Biomedical Engineering Tech

Types of Degrees Biomedical Engineering Tech Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many biomedical technology graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Associate Degree	593
Basic Certificate	431
Undergraduate Certificate	300
Bachelor’s Degree	55
Master’s Degree	5

What Biomedical Engineering Tech Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to biomedical engineering tech were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Biomedical Engineering Tech Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in biomedical engineering tech should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Skills for Biomedical Engineering Tech Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to biomedical engineering tech:

• Troubleshooting - Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
• Equipment Maintenance - Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
• Repairing - Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Abilities for Biomedical Engineering Tech Majors

As a biomedical engineering tech major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

What Can You Do With a Biomedical Engineering Tech Major?

People with a biomedical engineering tech degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Electronics Engineering Technologists	5.2%	$63,200
Medical Equipment Repairers	4.2%	$49,210

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Biomedical Engineering Tech?

This major tends to be male dominated. About 62% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of biomedical engineering tech majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	8
Black or African American	5
Hispanic or Latino	18
White	16
International Students	1
Other Races/Ethnicities	7

Geographic Diversity

Biomedical Engineering Tech appeals to people across the globe. About 1.8% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Biomedical Engineering Tech

Some careers associated with biomedical engineering tech require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to biomedical engineering tech have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	5.3%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	16.3%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	20.4%
Some College Courses	2.8%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	40.3%
Bachelor’s Degree	15.6%

Online Biomedical Engineering Tech Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	30	4
Certificate (2-4 Years)	1	0
Associate’s Degree	87	3
Bachelor’s Degree	0	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	2	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Biomedical Engineering Tech

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to biomedical engineering tech.

Major	Number of Grads
Electromechanical Technology/Electromechanical Engineering Technology	2,660
Instrumentation Technology	2,543
Other Electromechanical & Instrumentation & Maintenance Technologies/Technicians	1,976
Automation Engineer Technology	1,234
Robotics Technology	600
Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering Technology	599

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.