Quick answer: Fully online ABET-accredited biomedical bachelor’s programs are uncommon because the discipline depends on laboratory and design work. The credential runs through an ABET-accredited bachelor’s in biomedical engineering. Programs, the careers this degree opens, and what they pay are covered below.
What Do These Programs Actually Look Like?
Fully online ABET-accredited biomedical bachelor’s programs are uncommon because the discipline depends on laboratory and design work. Hybrid formats exist, and online master’s programs are reasonably available for people already holding an engineering or science bachelor’s who want to move into medical devices.
Because fully online ABET-accredited options are uncommon in this field, confirm ABET-EAC accreditation for the specific program and ask exactly how laboratory and capstone design requirements are met in any hybrid format. With that filter set, compare biomedical engineering programs enrolling now:
Colleges Offering This Degree
Every school listed is verified in federal IPEDS data both to award this degree and to offer programs that can be completed entirely by distance education at this level. Whether this exact degree is delivered fully online varies by school, so confirm the format before you apply.
How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention.
Advertising plays no part.
This page lists 10 schools, closest group first, then ordered by
BOC Score with the highest at the top.
10 of them carry a score.
LOCAL RANK
Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal
about the institution rather than about this subject.
Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from
this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
Confirm ABET-EAC accreditation. Ask how laboratory and capstone design requirements are met in any hybrid format. Ask where graduates are hired, because this field is concentrated in device manufacturing clusters and a program’s regional employer relationships matter more here than in broader disciplines. If you work as a biomedical equipment technician, ask in writing what transfers.
The Credential That Actually Matters
Biomedical engineering follows the standard state-administered Professional Engineer framework - an ABET-accredited degree, the NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering examination, qualifying experience and the PE exam - but licensure is uncommon in practice, since most biomedical engineers work for device manufacturers under what is commonly called the industrial exemption. What governs the work instead is the regulatory framework around medical devices.
Separately from any programmatic accreditation, the institution should hold accreditation from a recognized institutional accreditor. Credit transfer between institutions is decided by the receiving school and genuinely varies, so get any transfer evaluation in writing before enrolling.
Licensing and Credentialing
The national framework is the constant: an ABET-accredited bachelor’s in biomedical engineering, then the NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering examination administered through NCEES. What sits on top of that framework is set jurisdiction by jurisdiction, and this site does not hold a sourced dataset of per-state rules, so confirm the specifics with your state engineering licensing board before enrolling.
Questions to Ask an Admissions Office
Ask these before an application fee, and get the answers in writing rather than over the phone:
Is the program currently with accreditation from ABET-EAC, and has its status changed in the last three years?
How are laboratory, field or practical requirements satisfied in any online or hybrid format?
Which prior coursework, certifications or documented work experience transfer in, and will you evaluate that in writing before I enroll? Transfer is decided by the receiving institution and genuinely varies.
What is the total time to completion for someone in my situation, and where were recent graduates hired?
Before you shortlist schools, it also helps to be precise about the job this degree points at.
What Does the Job Involve Day to Day?
Biomedical engineers design and validate the equipment and systems used in medicine: devices and instrumentation, imaging systems, prosthetics and implants, and the testing and regulatory documentation that has to accompany them. A large share of the work is verification, validation and regulatory submission rather than invention, because medical devices carry a documentation burden most engineering fields do not.
What You Will Study
Coursework typically combines an engineering core - mathematics, mechanics, circuits, signals - with physiology and anatomy, biomaterials, biomechanics, medical instrumentation and imaging, and design courses that carry the verification and validation methods the industry runs on. The dual load of engineering and life science is what makes the sequence heavy. Regulatory coursework matters more than students expect: design history files, risk management and biocompatibility testing are daily work in a device company, and a graduate who understands the submission process is more useful on day one than one who only knows the physics. Programs vary widely in how much of this they teach, so it is worth asking directly.
