The Major

The department offers an undergraduate degree program that leads to a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering. There are three main areas of study – Biomaterials & Therapeutic Delivery, Biomechanics & Pathophysiology, and Bioinstrumentation & Biosensors. Biomechanics & Pathophysiology is the study of the structure, function and motion of the mechanical aspects of biological systems, at any level from whole organisms to organs, cells and cell organelles, using the methods of mechanics. Bioinstrumentation & Biosensors includes the development and application of instrumentation and devices that can be used to measure, evaluate and treat biological systems. Biomaterials & Therapeutic Delivery is the study of materials that control cell behavior through direct interactions or by delivering therapeutics, with the goal of regenerating tissue, preventing pathological tissue formation, or studying biological systems. Students take the core course in each of these main areas, and may then focus their technical electives in the area(s) that most interest them.

The educational objectives of the curricula are to develop engineers who think critically, creatively, and rigorously; who employ engineering methods to identify and solve important problems in healthcare, industry, business, government, and academe; who communicate effectively and function cooperatively in professional contexts; who approach professional practice responsibly and ethically and with an awareness of business, environmental, safety, cultural, societal, and global concerns; who demonstrate professional leadership; and who employ their engineering education as a foundation for advanced study, life-long learning, and career development in engineering, management, and other professional fields.

Requirements

No course taken on a Pass/Fail basis may be applied to General Education or major requirements. See the OSA Curriculum page for BME for more details on the curriculum and suggested course flow, or contact the BME Academic Advisor. In addition to the requirements below, BME students must also complete the General Education social world (AL/AT, HS, SB, SW) and diversity (DU, DG) requirements.

First Year Courses for Biomedical Engineering

ENGIN 114 (or 100, 110, 111, 112, or 113) Introduction to Engineering*^#
ENGLWRIT 112 College Writing^#
CHEM 111 Chemistry I^#
CHEM 112 Chemistry II
MATH 131 Calculus I^#
MATH 132 Calculus II^#
PHYSICS 151 General Physics I^#
COMPSCI 119 Introduction to Programming^# (OR ECE 122 Introduction to Programming† OR CICS 110 Foundations of Programming)

Biomedical Engineering Foundation & Core Courses

BME 210 Introduction to Bioengineering*
BME 230 Statics and Dynamics*
BME 241 Strength of Materials†
BME 275 Biomechanics†
BME 300 Biomaterials
BME 310 Introduction to Laboratory Techniques
BME 320 Bioinstrumentation
BME 330 Quantitative Physiology
BME 430 Systems Biology*
BME 414 Senior Design I*
BME 415 Senior Design II†

Other Required Courses

PHYSICS 152 General Physics II
ECE 361 Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering*
MATH 233 Multivariate Calculus
MATH 331 Differential Equations
MIE 201 Introduction to Materials Science
KIN 270 Anatomy and Physiology I
ENGIN 351 Writing in Engineering
STAT 515 Statistics I

#Requires a grade of C or better to continue in the major
*Courses only offered in Fall semester
†Courses only offered in Spring semester

BME Technical Elective Courses

BME students are also required to earn credit in a set of five technical elective courses approved by the Academic Advisor or Undergraduate Program Director. These electives can be chosen from among advanced courses in BME, or courses in Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Kinesiology, Microbiology, and Mechanical Engineering, or others as approved. See the BME Academic Advisor or Undergraduate Program Director for a full list of pre-approved electives, and instructions for approval of alternative elective courses. Technical electives must meet a minimum of 15 total credits.

Please note that technical electives may not be offered every year, and some may be offered infrequently based on faculty availability. Please consult with the offering department to confirm the availability of a specific course you are considering.

Course Prerequisites

All students must meet the listed prerequisites for a course or obtain permission of the instructor. Students may be dropped from any course for which they have not met the prerequisites and, in the instructor’s opinion, do not have adequate preparation.

Curriculum Approval and Modifications

Students must obtain written approval from the Academic Advisor or Undergraduate Program Director for foundation and elective course selection and for any curriculum modifications.

Honors Program

The BME program supports a departmental honors (DH) program for qualified students. Information on the Honors Program can be found in the Commonwealth Honors College section in this Guide. Students interested in the departmental honors program should contact the undergraduate program director or academic advisor.