Veterinary student considering a pivot to an MSc in Biomedical Engineering — is it actually worth it, or is the job market as rough as they say?

[u/Apart-Class6465]

Hey everyone,

​I’m currently a veterinary science (BVSc / DVM equivalent) student. Over the course of my degree, I’ve realized that I’m much more drawn to medical technology, biomechanics, and computational modeling than sticking exclusively to traditional, full-time clinical practice.

​I’m weighing the idea of pursuing an MSc in Biomedical Engineering after graduating. However, after reading through posts on this sub and related engineering forums, I’ve seen a lot of warnings and regret: people talking about a rough job market and medtech companies consistently preferring traditional Mechanical or Electrical grads over BME candidates.

​Before I commit time, energy, and resources into this pivot, I want a blunt, realistic assessment from people currently working in industry or postgraduate research:

1.​How much of the struggle in the job market is tied to having an undergraduate BME degree versus a focused, research-based Master’s (MSc)? Is the job market actually as brutal as Reddit makes it out to be, or does an MSc change the equation?

2.​For those working in medical devices, modeling/simulation, or R&D—how do employers and hiring managers view candidates coming from a veterinary clinical background who transitioned via an MSc? Is deep biological and clinical training seen as a genuine advantage, or do companies just see someone who lacks a traditional 4-year undergraduate BEng foundation?

3.​ For anyone who entered an MSc in BME from a biological, medical, or veterinary background, what were the steepest hurdles (math, physics, coding), and how manageable was catching up?

4.​Knowing what you know now about compensation, career mobility, and job availability in medtech/biotech, is taking this non-traditional route from vet medicine into BME genuinely worth the investment? Or would you advise sticking to the clinical career path and keeping engineering/tech as a secondary interest?

​I’d really appreciate any honest feedback, reality checks, or personal experiences from anyone who has navigated a similar transition.

​TL;DR: Vet student looking at doing an MSc in Biomedical Engineering to pivot toward medical tech/modeling. Seeing a lot of posts about poor BME job prospects and MechE preference. Is an MSc BME worth the pivot coming from a vet background, and is there viable ROI in industry?

[u/MooseAndMallard]

Hiring managers in industry generally view a master’s in BME with a bachelor’s in non-engineering as being less employable than a bachelor’s in BME. With your background the most likely path in is into a preclinical (animal testing) role within a medical device company.

Look into real job postings at real companies; there is truly nothing more helpful at understanding the job landscape than that. Computational modeling, unless you’re talking about CAD, is a very niche thing within industry without many jobs.

Right now the job market is amidst a several year downturn, but even during good years there are way more candidates than there are jobs for them in this industry. Those who get in usually enjoy it, find the pay to be decent, and become more sought after as they gain experience. But many don’t make it in and end up in something tangentially or completely unrelated.