Most Affordable Online Master’s In Biomedical Engineering Degrees

A ranking of the best online master's in biomedical engineering degrees. Programs ranked by affordability, flexibility, and academic quality.

Updated on February 23, 2023

Boost your engineering skills and solve today's most critical medical problems with a Master's in Biomedical Engineering.

When you think of the so-called "helping professions" biomedical engineering may not be the first thing that comes to mind. But Biomedical Engineers make a significant and direct impact on our lives.

As a Biomedical Engineer, you will learn to take engineering concepts and translate them into products and protocols that directly improve patient care and quality of life.

Biomedical Engineers provide the tools doctors and other medical practitioners need. Fusing healthcare and engineering, Biomedical Engineering is a fundamentally practical degree. It is also, by its nature, collaborative and interdisciplinary. So if you like working in teams to create practical solutions to medical problems, you may have found your dream job.

What kind of Biomedical Engineering degree should you get?

As you peruse the ranking, you'll notice that it includes both Master of Science and Master of Engineering programs. Which to choose?

M.S. programs tend to have more of a research emphasis and can prepare you equally for further academic work or a career in Biomedical Engineering.

M.Eng. degrees, in contrast, tend to be terminal degrees for professionals—there is less focus on research and do not typically lead to further academic study.

You'll also need to decide if you want to complete your Biomedical Engineering degree in an online or on-campus setting. Both offer unique opportunities, but not everyone has the ability to uproot their lives and move away for a graduate program. Luckily, online programs are now equal in status and quality to their campus-based counterparts, and you'll come away with the same degree.

If you're interested, check out our list of the Best Online Colleges and Universities.

How much money do people make with a Biomedical Engineering degree?

Biomedical Engineering is a rapidly expanding field with a wealth of opportunities for career advancement. The field blends two areas—healthcare and engineering— that are showing strong signs of growth for the foreseeable future.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics currently puts the median salary of Biomedical Engineers at a healthy $85,620 per year. Of course, as with all science and engineering-based careers, both opportunities and salaries expand with education and experience. And many employers are only interested in applicants with advanced degrees, so getting a Master's in Biomedical Engineering makes a lot of financial sense.

What can you do with a degree in Biomedical Engineering?

With a Master's degree in Biomedical Engineering you'll become a medical problem solver. Working at the intersection of technology and medicine, you'll collaborate with physicians and scientists to create medical systems and devices. Some of these projects might include:

  • Designing new systems for conducting medical tests and recording medical information.

  • Designing medical instruments, prosthetic limbs, or artificial organs.

  • Studying the principles behind new tissue growth and translating your knowledge for clinical usage.

  • Developing new drug delivery mechanisms, like nanoscale drug delivery.

And there are many places that Biomedical Engineers find work—manufacturing, universities, hospitals, research facilities, educational and medical institutions, teaching, and government regulatory agencies.

What are the requirements for a degree in Biomedical Engineering?

Not surprisingly, there are few graduate-level Biomedical Engineering programs that do not require an undergraduate degree in the sciences for admission. There are some programs that will accept job experience in the technology field in lieu of a science or technology degree, but you will need to complete several prerequisite courses before beginning the degree program.

In addition, you'll need good GRE scores for admission to most programs and a strong undergraduate GPA. And having a degree from an ABET-accredited program never hurts.

What are the best Biomedical Engineering degrees?

Finding the best online program can be like searching for a needle in a haystack, but at College Choice we've done the work for you. Below you'll find the 10 best online Master's in Biomedical Engineering programs, laid out for you in an easy-to-read ranking. Our methodology takes into account the academic trifecta: institutional reputation, return on investment, and student satisfaction.

We scour the internet for essential criteria like reputation scores, tuition costs, early career earnings, and peer assessments to come up with a composite score that reflects academic excellence and the return on your tuition dollar.

We hope this ranking will help you find a Biomedical Engineering program that's right for you.

Rankings

See our rankings methodology page.

Recommended Reading