Clemson University came in fourth among the nation’s 50 best value schools for biomedical engineering, according to a new ranking from bestvalueschools.com. The ranking included a variety of factors, including graduation rate, accreditation date, degree popularity, engineering popularity and net price.
Martine LaBerge, chair of the Department of Bioengineering at Clemson, said the ranking underscores that students are receiving a high-quality education that remains affordable. “Best Value Schools has done an impeccable job of describing our program,” she said. “The ranking is a result of our faculty’s hard work and dedication to giving our students not only the best-in-class instruction and experience but also great value.”
The website advised students to “get ready to get hands-on at Clemson University.” “Just about every day at Clemson includes some type of laboratory study, research project, or side-by-side work with faculty,” according to the site.
“Coursework doesn’t spare the details, either; the curriculum goes far beyond the basics to teach students about orthopedic implants, EKG simulations, medical treatment in developing countries, tissue engineering for human organs, and plenty of other topics that will immediately translate into the work environment.
“And students don’t have to wait until graduation to test out their skills. International partnerships enable budding engineers to conduct research in Singapore, work with mentors in Japan, or study bioethics in Spain.”
The department graduated 158 students last year, including 106 undergraduates, 37 master’s students and 15 doctoral students. It has 26 tenured or tenure-track faculty members conducting bioengineering research and clinically embedded education in partnership with the Greenville Health System and the Medical University of South Carolina.
Citing numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the website reported that demand for biomedical engineers will increase by nearly 25 percent by 2024, which it says is much faster than the average occupation. The average salary for specialists in the field is more than $85,000 a year, according to the site.
Clemson came in behind the Georgia Institute of Technology, Rice University, and the University of California-Irvine. The University of Utah rounded out the top five.
Anand Gramopadhye, dean of Clemson’s College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences, congratulated the bioengineering department on the ranking. “This is a well-deserved honor that underscores the high return on investment our students receive,” he said. “The college will continue to offer access to top faculty, world-class facilities and enriching experiences, while ensuring investment returns remain strong for our students and their families.”
To see the full list of rankings, go to: https://www.bestvalueschools.com/rankings/biomedical-engineering-degrees/ 
