The major in biomedical engineering builds on the foundation provided by the BSE core requirements, preparing students for the challenges and opportunities associated with careers in the profession.
Programs designed to lead to professional licensure are subject to federal regulations regarding informational disclosures. Please visit Professional Licensure Disclosures by Program for more information.
Focus Areas
All BSE 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. Bioimaging clinically seeks to reveal, diagnose, or examine diseases and also investigates 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 as well as medical device design. 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 and simulated physiological systems. 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 development 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 fields.
The Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) with a major in biomedical engineering requires a minimum of 128 s.h., plus a maximum of two 1 s.h. departmental seminars. At the time of graduation, students must have a cumulative grade-point average of at least 2.00 in all college work used to complete degree requirements and in all UI coursework to be awarded the BSE.
All BSE students are required to take the same collegiate curriculum. For information about these collegiate requirements, visit the Bachelor of Science in Engineering, BSE in the catalog. 6 s.h. of a student's major courses fulfill the collegiate curriculum's basic science and college-level math requirement. Students completing the major in biomedical engineering fulfill the collegiate statistics requirement through BIOS:4120 Introduction to Biostatistics or STAT:3510 Biostatistics.
The major in biomedical engineering may include the following departmental seminars depending on when a student declares the major.
Course List
| Course # |
Title |
Hours |
| BME:1010 | First-Year Forum | 1 |
| BME:2010 | Professional Seminar: Biomedical Engineering | 1 |
The program has been designed carefully to enable students to satisfy the entrance requirements of the Graduate College.
The BSE with a major in biomedical engineering requires the following coursework.
Requirements Summary
| Requirements |
Hours |
| Collegiate Curriculum |
49 |
| Basic Science and College-Level Math, from Major Requirements or Focus Area coursework |
6 |
| Major Requirements |
40 |
| Focus Area |
33-34 |
Major Requirements
Major requirements include a set of common courses (38 s.h.) and two capstone design courses (8 s.h.).
Common Courses
Students in the bioimaging or computational bioengineering focus areas may choose between ENGR:2130 Thermodynamics or ENGR:3110 Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Engineering.
Course List
| Course # |
Title |
Hours |
| |
| BME:2200 | Systems, Instrumentation, and Data Acquisition (with lab) | 4 |
| BME:2210 | Bioimaging and Bioinformatics (with lab) | 4 |
| BME:2400 | Cell and Tissue Engineering Fundamentals (with lab) | 3 |
| BME:2500 | Biomaterials and Biomechanics (with lab) | 4 |
| BME:3260 | Quantitative Physiology | 3 |
| or HHP:2400 | Fundamentals of Human Physiology |
| BIOL:1411 | Foundations of Biology (with lab) | 4 |
| CHEM:1120 | Principles of Chemistry II (with lab) | 4 |
| ENGR:2110 | Statics | 2 |
| ENGR:2120 | Electrical Circuits | 3 |
| ENGR:2130 | Thermodynamics | 3 |
| PHYS:1612 | Introductory Physics II (with lab) | 4 |
Capstone Design Courses
Course List
| Course # |
Title |
Hours |
| |
| 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 Curriculum 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
Students who choose to pursue pre-medicine can select any focus area and choose to apply their pre-medicine courses as part of their additional focus area electives. Students should consult their pre-medicine advisor to determine which set of courses is appropriate for their course of study.
Bioimaging
Required Bioimaging Courses
Bioimaging Electives
Course List
| Course # |
Title |
Hours |
| |
| BME:5200/IGPI:5212 | Biomedical Signal Processing | 3 |
| BME:5240 | Deep Learning in Medical Imaging (DLMI) | 3 |
| ECE:5200/IGPI:5450 | Machine Learning | 3 |
| ECE:5330/IGPI:5331 | Graph Algorithms and Combinatorial Optimization | 3 |
| ECE:5490 | Multi-Dimensional Image Analysis Tools and Techniques | 3 |
| ENGR:3110 | Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Engineering (if not taken to fulfill major requirements) | 3 |
Additional Electives–Bioimaging
The following courses are suggested additional electives for the bioimaging focus area. Students are encouraged to consult their academic advisor when selecting electives.
