MS in Bioengineering Program Preps Student for Industry Success
At Northeastern, Cameron Crane, MS’26, bioengineering, has his sights set on the medical devices industry, and is confident that his co-op experience, academic concentration in biomedical devices and bioimaging, and an expanding professional network will lead to a successful career.
With a BS degree in biomedical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute under his belt, Cameron Crane, MS’26, bioengineering, is now pursuing a master’s degree in bioengineering at Northeastern.
“I feel I could have found a job after undergrad, but at Northeastern I’m gaining the core tools I need to really excel and filling my skills gaps, preparing me for my first step into the workforce successfully,” says Crane.
As an undergraduate, Crane discovered he wanted to pursue bioengineering research in industry rather than academia. After evaluating graduate programs, he determined Northeastern, with its leading co-op program, was his best option.
“I had a lot of research experience, and I wanted to move away from that and to focus on industry,” Crane says. “That was a big factor in selecting Northeastern because I knew I would get industry experience through a co-op.”
Crane says Boston’s thriving biotechnology industry was another key factor. “Boston has so many biotech companies that when I was looking for a co-op, there were many different opportunities,” Crane says. “I wasn’t at all limited and found a role that aligned exactly with what I wanted.”
His focus on bioengineering stems from his desire to make a direct impact on people experiencing health challenges. “I really like helping people and I like the idea that someday I might be able to make a difference to someone who is sick,” he says.
At Northeastern, Crane selected the biomedical devices and bioimaging concentration, one of four concentrations offered in the MS in bioengineering program, because it aligned with his goal of working in the medical devices industry.
His long-term plan is to work at a company where he can develop new medical devices and eventually take on leadership roles in this industry.
“Northeastern does a really nice job with the concentrations, so you take the courses you need to take—core courses—and then take additional classes that are tailored to your specific career goals,” says Crane, who opted for the coursework track to round out his research-heavy undergraduate experience.
He has benefited from the supportive environment. “I’ve made so many friends,” he says. “We study together and will go out for a beer after an exam. It’s given me a community of people I can lean on.”
He also had several opportunities for one-on-one or small group mentoring from faculty. On one occasion, he and two classmates were working in a makerspace when one of their professors joined them for more than an hour and chatted about key concepts presented in a recent class. “It was a really nice moment in which we were able to talk about the subject in a small setting,” Crane says. “We were grateful that he took time to engage with us when he did not have to.”
Bioengineering is an interdisciplinary field, and the curriculum and faculty reflect that. For example, Crane is currently taking a computer engineering class that he says will help him with developing medical devices, which increasingly rely on nanotechnology. “We are learning how to make circuits at the nano level, so we spend time in the clean room making very small components for microchips,” he says.
During his first semester, Crane began a search for co-op opportunities and says input from his co-op advisor helped him focus his search and identify companies that aligned with his research experience and had opportunities for growth. “My advisor also helped keep me on track through the semester,” Crane adds.
Crane completed the Introduction to Co-op course, which helped him improve his cover letters and resume. The class also hosted an alumni panel that shared co-op experiences, which Crane found particularly useful.
Using NUWorks, an online portal for finding and applying for jobs, he came upon a job posting at Fresenius, which not only designs and builds dialysis equipment, but also deploys its products in dialysis clinics it operates. This met Crane’s objective of gaining hands-on experience during the full lifecycle of a product’s development. In July, he is beginning an R&D engineering co-op there where he will participate in the design and development of new medical equipment and upgrades to existing products. Among other duties, he will assist in documenting design and testing activities to ensure they conform to established controls.
Crane says that while he landed the job because of his academic and research experiences, he was also helped by the Northeastern’s reputation. During his interview, the hiring manager shared that the majority of his student co-op hires come from Northeastern because of their level of preparation. Crane says, “I was really fortunate that other Northeastern students went to this company and succeeded. That paved the way for me to have this opportunity.”