Bachelor of Science [B.S] [Biomedical Engineering] From Washington University

A student majoring in biomedical engineering will have the opportunity to participate in the world-class research activities of engineering and medical faculty in biomaterials and imaging, cardiovascular engineering, cell and tissue engineering, molecular cellular and systems engineering, and neural engineering. All students in biomedical engineering are encouraged to join and be active in the Biomedical Engineering Society.

Mission Statement

The departmental mission is to serve society as a center for learning and knowledge-creation in engineering and science for the purpose of advancing biology and medicine.

The overall educational objective is to prepare those receiving a bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering for a variety of career paths. To that end, our undergraduate curriculum is designed to provide technical proficiency as well as communication and other professional skills so that our graduates will be able to:

Pursue careers in the biomedical engineering industry or related fields.

Undertake advanced study (e.g., MS, PhD) in biomedical engineering or a related field, in preparation for careers utilizing this further training.

Complete professional degrees (e.g., in medicine, dentistry, law, business) in preparation for careers utilizing those degrees.

Academic Programs

The Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering (BS–BME) is designed to prepare graduates for the practice of engineering at a professional level and is accredited by Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET (style="margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit;">The curriculum is structured around a basic core of 102 units. In addition, a complementary set of courses totaling at least 18 units completes the degree requirements. The latter courses will be elected from the sciences (biology, chemistry, physics), mathematics or engineering.

In order to satisfy ABET requirements, all professional engineering curricula at the baccalaureate level must include the equivalent of one and one-half years of engineering topics, to include engineering sciences and engineering design appropriate to biomedical engineering. The BS–BME degree at Washington University requires 48 credits of engineering topics. The basic core curriculum includes 33 to 34 engineering topics credits. Therefore, students pursuing a BS–BME degree will need 14 to 15 additional engineering topics credits beyond the basic core curriculum. They also may receive up to 6 units of academic credit for a research or design project, by registering for BME 400, BME 400A, BME 400B orBME 400C Independent Study. In addition, their course program must include sufficient laboratory experience to ensure competence in experimental design, data collection and data analysis. For more information regarding engineering topics unit requirements, please refer to the BME Undergraduate Studies Manual, available in the Biomedical Engineering Department in Whitaker Hall, Room 190.