Biomechanics and Biomaterials
Required Biomechanics and Biomaterials Courses
Biomechanics and Biomaterials Electives
Course List
| Course # |
Title |
Hours |
| |
| 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–Biomechanics and Biomaterials
The following courses are suggested additional electives for the biomechanics and biomaterials focus area. Students are encouraged to consult their academic advisor when selecting electives.
Course List
| Course # |
Title |
Hours |
| |
| BME:3710 | Medical Device Design: The Fundamentals | 3 |
| BME:4710 | Medical Device Design Studio | 3 |
| BME:5421 | Cell Material Interactions | 3 |
| BME:5430 | Biotransport | 3 |
| BME:5431 | Biofabrication for Tissue Engineering | 3 |
| BME:5441 | Numerical and Statistical Methods for Bioengineering | 3 |
| BME:5460 | Biomedical Micro Devices and Systems | 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:2100 | 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 |
| MATH:3550 | Engineering Vector Calculus | 3 |
| ME:4110/CEE:4515 | Computer-Aided Engineering | 3 |
| OEH:4310 | Occupational Ergonomics: Principles | 3 |
| 3 |
| 3-4 |
| |
| CEE:4533/IGPI:4115 | Finite Element I | 3 |
| ME:4117 | Finite Element Analysis | 3 |
Cellular Engineering
Required Cellular Engineering Courses
Course List
| Course # |
Title |
Hours |
| |
| BME:5421 | Cell Material Interactions | 3 |
| BME:5430 | Biotransport | 3 |
| ENGR:2750 | Mechanics of Deformable Bodies | 3 |
| |
| BME:5435 | Systems Biology for Biomedical Engineering | 3 |
| 3-4 |
Cellular Engineering Electives
Additional Electives–Cellular Engineering
The following courses are suggested additional electives for the cellular engineering focus area. Students are encouraged to consult their academic advisor when selecting electives.
Computational Bioengineering
Required Computational Bioengineering Courses
Computational Bioengineering Electives
Course List
| Course # |
Title |
Hours |
| |
| BME:5240 | Deep Learning in Medical Imaging (DLMI) | 3 |
| ECE:5330/IGPI:5331 | Graph Algorithms and Combinatorial Optimization | 3 |
| ECE:5820/CS:5820 | Software Engineering Languages and Tools | 3 |
| ENGR:2130 | Thermodynamics (if not taken to fulfill major requirements) | 3 |
| ENGR:3110 | Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Engineering (if not taken to fulfill major requirements) | 3 |
Additional Electives–Computational Bioengineering
The following courses are suggested additional electives for the computational bioengineering focus area. Students are encouraged to consult their academic advisor when selecting electives.
Undergraduate to Graduate (U2G Programs)
Bachelor of Science in Engineering students in biomedical engineering may pair their degree with an Undergraduate to Graduate (U2G) program, which allows the student to earn a bachelor's and master's degree in five years of study. Biomedical engineering undergraduates are eligible to apply for the following U2G graduate programs and any other participating U2G programs. Visit the Undergraduate to Graduate (U2G) website for available programs.
BSE/MS 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 an MS in biomedical engineering. Students admitted to this program are allowed to apply a maximum of 12 s.h. of graduate coursework toward both the BSE and MS degree requirements 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 BSE/MS program in biomedical engineering must meet the following criteria at the time of application:
- a minimum of 80 s.h. completed toward their BSE degree;
- a cumulative grade-point average of 3.50 or higher; and
- identification of a research mentor if pursuing a thesis master's degree.
BSE/MPH (Occupational and Environmental Health Subprogram)
The combined BSE in biomedical engineering/MPH with the occupational and environmental health subprogram enables undergraduate students majoring in biomedical engineering to begin work toward the MPH degree while completing their bachelor's degree. Students may count 15 s.h. toward both the BSE and the MPH degree requirements. Visit the Master of Public Health, MPH (occupational and environmental health subprogram) in the catalog.
BSE/MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering
BSE students majoring in biomedical engineering who are interested in earning a Master of Science in electrical and computer engineering may apply to the combined BSE/MS 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. Visit the MS in electrical and computer engineering in the catalog.
BSE (Biomechanics and Biomaterials Focus Area)/MS in Occupational and Environmental Health (Industrial Hygiene Subprogram)
BSE students majoring in biomedical engineering in the biomechanics and biomaterials focus area who are interested in earning a Master of Science in occupational and environmental health with an industrial hygiene subprogram may apply to the combined BSE/MS 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. Visit the MS in occupational and environmental health Undergraduate to Graduate (U2G) information on the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health (College of Public Health) website.
