The major in biomedical engineering builds on the foundation provided by the B.S.E. core requirements, preparing students for the challenges and opportunities associated with careers in the profession.
Focus Areas
All B.S.E. students complete a focus area within their chosen major. Students majoring in biomedical engineering select one of four preapproved focus areas: bioimaging, biomechanics and biomaterials, cellular engineering, or computational bioengineering. Each focus area may be designated pre-medicine by completing a specific set of electives.
Bioimaging
Bioimaging represents the acquisition, processing, and visualization of structural or functional images of living systems. Medical imaging and image processing are integral to the extraction of anatomical and biological information from the systems level down to the molecular level with the goal of clinically seeking to reveal, diagnose, or examine diseases, as well as to the study of normal anatomy and physiology.
Biomechanics and Biomaterials
Biomechanics is the study of structure and function. It is the application of principles from classical mechanics to problems in biological systems. This focus area emphasizes cardiovascular and/or musculoskeletal biomechanics. The study of biomaterials plays an important role in the design of implants and surgical instrumentation for both cardiovascular and musculoskeletal applications.
Cellular Engineering
Cellular engineering involves the application of engineering principles to problems in cellular and molecular biology, particularly as they relate to human health. The goal of this focus area is to equip students with the quantitative tools necessary to understand, manipulate, and control cellular and subcellular processes for a range of biomedical applications, including those related to stem cells, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine.
Computational Bioengineering
Computational bioengineering is an interdisciplinary field that develops methods and software tools for modeling and understanding biological data and systems that are typically represented by large amounts of data. Computational bioengineering is a combination of computer science, statistics, informatics, and engineering to analyze and interpret biological and genomic data. It is used for the identification of candidate genes to better understand the genetic basis of disease, unique adaptations, and differences between populations.
Educational Objectives
The department provides undergraduate students with a contemporary education in a multidisciplinary field of engineering. Its objective is to produce graduates who:
- advance the biomedical field through the responsible analysis and design of devices, systems, processes, and policies that improve human health;
- pursue a wide range of career options, including those in industry, academia, and medicine; and
- collaborate on multidisciplinary teams and become leaders in their chosen field.
The Bachelor of Science in Engineering with a major in biomedical engineering requires a minimum of 131 s.h. of credit; students within this major typically complete 133-134 s.h. Students must have a g.p.a. of at least 2.00 in all college work used to satisfy degree requirements as well as on all coursework attempted at the University of Iowa.
All B.S.E. students are required to take the same collegiate curriculum. For information about these collegiate requirements, see the Bachelor of Science in Engineering, B.S.E. in the catalog. Students completing the major in biomedical engineering fulfill the collegiate statistics requirement by completing BIOS:4120 Introduction to Biostatistics or STAT:3510 Biostatistics.
The program has been designed carefully to enable students to satisfy the entrance requirements of the Graduate College. Students whose choice of electives includes a three-course sequence in organic chemistry, an additional biology course, and a biochemistry course may satisfy entrance requirements of the Carver College of Medicine, the College of Dentistry, or the allied health sciences.
The major in biomedical engineering requires the following coursework.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Collegiate Curriculum | 50 | |
| Major Requirements | 48 | |
| Focus Area | 33-34 | |
| Total Hours | 131-132 | |
Major Requirements
Major requirements include a set of common courses (38 s.h.), two departmental seminars (2 s.h.), and two capstone design courses (8 s.h.).
