Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus
Biomedical engineering is an interdisciplinary field in which the principles and tools of traditional engineering fields, such as mechanical, materials, electrical, and chemical engineering, are applied to biomedical problems. Engineering plays an increasingly important role in medicine in projects that range from basic research in physiology to advances in medical devices, biotechnology, and the improvement of health care delivery. By its very nature, biomedical engineering is broad and requires a foundation in the engineering sciences as well as in physiology and other biological sciences.
The BS degree program in Biomedical Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.
Concentrations
Bioinstrumentation
Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus
The bioinstrumentation concentration prepares students for entry level jobs in the medical device industry where a deeper understanding of electrical engineering skills are necessary.
Cell Therapy
Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus
The cell therapy concentration prepares students for employment in the biotechnology and regenerative medicine industry, with specific focus on the cell therapy field.
Mechanical Design
Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus
The mechanical design concentration prepares students for employment in the product development, design, or manufacturing fields in the medical device industry.
Individualized Course of Study
Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus
An Individualized Course of Study in Biomedical Engineering is also an option. It is not a formal concentration. Students instead select support and technical elective coursework in consultation with a faculty advisor. Those who do not declare a concentration will default to the Individualized Course of Study.
Program Learning Objectives
- An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
- An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
- An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
- An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
- An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objective.
- An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
- An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.
Degree Requirements and Curriculum
In addition to the program requirements listed on this page, students must also satisfy requirements outlined in more detail in the Minimum Requirements for Graduation section of this catalog, including:
- 40 units of upper-division courses
- 2.0 GPA
- Graduation Writing Requirement (GWR)
- U.S. Cultural Pluralism (USCP)
Note: No Major or Support courses may be selected as credit/no credit. In addition, no more than 12 units of cooperative or internship courses can count towards your degree requirements.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| MAJOR COURSES | ||
| BMED 1101 | Introduction to Biomedical Engineering | 1 |
| BMED 2212 | Introduction to Mechanical Design in Biomedical Engineering | 3 |
| BMED 2310 | Introduction to Electrical Design in Biomedical Engineering | 2 |
| BMED 2311 | Introduction to Electrical Design in Biomedical Engineering Lab | 1 |
| BMED 2420 | Principles and Applications of Biomaterials | 4 |
| BMED 3102 | Biomedical Engineering Professional Development | 1 |
| BMED 3410 | Biomechanics | 3 |
| BMED 3425 | Biomedical Engineering Transport | 4 |
| BMED 3430 | Biomedical Modeling and Simulation | 2 |
| BMED 4440 | Bioelectronics and Instrumentation | 3 |
| BMED 4460 | Medical Physiology for Engineers | 3 |
| BMED 4465 | Senior Project: Design I | 2 |
| BMED 4466 | Senior Project: Design II | 2 |
| Concentration or Individualized Course of Study | ||
| (See list of Concentrations and Individualized Course of Study below) | 18-19 | |
| SUPPORT COURSES | ||
| BIO 1151 | Life: Molecules and Cells (5B & 5C) 1 | 4 |
| BIO 2231 | Human Anatomy and Physiology I | 4 |
| or BIO 2232 | Human Anatomy and Physiology II | |
| CHEM 1120 | Fundamentals of Chemical Structure and Properties (5A) 1 | 4 |
| CHEM 1122 | Fundamentals of Chemical Reactivity | 4 |
| ENGR 2211 | Introduction to Mechanics | 4 |
| ENGR 2212 | Introduction to Engineering Dynamics | 2 |
| MATH 1261 | Calculus I (2) 1 | 4 |
| MATH 1262 | Calculus II | 4 |
| MATH 2263 | Calculus III | 3 |
| MATH 2341 | Linear Analysis | 4 |
| ME 3341 | Fluid Mechanics | 3 |
| PHYS 1141 | General Physics I | 4 |
| PHYS 1143 | General Physics II | 4 |
| STAT 3210 | Engineering Statistics (Upper-Division 2/5) 1 | 3 |
| GENERAL EDUCATION (GE) | ||
| (See GE program requirements below) | 30 | |
| FREE ELECTIVES | ||
| Free Electives | 0 | |
| Total Units | 130-131 | |
- 1
Required in Major or Support; also satisfies General Education (GE) requirement.
