BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING (BSBE)
BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING AT THE
The Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering has been awarded since 1993. Students integrate engineering and life science knowledge acquired over a four year period while developing a set of practical skills. The Biomedical Engineering undergraduate program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).
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BME CONCENTRATIONS
UM BME offers three unique concentrations for specialization. Each one provides a broad foundation in the basic sciences and in engineering while offering courses to allow students to focus on specific career related subjects. The three concentrations are: Electrical (E), Mechanical (M), and Premedical (P). |
The department prepares the students in all three concentrations for industry, graduate or professional studies in relation to engineering. Pre-medical BME students are exposed to the major areas of biomedical engineering, while satisfying medical school requirements (Pre-medical Advising and Requirements).
BME CURRICULUM
The educational and program objectives of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the
1. have a sound background in the fundamentals of engineering, physical and life sciences, and are prepared to practice biomedical engineering in the areas of bioelectrical and biomechanical engineering.
2. have mastered the skills and knowledge expected by the biomedical industry.
3. are prepared to enter graduate and professional degreee programs, as well as other careers.
In striving to achieve the Department’s goals and objectives, the faculty endeavors to provide all graduates with the mathematical, investigational, and design tools required to formulate problems accurately, generate alternative solutions, evaluate those alternatives, and present the best solutions to research, development and economic problems. Superior students are prepared for graduate studies or medical school. The teaching laboratories meet current program needs and are constantly being improved. Equipment and experiments are geared to provide instruction in biomechanics, tissue mechanics, instrumentation, biomedical optics and other areas. The curriculum includes required courses in mathematics and in the physical and life sciences that ensure a firm scientific background, while advanced departmental courses provide for specialization. Required courses in the humanities and social sciences give students the social, ethical and ecological awareness needed in their profession. The courses are designed with the prerequisite structure in mind so that students have to draw from previously acquired knowledge to complete the upper level course requirements successfully.
BME DESIGN AND LABORATORY EXPERIENCE
The engineering design experience is interwoven in the curriculum throughout the students' four years of study. The students then enroll in 23 mandatory BME credits (Biomaterials, Biomechanics and Biomedical Measurements, Mathematical Analysis in BME, Biomedical Transport Phenomena, Biomedical Signal Processing and Biomedical Instrumentation) as juniors and seniors. In addition to the above compulsory courses, each student participates in a year-long, 3 credit Senior Design Project. This design experience is a comprehensive project where students pool all knowledge and previous design experience into one major project, integrating the various components of the curriculum. Students prepare written and oral presentations. They also select two or three technical electives to pursue their individual professional interests.
Technical Entrepreneurship is an alternative to the Senior Design Project. In this two-semester sequence the students form entrepreneurial teams of 4 to 6 members to design and develop new products. They also work on the business aspects of the project. This program was established with a grant from the National Collegiate Innovators and Inventors Alliance (NCIIA) in 1999 and it is currently supported by additional grants from NCIIA.
Voluntary participation in ongoing research and development projects within the department's laboratories, or on technical problems within the medical research laboratories, or at industrial firms is strongly encouraged. Communication is emphasized through requirements for oral presentation and written technical reports in many of the BME courses, in the Senior Design Project, in the Technical Entrepreneurship sequence and in the special laboratory experience. These activities provide the graduates with valuable practical experience and communications skills while studying Biomedical Engineering at the
OPPORTUNITIES FOR BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERS
Opportunities for quality education extend beyond the classroom. The small-class environment and the open-door policy of the faculty foster information exchange. Students are prepared for immediate employment as engineers in the biomedical devices and diagnostics industry as contributors to the economy.
Graduates of the biomedical engineering undergraduate program may seek employment in industry or continue their studies either in graduate school or in a professional school in medicine, law or business.