Students in the bioimaging or computational bioengineering focus areas may choose between ENGR:2130 Thermodynamics or ENGR:2995 Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Engineering.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| All of these: | ||
| BME:2200 | Systems, Instrumentation, and Data Acquisition (with lab) | 4 |
| BME:2210 | Bioimaging and Bioinformatics (with lab) | 4 |
| BME:2400 | Cell Biology for Engineers (with lab) | 3 |
| BME:2500 | Biomaterials and Biomechanics (with lab) | 4 |
| BIOL:1411 | Foundations of Biology | 4 |
| CHEM:1120 | Principles of Chemistry II | 4 |
| ENGR:2110 | Statics | 2 |
| ENGR:2120 | Electrical Circuits | 3 |
| ENGR:2130 | Thermodynamics | 3 |
| HHP:3500 | Human Physiology | 3 |
| PHYS:1612 | Introductory Physics II (with lab) | 4 |
Departmental Seminars
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Both of these: | ||
| BME:1010 | First-Year Forum | 1 |
| BME:2010 | Professional Seminar: Biomedical Engineering | 1 |
Capstone Design Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Both of these: | ||
| BME:4910 | Biomedical Engineering Senior Design I | 4 |
| BME:4920 | Biomedical Engineering Senior Design II | 4 |
Focus Area
Students must select focus area courses according to guidelines established by the Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering. Biomedical engineering students choose one of four preapproved focus areas: bioimaging, biomechanics and biomaterials, cellular engineering, or computational bioengineering. For details about focus areas and their requirements, visit Focus Areas on the department's website.
Each focus area has a group of four required courses (12-13 s.h.) and a list of suggested electives (21 s.h.).
Pre-Medicine Focus Area Electives
Any focus area may be designated pre-medicine by taking the following focus area electives.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| All of these: | ||
| BMB:3110 | Biochemistry | 3 |
| BIOL:1412 | Diversity of Form and Function | 4 |
| CHEM:2210 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM:2220 | Organic Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM:2410 | Organic Chemistry Laboratory | 3 |
| Total Hours | 16 | |
Bioimaging
Required Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| All of these: | ||
| BME:5210/ECE:5470/IGPI:5206 | Medical Imaging Physics | 3 |
| ECE:3330/IGPI:3330 | Introduction to Software Design | 3 |
| ECE:5480/IGPI:5480 | Digital Image Processing | 3 |
| ENGR:2730 | Computers in Engineering | 3 |
Bioimaging Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Two of these: | ||
| BME:5200/IGPI:5212 | Biomedical Signal Processing | 3 |
| BME:5251/IGPI:5251 | Advanced Biosystems | 3 |
| ECE:5330/IGPI:5331 | Graph Algorithms and Combinatorial Optimization | 3 |
| ECE:5450/IGPI:5450 | Machine Learning | 3 |
| ECE:5490 | Multi-Dimensional Image Analysis Tools and Techniques | 3 |
Additional Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| At least 15 s.h. from these: | ||
| CS:2210 | Discrete Structures | 3 |
| CS:2230 | Computer Science II: Data Structures | 4 |
| ECE:5460/IGPI:5460 | Digital Signal Processing | 3 |
| MATH:3800/CS:3700 | Introduction to Numerical Methods | 3 |
| Additional courses from the "Bioimaging Electives" list above | 3 | |
| Courses from the "Pre-Medicine Focus Area Electives" list | 3-4 | |
| Additional courses with advisor approval | 3 | |
Biomechanics and Biomaterials
Required Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| All of these: | ||
| ENGR:2510 | Fluid Mechanics | 4 |
| ENGR:2710 | Dynamics | 3 |
| ENGR:2720 | Materials Science | 3 |
| ENGR:2750 | Mechanics of Deformable Bodies | 3 |
Biomechanics and Biomaterials Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Two of these: | ||
| BME:2710 | Engineering Drawing, Design, and Solid Modeling | 3 |
| BME:5101 | Biomaterials and Implant Design | 3 |
| BME:5510 | Cardiovascular Engineering | 3 |
| BME:5525 | Cardiopulmonary Design and Modeling | 3 |
| BME:5610 | Musculoskeletal Biomechanics | 3 |
Additional Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| At least 15 s.h. from these: | ||
| BME:3710 | Medical Device Design: The Fundamentals | 3 |
| BME:4710 | Medical Device Design Studio | 3 |
| BME:5340 | Contemporary Topics in Biomedical Engineering | 3 |
| BME:5421 | Cell Material Interactions | 3 |
| BME:5430 | Biotransport | 3 |
| BME:5460 | Principles of Microfluidics | 3 |
| BME:5540 | Quantitative Studies of Respiratory and Cardiovascular Systems | 3 |