Biomedical engineering graduates pursue careers in the design and development of medical devices, diagnostic technologies, therapeutic systems, prosthetics, and other health care-related engineering applications. The major also supports career paths in biomechanics, imaging, systems engineering, and regulatory or quality roles within the medical device and biotechnology industries. Graduates may work in industry, research settings, hospitals, or government agencies, and many continue their education in engineering, medicine, public health, or law.
Engineering Career Services connects students with experiential learning and professional opportunities that support their development as emerging engineers. Staff coordinate the college’s co-op and internship program, sustain strong employer relationships, and offer a variety of opportunities for students to engage with industry, including engineering career fairs and additional career-focused programming. The office provides individual advising on resumes, job and internship search strategies, interviewing, and evaluating job offers. Engineering Career Services works closely with the Pomerantz Career Center to facilitate on-campus interviewing, collect postgraduation data, and manage the university’s recruiting system, Handshake.
Sample Plan of Study
Sample plans represent one way to complete a program of study. Actual course selection and sequence will vary and should be discussed with an academic advisor. For additional sample plans, see MyUI.
Biomedical Engineering, BSE
Plan of Study Grid (Manual)
| Academic Career |
|---|
| Any Semester |
|---|
|
|
| | Hours | 0 |
| First Year |
|---|
| Fall |
|---|
| CHEM:1110 |
Principles of Chemistry I a |
4 |
| CSI:1600 |
Success at Iowa |
0 |
| ENGR:1100 |
Introduction to Engineering Problem Solving |
3 |
| MATH:1550 |
Engineering Calculus I b |
4 |
| RHET:1030 |
Rhetoric: Writing and Communication |
4 |
| | Hours | 15 |
| Spring |
|---|
| BME:1010 |
First-Year Forum |
1 |
| CHEM:1120 |
Principles of Chemistry II |
4 |
| ENGR:1300 |
Introduction to Engineering Computing |
3 |
| MATH:1560 |
Engineering Calculus II |
4 |
| MATH:2550 |
Engineering Matrix Algebra |
2 |
| PHYS:1611 |
Introductory Physics I |
4 |
| | Hours | 18 |
| Second Year |
|---|
| Fall |
|---|
| BIOL:1411 |
Foundations of Biology |
4 |
| BME:2010 |
Professional Seminar: Biomedical Engineering |
1 |
| ENGR:2110 |
Statics |
2 |
| ENGR:2120 |
Electrical Circuits |
3 |
ENGR:2130
|
Thermodynamics c
or Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Engineering |
3 |
| MATH:2560 |
Engineering Differential Equations |
3 |
|
|
| | Hours | 16 |
| Spring |
|---|
STAT:3510
|
Biostatistics
or Introduction to Biostatistics |
3 |
| BME:2400 |
Cell and Tissue Engineering Fundamentals d |
3 |
| BME:2500 |
Biomaterials and Biomechanics d |
4 |
BME:3260
|
Quantitative Physiology
or Fundamentals of Human Physiology |
3 |
| e |
3 |
| | Hours | 16 |
| Third Year |
|---|
| Fall |
|---|
| BME:2200 |
Systems, Instrumentation, and Data Acquisition d |
4 |
| BME:2210 |
Bioimaging and Bioinformatics d |
4 |
| e |
3 |
| e |
3 |
| f |
3 |
| | Hours | 17 |
| Spring |
|---|
| PHYS:1612 |
Introductory Physics II |
4 |
| e |
3 |
| e, g |
3 |
| e |
3 |
| f |
3 |
| | Hours | 16 |
| Fourth Year |
|---|
| Fall |
|---|
| BME:4910 |
Biomedical Engineering Senior Design I |
4 |
| e |
3 |
| e, g |
3 |
| e, g |
3 |
| f |
3 |
| | Hours | 16 |
| Spring |
|---|
| BME:4920 |
Biomedical Engineering Senior Design II |
4 |
| e, g |
3 |
| e, g |
3 |
| f |
3 |
| f |
3 |
| h |
|
| | Hours | 16 |
| | Total Hours | 130 |