Where This Sits on the Ladder
This degree sits above credentials many readers already hold. The rungs run:
Biomedical equipment technician - installs, calibrates and repairs clinical equipment
Biomedical engineer - ABET-accredited degree, designs the device and owns the validation
How Fast Is the Field Growing?
Employment is projected to change by 5.2% between 2024 and 2034, with roughly 1,300 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34). Openings come from growth and from replacing people who leave the occupation, which is why the annual figure can look large relative to the percentage.
What These Careers Pay
Bioengineers and biomedical engineers earn a median $109,370 per year, or $52.58 per hour (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Biomedical Engineering at a Glance
Measure
Value
Median annual wage
$109,370
Median hourly wage
$52.58
Employed nationally
23,480
Bottom 10 percent
$71,850
Top 10 percent
$168,180
Middle half
$86,980 to $136,600
Projected change, 2024-34
5.2%
Annual openings
about 1,300
Wage and employment figures: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Growth and openings: BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34.
Cost, Time and Whether It Pays
This site does not publish tuition figures, because there is no sourced dataset behind them and the number varies enormously by institution and residency. What can be stated is the wage structure the degree can lead into. The middle half of bioengineers and biomedical engineers earn between $86,980 and $136,600, with the bottom 10 percent at $71,850 and the top 10 percent at $168,180 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The gap between the 25th and 75th percentile is the honest range to plan against - not the median alone, and not the top figure.
Where Do These Roles Pay Most?
State
Median annual wage
Employment
Arizona
$141,230
610
Idaho
$133,750
not published
California
$128,310
2,750
Minnesota
$127,730
1,230
Massachusetts
$127,570
4,740
Highest-paying states, BLS OEWS, May 2025. Cost of living is not held constant, so a higher median does not automatically mean more disposable income.
Where the Jobs Are
State
Employment
Median annual wage
Massachusetts
4,740
$127,570
California
2,750
$128,310
Texas
2,050
$92,600
Minnesota
1,230
$127,730
Pennsylvania
950
$122,560
Largest employing states, BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment concentration and pay do not track each other. State and metro pages linked below carry the full distribution.
What to Weigh Before Committing
The caution is size and concentration: 23,480 biomedical engineers nationally with roughly 1,300 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34), clustered around medical device manufacturing regions. Graduates also frequently find that mechanical or electrical engineering degrees compete for the same device jobs, so the specialization is not automatically an advantage. The offsetting case is a median of $109,370 (BLS OEWS, May 2025) and a field where the clinical context genuinely matters, which suits people coming from healthcare equipment work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you earn a biomedical engineering degree online?
Rarely in full at the bachelor's level, because laboratory and capstone design work are central. Hybrid formats exist, and online master's programs are more available for those already holding an engineering or science degree.
How much do biomedical engineers make?
The national median annual wage for bioengineers and biomedical engineers is $109,370, or $52.58 per hour (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The bottom 10 percent earn $71,850 or less and the top 10 percent earn $168,180 or more, across 23,480 engineers nationally.
Is biomedical engineering a good major?
It is demanding and pays well, but it is worth knowing that mechanical and electrical engineering graduates compete for many of the same medical device roles. The specialization helps most where physiology and regulatory knowledge are genuinely required.
Can a biomedical equipment technician move up to engineer?
Yes, through an ABET-accredited degree. Clinical equipment experience is a real advantage in hiring because the environment and the failure modes are familiar, though it rarely transfers as academic credit.
Do biomedical engineers need a PE license?
Usually not. Most work for device manufacturers under what is commonly called the industrial exemption, and the governing framework is medical device regulation rather than state licensure. Confirm specifics with your state engineering licensing board.
Is biomedical engineering growing?
Employment is projected to change by 5.2% from 2024 to 2034, with about 1,300 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34). The percentage is healthy but the field is small and geographically concentrated.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, SOC 17-2031 Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2024-34.
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