| BME:5620 | Introduction to Applied Biomedical Finite Element Modeling | 3 |
| BME:5630 | Kinetics of Musculoskeletal Systems | 3 |
| BME:5715 | Advanced Medical Device Design Studio | 3 |
| HHP:1100 | Human Anatomy | 3 |
| HHP:4130 | Skeletal Muscle Physiology | 3 |
| HHP:4460 | Cardiovascular Physiology | 3 |
| ISE:2360 | Design for Manufacturing | 3 |
| or ME:2300 | Manufacturing Processes | |
| ME:4110/CEE:4515 | Computer-Aided Engineering | 3 |
| ME:5143 | Computational Fluid and Thermal Engineering | 3 |
| ME:5150/CEE:5540 | Intermediate Mechanics of Deformable Bodies | 3 |
| ME:5160/CEE:5369 | Intermediate Mechanics of Fluids | 3 |
| ME:5167/CEE:5137 | Composite Materials | 3 |
| Additional courses from the "Biomechanics and Biomaterials Electives" list above | 3 | |
| Courses from the "Pre-Medicine Focus Area Electives" list | 3-4 | |
| May include one of these: | ||
| CEE:4533/IGPI:4115 | Finite Element I | 3 |
| ME:4117 | Finite Element Analysis | 3 |
Cellular Engineering
Required Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| All of these: | ||
| BME:5421 | Cell Material Interactions | 3 |
| BME:5430 | Biotransport | 3 |
| BME:5435 | Systems Biology for Biomedical Engineering | 3 |
| ENGR:2750 | Mechanics of Deformable Bodies | 3 |
Cellular Engineering Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Two of these: | ||
| BME:4310/BMB:4310 | Computational Biochemistry | 3 |
| BME:5441 | Numerical and Statistical Methods for Bioengineering | 3 |
| BME:5445 | Stem Cells in Regenerative Engineering | 3 |
| BME:5451 | Research Methods in Cellular Engineering | 3 |
| ECE:5480/IGPI:5480 | Digital Image Processing | 3 |
Additional Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| At least 15 s.h. from these: | ||
| BME:5460 | Principles of Microfluidics | 3 |
| BME:5525 | Cardiopulmonary Design and Modeling | 3 |
| BIOL:2512 | Fundamental Genetics | 4 |
| BMB:3120 | Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I | 3 |
| BMB:3130 | Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II | 3 |
| ENGR:2510 | Fluid Mechanics | 4 |
| ENGR:2710 | Dynamics | 3 |
| ENGR:2720 | Materials Science | 3 |
| ENGR:2730 | Computers in Engineering | 2-3 |
| ME:5179/CEE:5179 | Continuum Mechanics | arr. |
| Additional courses from the "Cellular Engineering Electives" list above | 3 | |
| Courses from the "Pre-Medicine Focus Area Electives" list | 3-4 | |
Computational Bioengineering
Required Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| All of these: | ||
| BME:4310/BMB:4310 | Computational Biochemistry | 3 |
| BME:5335 | Computational Bioinformatics | 3 |
| ECE:3330/IGPI:3330 | Introduction to Software Design | 3 |
| ENGR:2730 | Computers in Engineering | 3 |
Computational Bioengineering Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Two of these: | ||
| ECE:5330/IGPI:5331 | Graph Algorithms and Combinatorial Optimization | 3 |
| ECE:5450/IGPI:5450 | Machine Learning | 3 |
| ECE:5820/CS:5820 | Software Engineering Languages and Tools | 3 |
| ENGR:2995 | Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Engineering (may not count as an elective if taken in place of ENGR:2130 to fulfill major requirements) | 3 |
Additional Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| At least 15 s.h. from these: | ||
| ANTH:2320/GHS:2320 | Origins of Human Infectious Disease | 3 |
| BIOL:2512 | Fundamental Genetics | 4 |
| BIOL:3314/IGPI:3314 | Genomics | 3 |
| BIOL:4213/GENE:4213/IGPI:4213 | Bioinformatics | 2,4 |
| CHEM:5431 | Statistical Thermodynamics I | 3 |
| CHEM:5436/IGPI:5436 | Electronic Structure and Informatics in Chemistry | 3 |
| CS:3330 | Algorithms | 3 |
| CS:5350 | Design and Analysis of Algorithms | 3 |
| ECE:5800/CS:5800 | Fundamentals of Software Engineering | 3 |
| Additional courses from the "Computational Bioengineering Electives" list above | 3 | |
| Courses from the "Pre-Medicine Focus Area Electives" list | 3-4 | |
B.S.E./M.S. in Biomedical Engineering
The College of Engineering offers a combined Bachelor of Science in Engineering/Master of Science for biomedical engineering undergraduate students who intend to earn a M.S. in biomedical engineering. Students admitted to this program are allowed to apply three engineering courses (9 s.h.) towards both the B.S.E. and M.S. degree requirements, take an additional 3 s.h. of graduate coursework before completing their B.S.E., and attend and participate in the departmental graduate seminar. Students may begin to work on their coursework or master's thesis starting as early as the summer following the junior year of undergraduate studies.
