Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering
Encyclopedia
A Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering is a kind of bachelor's degree
typically conferred after a four year undergraduate course of study in biomedical engineering
(BME). The degree itself is largely equivalent to a bachelor of science
and many institutions conferring degrees in the fields of biomedical engineering and bioengineering do not append the field to the degree itself. Courses of study in BME are also extremely diverse as the field itself is relatively new and developing. In general, an undergraduate course of study in BME is likened to a cross between engineering
and biological science with varying degrees of proportionality between the two.
. These certifications are usually nationally regulated and registered, but there are also cases where a self-governing body, such as the Canadian Association of Professional Engineers. In many cases, carrying the title of "Professional Engineer" is legally protected.
As BME is an emerging field, professional certifications are not as standard and uniform as they are for other engineering fields. For example, the Fundamentals of Engineering exam
in the U.S. does not include a biomedical engineering section, though it does cover biology. Biomedical engineers often simply possess a university degree as their qualification. However, some countries do regulate biomedical engineers, such as Australia, however registration is typically recommended, but not always a requirement.
As with many engineering fields, a bachelor's degree is usually the minimum and often most common degree for a profession in BME, though it is not uncommon for the bachelor's degree to serve as a launching pad into graduate studies. ABET
does accredit undergraduate programs in the field . However, even this is not a strict requirement since it is an emerging field and due to the young age of many programs.
s, statistics, and a basic understanding of biology
and other basic sciences are hallmarks of a BME program.
Many BME programs have a series of tracks that focus on a particular area of study within BME. Often, the tracks also coincide with a particular engineering or science field. Examples of tracks include:
Many other tracks may exist within specific programs as well as combinations of multiple tracks.
Another common feature of many BME programs is a capstone design project where students become involved in researching and developing technology in the field. At some schools, this culminates in the creation of medical device
s and prototypes. Capstone design projects also often include exposure to issues like funding
, regulatory issues and other topics that are related to careers in the field.
to give students relevant work experience before graduation.
Students that participate in either research or industry during the course of study often see advantages when they enter the job market, as many employers prefer experienced candidates or offer higher pay to those with prior experience. Also, research or industry experience is often a factor in graduate school admission.
Since BME is a diverse field, many programs have a broad curriculum with students usually choosing to specialize in a particular aspect of BME. However, due to the diversity, some degree holders may find their education lacking in deep emphasis, which may prompt continuing studies in graduate school or by learning through experience.
Numerous rankings of undergraduate BME programs exist with highly varying basis for each ranking. As with many degrees, the reputation of a program may factor into the desirability of a degree holder for either employment or graduate admission. The reputation of many undergraduate degrees are also linked to the institution's graduate or research programs, which have more tangible factors for rating, such as research funding and volume, publications and citations.
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
typically conferred after a four year undergraduate course of study in biomedical engineering
Biomedical engineering
Biomedical Engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology. This field seeks to close the gap between engineering and medicine: It combines the design and problem solving skills of engineering with medical and biological sciences to improve...
(BME). The degree itself is largely equivalent to a bachelor of science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
and many institutions conferring degrees in the fields of biomedical engineering and bioengineering do not append the field to the degree itself. Courses of study in BME are also extremely diverse as the field itself is relatively new and developing. In general, an undergraduate course of study in BME is likened to a cross between engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
and biological science with varying degrees of proportionality between the two.
Professional status
Engineers typically require a type of professional certification, such as satisfying certain education requirements and passing an examination to become a professional engineerProfessional Engineer
Regulation of the engineering profession is established by various jurisdictions of the world to protect the safety, well-being and other interests of the general public, and to define the licensure process through which an engineer becomes authorized to provide professional services to the...
. These certifications are usually nationally regulated and registered, but there are also cases where a self-governing body, such as the Canadian Association of Professional Engineers. In many cases, carrying the title of "Professional Engineer" is legally protected.
As BME is an emerging field, professional certifications are not as standard and uniform as they are for other engineering fields. For example, the Fundamentals of Engineering exam
Fundamentals of Engineering exam
The Fundamentals of Engineering exam, also referred to as the Engineer in Training exam, and formerly in some states as the Engineering Intern exam, is the first of two examinations that engineers must pass in order to be licensed as a Professional Engineer in the United States...
in the U.S. does not include a biomedical engineering section, though it does cover biology. Biomedical engineers often simply possess a university degree as their qualification. However, some countries do regulate biomedical engineers, such as Australia, however registration is typically recommended, but not always a requirement.
As with many engineering fields, a bachelor's degree is usually the minimum and often most common degree for a profession in BME, though it is not uncommon for the bachelor's degree to serve as a launching pad into graduate studies. ABET
Abet
Abet may refer to:* Abet Guidaben , former Philippine Basketball Association basketball player* ABET, Inc., a non-profit organization that accredits higher education programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology....
does accredit undergraduate programs in the field . However, even this is not a strict requirement since it is an emerging field and due to the young age of many programs.
Curriculum
The curriculum for BME programs varies significantly from institution to institution and often within a single program. In general, a basic engineering curriculum, including mathematics through differential equationDifferential equation
A differential equation is a mathematical equation for an unknown function of one or several variables that relates the values of the function itself and its derivatives of various orders...
s, statistics, and a basic understanding of biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
and other basic sciences are hallmarks of a BME program.
Many BME programs have a series of tracks that focus on a particular area of study within BME. Often, the tracks also coincide with a particular engineering or science field. Examples of tracks include:
- BiomechanicsBiomechanicsBiomechanics is the application of mechanical principles to biological systems, such as humans, animals, plants, organs, and cells. Perhaps one of the best definitions was provided by Herbert Hatze in 1974: "Biomechanics is the study of the structure and function of biological systems by means of...
