Biomedical Engineering

Course Curriculum (PDF) Download

Biomedical Engineering Department

270 Bevis Hall
1080 Carmack Road
Columbus, Ohio 43210-1002
614-292-2154
http://www.bme.ohio-state.edu

Degrees offered

Bachelor of Science
Minor in Biomedical Engineering
Master of Science
Doctor of Philosophy

Mission Statement

To promote learning and discovery that integrates engineering and life sciences for the advancement of human health.

Program educational objectives

The objective of our biomedical engineering undergraduate program is to provide educational opportunities for students to creatively integrate engineering and life sciences so that graduates can successfully pursue:

Advanced study leading to research or professional practice in biomedical engineering
Advanced study leading to research or professional practice in health care
Careers in biomedical engineering industries or related technical and professional fields

We will help students prepare for these career paths by making clear what steps are needed prior to graduation to enable later successes.

Students planning to go to graduate school are advised to pursue opportunities for independent research projects (e.g., honors thesis), advised about planning the sequence of Professional Elective courses based on anticipated future studies, and kept informed about the GRE process.
Students planning to attend medical school need to take a specific organic chemistry sequence for their Professional Electives, and will be kept informed about the MCAT process.
Students planning to go directly to the job market are strongly advised to work closely with Engineering Career Services and aggressively seek summer internship opportunities. They will receive advice about focusing Professional Electives to develop areas of concentration attractive to potential employers, and will be kept informed about the PE licensure process.

The Curriculum

The curriculum follows a standard first-year engineering sequence of mathematics, sciences (including chemistry, physics), English, and introductory engineering courses. These topics have follow-up courses during the second year, and expand to include life sciences (biology, organic chemistry) as well as engineering sciences and initial biomedical engineering courses. Life sciences and engineering sciences continue in the 3rd year, but the focus is upon biomedical engineering with biomedical measurement and techniques labs, and the “domain” courses. Each of the six domain courses (students are required to take at least 3) are intended to build on previous engineering and life sciences courses to truly integrate engineering and medicine content. Pedagogically similar (each domain course emphasizes creativity, technical communication, in silico modeling and simulation, hands-on experiments), the domain courses are pathways to advanced biomedical engineering courses and research.

BME Domains:

Bioimaging
Biomaterials
Biomechanics
Biotransport
Micro-/Nano-Biotechnologies
Molecular, Cellular, and Tissue Engineering

The 4^th year has three distinctive features: a requirement for students to take two advanced-level BME courses as follow-ups to one of the domain classes; an individually designed and approved 3-course sequence of professional engineering electives (allowing for students to pursue independent research projects, honors theses, minors, or other engineering courses); and the two-quarter team design project. These design projects will be based on student engineering teams with 4-5 members who will work with a specific disabled client from the local community. For these real-world, open-ended experiences, students will determine what is needed and will work to design and construct a device to meet their client’s needs, with a public show of the designs in the Spring of the senior year.

Acceptance to major

Students must formally apply for admission to the Biomedical Engineering major. The application is available on the department webpage or in the Undergraduate Studies Suite (249 Bevis Hall).

Admission to the BME major is done only once a year. For full consideration, have your application turned in before the end of spring quarter.

The minimum course requirements for admission are:

Completion of Math 151, 152, 153
Completion of Chemistry 121, 122, 123
Completion of Physics 131 and 132
Completion of Engineering 181, 183

While we do not have a specific GPA requirement, our admissions are competitive. Our admissions are capped, gradually increasing until we are fully populated with up to 75 students per class year. Admission decisions will be made on overall GPA, SHPR (GPA in premajor courses only), a short essay and an interview.