Right now i’m working on a healthcare degree but down the road i want to go back to school. My plan is to get a B.S. in biochemistry and perhaps a minor in engineering, preferably a field that has value in biochemistry (nano engineering, chemical engineering or biomedical engineerng).
However, if i got a regular engineering minor in something like civil engineering or automotive, would that minor be enough to enter the engineering workforce should i decide to do so or would i need a complete B.S. in engineering? What about entry to grad school with a minor in engineering.
I know someone who entered engineering grad school with absolutely no technical degree. That person is now an engineering preofessor.
So, yeah, you oughtta be able to go to grad school with a minor in engineering. You could even get a job as an engineer, if you can persuade someone to hire you.
It will depend on the school. I know some that let you into a graduate program without the requesit 4 year degree, but you will have to do a “qualifying year”, which is essentially a selection of the most important 4th year courses. If you do not complete this successfully, you have to withdraw.
You may be able to work as engineer without the degree, but I’m skeptical you could get the Professional Engineer certificate. Which may or may not matter, depending on your field.
I’m surprised that engineering would even be offered as a minor. In my experience, the term “engineer” is a protected designation, to be used only by Professional Engineers, requiring either a B.A.Sc. or B.Eng. degree plus the requisite experience, documentation, and process to attain the P.Eng. designation, or by Applied Science Technologists with additional limited licences to practice engineering.
As far as entering an engineering program at the grad school level, I think that any Bachelor of Science should suffice provided it contains physics.
The answer to your questions is a resounding “it depends.”
Let’s look at the grad school question first. Admission requirements vary from department to department. I looked up one that I’m personally familiar with, U. of Michigan’s mechanical program, and they say,
So look like “it depends” is their official line, but I imagine any curriculum containing an engineering minor would be a “related scientific subject”. Since requirements vary, I would suggest simply contacting programs you might be interested in and asking them what your chances for admission might be, given your undergraduate experience.
As far as entering the workforce, you would be at a disadvantage, IMHO, because you’d be probably be competing against people with engineering majors on the one hand and people with graduate biochemistry degrees on the other (I’m guessing that a substantial proportion of biochem undergrads go on to grad school). Of course you may find yourself a perfect niche, but it seems like that would be hard to find.
Fuji Kitakyusho: I’m not aware of any place in the US where engineer is a protected designation. As far as I know, it’s commonly applied to anyone with a four-year undergrad engineering degree, and sometimes to people with enough work experience to be promoted to an engineering level. And occasionally to non-engineering disciplines that have appropriated the title.