: Focus includes medical deviceMedical deviceA medical device is a product which is used for medical purposes in patients, in diagnosis, therapy or surgery . Whereas medicinal products achieve their principal action by pharmacological, metabolic or immunological means. Medical devices act by other means like physical, mechanical, thermal,...
s, modeling of biological systems and mechanics of organisms. This track interfaces with mechanical engineeringMechanical engineeringMechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
and often physiologyPhysiologyPhysiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
. - Bioinstrumentation/Bioelectrical Systems: Focus includes medical devices, modeling of biological systems, in particular circuit analogies to the nervous systemNervous systemThe nervous system is an organ system containing a network of specialized cells called neurons that coordinate the actions of an animal and transmit signals between different parts of its body. In most animals the nervous system consists of two parts, central and peripheral. The central nervous...
, bioelectric phenomena and signal processingSignal processingSignal processing is an area of systems engineering, electrical engineering and applied mathematics that deals with operations on or analysis of signals, in either discrete or continuous time...
. This track interfaces with electrical engineeringElectrical engineeringElectrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
. - Cell, TissueTissue engineeringTissue engineering is the use of a combination of cells, engineering and materials methods, and suitable biochemical and physio-chemical factors to improve or replace biological functions...
and BiomolecularMolecular engineeringMolecular engineering is any means of manufacturing molecules. It may be used to create, on an extremely small scale, most typically one at a time, new molecules which may not exist in nature, or be stable beyond a very narrow range of conditions....
Engineering: This track is often quite diverse, with focus ranging from artificial tissues, modeling of biological systems, drug deliveryDrug deliveryDrug delivery is the method or process of administering a pharmaceutical compound to achieve a therapeutic effect in humans or animals. Drug delivery technologies modify drug release profile, absorption, distribution and elimination for the benefit of improving product efficacy and safety, as well...
, genetic engineeringGenetic engineeringGenetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct human manipulation of an organism's genome using modern DNA technology. It involves the introduction of foreign DNA or synthetic genes into the organism of interest...
, biochemical engineeringBiochemical engineeringBiochemical engineering is a branch of chemical engineering or biological engineering that mainly deals with the design and construction of unit processes that involve biological organisms or molecules, such as bioreactors...
and protein production. This track can interface with chemical engineeringChemical engineeringChemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...
, mechanical engineeringMechanical engineeringMechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
, molecular biologyMolecular biologyMolecular biology is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry...
, physiologyPhysiologyPhysiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
, geneticsGeneticsGenetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
, materials scienceMaterials scienceMaterials science is an interdisciplinary field applying the properties of matter to various areas of science and engineering. This scientific field investigates the relationship between the structure of materials at atomic or molecular scales and their macroscopic properties. It incorporates...
and other fields. - Medical Optics: Focus on medical diagnostics and medical optical technology. This track interfaces with opticsOpticsOptics is the branch of physics which involves the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behavior of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light...
, physicsPhysicsPhysics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and electrical engineeringElectrical engineeringElectrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
.
Many other tracks may exist within specific programs as well as combinations of multiple tracks.
Another common feature of many BME programs is a capstone design project where students become involved in researching and developing technology in the field. At some schools, this culminates in the creation of medical device
Medical device
A medical device is a product which is used for medical purposes in patients, in diagnosis, therapy or surgery . Whereas medicinal products achieve their principal action by pharmacological, metabolic or immunological means. Medical devices act by other means like physical, mechanical, thermal,...
s and prototypes. Capstone design projects also often include exposure to issues like funding
Funding
Funding is the act of providing resources, usually in form of money , or other values such as effort or time , for a project, a person, a business or any other private or public institutions...
, regulatory issues and other topics that are related to careers in the field.
Research and Industry Experience
An important feature of many programs is the inclusion of research and/or industry experience into either the curricular or extracurricular work done by students. Since BME careers often focuses on research or industrial applications of the field, many programs have seen fit to either encourage or sometimes require experience outside of the standard curricular requirements. Many research universities offer chances for students to participate in faculty research at the undergraduate level. Other schools have an industry practicum or co-opsCooperative education
Cooperative education is a structured method of combining classroom-based education with practical work experience. A cooperative education experience, commonly known as a "co-op", provides academic credit for structured job experience...
to give students relevant work experience before graduation.
Students that participate in either research or industry during the course of study often see advantages when they enter the job market, as many employers prefer experienced candidates or offer higher pay to those with prior experience. Also, research or industry experience is often a factor in graduate school admission.
Value of the degree
Recently, many universities have been implementing new initiatives to either create or expand upon undergraduate programs in BME. This is in part due to rising demand in the biotechnology sector and the increasing interest in biological research. A degree in BME instantly identifies a candidate as having training in both traditional engineering as well as biological science, which has become an increasingly desirable qualification as aspects of biology are permeating into other industries.Since BME is a diverse field, many programs have a broad curriculum with students usually choosing to specialize in a particular aspect of BME. However, due to the diversity, some degree holders may find their education lacking in deep emphasis, which may prompt continuing studies in graduate school or by learning through experience.
Numerous rankings of undergraduate BME programs exist with highly varying basis for each ranking. As with many degrees, the reputation of a program may factor into the desirability of a degree holder for either employment or graduate admission. The reputation of many undergraduate degrees are also linked to the institution's graduate or research programs, which have more tangible factors for rating, such as research funding and volume, publications and citations.