WA	44 55–45	$30,778/yr	17.4x
112	Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY	43 40–44	$62,895/yr	1.3x
113	Union College Schenectady, NY	43 40–44	$62,624/yr	1.4x
114	Western New England University Springfield, MA	43 41–44	$58,437/yr	2.1x
115	Cornell University Ithaca, NY	42 40–43	$61,397/yr	1.3x
116	Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO	40 38–41	$56,932/yr	1.8x
117	Stanford University Stanford, CA	39 37–40	$50,487/yr	1.0x
118	The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX	39 41–40	$41,773/yr	7.9x
119	University of Michigan-Dearborn Dearborn, MI	33 38–34	$38,593/yr	5.5x

Highest Earning Biomedical/Medical Engineering Programs

Schools where Biomedical/Medical Engineering graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.

School	1-Year Earnings	DW Score
University of Pennsylvania	$93,310/yr	62
Rice University	$88,307/yr	57
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	$81,186/yr	74
University of Southern California	$80,508/yr	59
Wentworth Institute of Technology	$80,401/yr	62
Case Western Reserve University	$78,815/yr	57
Worcester Polytechnic Institute	$78,283/yr	59
University of the Pacific	$77,099/yr	47
Johns Hopkins University	$76,928/yr	60
University of New Hampshire-Main Campus	$76,755/yr	53

Best ROI for Biomedical/Medical Engineering

Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Biomedical/Medical Engineering.

School	ROI Multiple	Earnings	DW Score
Florida International University	34.7x	$62,254/yr	70
Florida Gulf Coast University	34.5x	$62,972/yr	70
North Carolina State University at Raleigh	26.9x	$74,016/yr	72
CUNY City College	26.1x	$56,711/yr	67
University of Utah	25.1x	$68,783/yr	71
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	24.1x	$81,186/yr	74
University of Alabama at Birmingham	23.2x	$42,570/yr	59
University of Florida	22.7x	$60,524/yr	58
California State University-Long Beach	22.6x	$66,090/yr	59
University at Buffalo	22.2x	$55,974/yr	68

Want to compare two Biomedical/Medical Engineering programs side by side? Use the comparison tool →

Related Majors

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Consider the Trade Route

Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Biomedical/Medical Engineering offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Biomedical/Medical Engineering graduates earn?

Across 119 schools, Biomedical/Medical Engineering graduates earn an average of $63,751 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $30,778 to $93,310 depending on the school.

What is the AI automation risk for Biomedical/Medical Engineering?

Biomedical/Medical Engineering is rated "High" for AI automation risk, with an average of 55% of job tasks exposed to large language models and AI tools. This means most career tasks in this field could be augmented or replaced by AI over the next decade.

Which school has the best Biomedical/Medical Engineering program?

Based on our DegreeOutlook Score (combining earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and ROI), California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ranks #1 for Biomedical/Medical Engineering with a score of 74/100 and graduate earnings of $81,186/yr.

What's the outlook for a Biomedical/Medical Engineering degree?

On average, Biomedical/Medical Engineering graduates earn 11.7x their in-state tuition over 10 years. This is a strong return on investment.

Scores use College Scorecard earnings, BLS employment projections, and AI task-exposure research. See full methodology →