Students applying to the B.S.E./M.S. program in biomedical engineering must meet the following criteria at the time of application:
- a minimum of 80 s.h. completed towards their B.S.E. degree,
- a cumulative g.p.a. of 3.50 or higher, and
- identification of a thesis or project mentor.
B.S.E./M.P.H. (Occupational and Environmental Health Subprogram)
The combined B.S.E. in biomedical engineering/M.PH. with the occupational and environmental health subprogram enables undergraduate students majoring in biomedical engineering to begin work toward the M.P.H degree while completing their bachelor's degree. Students may count 15 s.h. of credit toward both the B.S.E. and the M.P.H. degree requirements. See the Master of Public Health, M.P.H. (occupational and environmental health subprogram) in the Catalog.
B.S.E./M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering
B.S.E. students majoring in biomedical engineering who are interested in earning a Master of Science in electrical and computer engineering may apply to the combined B.S.E./M.S. program offered by the College of Engineering. The combined program permits students to count a limited amount of credit toward the requirements of both degrees. See the M.S. in electrical and computer engineering in the Catalog.
B.S.E. (Biomechanics and Biomaterials Track)/M.S. in Occupational and Environmental Health (Industrial Hygiene Subprogram)
B.S.E. students majoring in biomedical engineering in the biomechanics and biomaterials track who are interested in earning a Master of Science in occupational and environmental health with an industrial hygiene subprogram may apply to the combined B.S.E./M.S. program offered by the College of Engineering and the College of Public Health. The combined program permits students to count a limited amount of credit toward the requirements of both degrees, enabling them to begin the study of public health before they complete the bachelor's degree. See the M.S. in occupational and environmental health Undergraduate to Graduate (U2G) information on the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health (College of Public Health) website.
B.S.E. graduates with a major in biomedical engineering may pursue career opportunities in biomedical industries, such as design and development of biomedical instrumentation, diagnostic aids, life support systems, prosthetic and orthotic devices, and man-machine systems; or they may pursue traditional career opportunities in industry, such as those rooted in mechanical or electrical engineering disciplines. Other career options are available in government (Food and Drug Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, National Institutes of Health, Veterans Affairs). Some biomedical engineering graduates elect to continue formal education in engineering, medicine, or law. On average, 93-98 percent of graduates are employed in their field of study or pursuing advanced education within seven months of graduation.
Engineering Career Services develops and promotes experiential education and professional opportunities for students in the College of Engineering. Professional staff coordinate the college's co-op and internship program, engage in employer outreach, and provide opportunities for students to network with employers, including an engineering career fair each semester and other programming related to career development.
Engineering Career Services offers individual advising and class presentations on résumé and cover letter preparation, job and internship search strategies, interviewing skills, job offer evaluation, and much more. Engineering Career Services partners with the Pomerantz Career Center to facilitate on-campus interviewing, postgraduation outcome collection, and the University's online recruiting system, Handshake.