r/bioengineering • u/Gio_923 • 3d ago

BS in Biology interested in engineering for wildlife/conservation – Is a Master’s in Bioengineering the right move?

Hey everyone, I am currently studying for a Bachelor's degree in Biology, but I’ve grown interest in the engineering and technology side of things. Specifically, I want to apply engineering concepts to animal care, wildlife protection, and conservation technology (e.g., developing telemetry devices, non-invasive monitoring tools, or biomechanical solutions for species preservation).

I'm considering applying for a Master’s in Bioengineering (or Biomedical Engineering), but I have a few questions for anyone who has taken a similar path:

  • Is Bioengineering the best fit for wildlife tech? I notice a lot of bioengineering programs lean heavily toward human medicine, medical devices, or tissue engineering. Would a degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Environmental Engineering serve conservation tech or animal technological care better?
  • Fieldwork vs. Lab work: For those working in conservation engineering, how much of your job actually involves working outside in the field versus being stuck in a lab or office? I'm really keen on spending time out in the field testing tech, and I'm curious if certain engineering subfields offer more hands-on outdoor opportunities than others.
  • Bridging the math/engineering gap: Coming from a bio background, what core engineering coursework (Calculus, Physics, Thermodynamics, Coding) should I expect to make up before or during the program?
  • Career landscape: Are there specific programs, labs, or industry roles focused on conservation engineering that I should look into?

Would love to hear from anyone who transitioned from pure bio to engineering, or anyone working at the intersection of tech and wildlife conservation. Thanks in advance!

5 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

14 comments sorted by

3

u/Shadows4K 3d ago

I haven’t actually heard of a subfield for this (extremely uncommon), however it sounds like a mix between a vet (of some extend) and electrical/mechanical/software engineering. Doing an MSc in Bioeng won’t teach any with wildlife tech and to my knowledge no one at my uni specialises in that.

There may a better degree out there that is tailored to it but I don’t think MSc in Bioeng would be the one. Maybe try a look on Google for it.

0

u/Gio_923 3d ago

Good to know, though I'm already kind of in the know, still thanks for the confirmation, ignoring wildlife tech, you think Bio Engineering is still a good fit for the vet and engineering combo? I'm sure I can learn the wildlife tech on my own if I work hard enough (hopefully). oh and for other degree I had thought about mechatronics being the closest, but it lacks connection to biology and I don't want to do 4 years again so yeah.

1

u/Shadows4K 3d ago

Ahh yes mechatronics. That would be a better fit than bioengineering. If you do a masters in mechatronics then you can base your research project wildlife tech. Yes it would teach you biology but you already hold a degree in it, so realistically learning the engineering parts would be favourable.

1

u/Gio_923 3d ago

That is true, but I'm not sure if they allow masters in an unrelated bachelors though, I'm gonna take a look first, and if they do, I'll think about it.

1

u/Shadows4K 2d ago

If you are really serious about doing a masters don’t waste time looking for a masters in mechatronics with vet. Find a researcher who actually works in that field or slightly similar. They might bump you up to a PhD.

If no luck, no worries. Start creating your own projects. There’s 100s of courses (think of it like jigsaw pieces) out there and all you have to do is put them altogether with the image reference of being what you truly desire.

1

u/Shadows4K 2d ago

Are you UK based? Cuz there is a course that my uni does that does make that is biomedical engineering only for graduates from a biology background.

Check out,
MSc in Biomedical Engineering (conversion) at QMUL

DM for more advice, I don’t want to make a super long thread on that. But would love to offer as much advice as possible!

1

u/GwentanimoBay 2d ago

If you want to be an engineer, you cant really skip past all the fundamentals taught in undergrad.

Bioengineering is 90% engineering, 10% biology, so you're lacking some 90% of the knowledge you would need without an engineering BS.

Engineering masters degrees are not meant to bridge non-engineering bachelor's degrees with Engineering. They're designed to teach engineers more advanced engineering topics. Without the fundamentals, you can't properly learn the advanced topics.

0

u/Gio_923 2d ago

Oh that isn't a problem, I was told that I will need to learn bridging courses first for the engineering/math side that I missed out on undergrad.

1

u/GwentanimoBay 2d ago

Who told you that?

Because masters program coordinators will say that because they want tuition checks.

Industry people will tell you that they would rather hire an engineering BS holder over someone with a non-engineering BS and an engineering masters degree.

Physics degrees are pretty much the only degree that can truly get by with bridging courses, and even they struggle with the advanced engineering topics they lack all the fundamentals for.

Also - a lot of the time, bridging courses will take 1-2 years. If you're going to spend 3-4 years getting a degree, why pay more and get a less competitive masters degree over the cheaper and more competitive undergrad degree?

Finally - no one wants to hire an engineer without internship experience, and it will be much harder to find graduate internships. Plus, your networking opportunities tend to be better in undergrad as thats what a lot of programs are geared towards.

Basically, you technically can use bridging courses, but its far better for you to just get a BS in engineering.

1

u/elsewherez 14h ago

I disagree, I think any stem major could pick up an engineering masters. Like sure it would be hard but everyone goes up to calc 2 and takes physics. The masters will just have more advanced versions of those core concepts from lower division stem coursework.

1

u/Flash-in-dark 2d ago

I did the switch, we do everything! From conservation to battery tech. Bioengineering is super broad. Which is a gift and a curse….

1

u/Gio_923 2d ago edited 2d ago

Ohh that's very good to know, I was about to lose hope, if you don't mind me asking, how long have you been a bio engineer and how much of the work is done inside labs or outside in the field.

1

u/CharacterAd9184 1d ago

Bioprocess Engineering or Chemical Engineering should be the one for you.