Concentrations
Bioinstrumentation
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| REQUIRED COURSES | ||
| BMED 3355 | Electrical Engineering Concepts for Biomedical Engineering | 3 |
| BMED 4445 | Biopotential Instrumentation | 3 |
| MATH 3351 | Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems | 3 |
| Technical Electives | ||
| Select from the following: | 10 | |
| Microfluidics/MEMS Design | ||
| Microfluidics/MEMS Design and Fabrication Laboratory | ||
| Micro/Nano Fabrication | ||
| Micro/Nano Fabrication Laboratory | ||
| Biomedical Signal Transduction and Data Acquisition | ||
| Biomedical Imaging | ||
| Introduction to Computational Neuroscience | ||
| General Physics III: Modern Physics | ||
| Optics | ||
| Solid State Physics | ||
| Total Units | 19 | |
Cell Therapy
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| REQUIRED COURSES | ||
| BIO 3351 | Principles of Genetics | 3 |
| BIO 4456 | Immunology | 4 |
| BIO 4457 | Molecular Biology Laboratory | 3 |
| BMED 3360 | Cellular Immunotherapy | 3 |
| BMED 3362 | Regenerative Medicine Therapies | 3 |
| Technical Electives | ||
| Select from the following: | 3 | |
| Microfluidics/MEMS Design | ||
| Micro/Nano Fabrication | ||
| Micro/Nano Fabrication Laboratory | ||
| Drug Discovery and Development | ||
| Senior Thesis | ||
| Principles of Tissue Engineering | ||
| Biomedical Imaging | ||
| Cell Transplantation and Biotherapeutics | ||
| Cell Transplantation and Biotherapeutics Laboratory | ||
| Total Units | 19 | |
Mechanical Design
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| REQUIRED COURSES | ||
| BMED 3330 | Intermediate Biomedical Design | 3 |
| or ME 3329 | Mechanical Systems Design | |
| IME 1140 | Technical Graphics Communication for Design and Manufacturing | 1 |
| IME 1143 | Introduction to Design and Manufacturing | 2 |
| ME 3328 | Design for Strength and Stiffness | 4 |
| Support Electives | ||
| Select from the following: | 3-4 | |
| Human Genetics | ||
| Introduction to Metal Casting and Prototyping | ||
or IME 1142 | Materials Joining | |
| Technical Electives | ||
| Select from the following: | 5-6 | |
| Applied Finite Element Analysis | ||
| Skeletal Tissue Mechanics | ||
| Reliability for Design and Testing | ||
| Design of Experiments for Industrial Applications | ||
| Intermediate Dynamics | ||
| Advanced Strength of Materials | ||
| Orthopedic Biomechanics | ||
| Composite Materials Analysis and Design | ||
| Total Units | 18-19 | |
Individualized Course of Study
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| REQUIRED COURSES | ||
| Support Electives | ||
| Select from the following: | 9-10 | |
| Human Anatomy and Physiology II | ||
| Human Genetics | ||
| Principles of Genetics | ||
| Bioinformatics Applications | ||
| Cell Biology | ||
| Introduction to Entrepreneurship | ||
| Organic Chemistry: Fundamentals and Applications | ||
| Biochemistry: Fundamentals and Applications | ||
| Test Design and Analysis in Manufacturing Engineering | ||
| Principles of Materials Engineering for Non-Majors | ||
| Materials Laboratory I | ||
| Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems | ||
| General Microbiology I | ||
| Technical Electives | ||
| Select from the following: | 9-10 | |
| Electrical Engineering Concepts for Biomedical Engineering | ||
| Applied Finite Element Analysis | ||
| Medical Device Evaluation and FDA Regulatory Processes | ||
| Microfluidics/MEMS Design | ||
| Microfluidics/MEMS Design and Fabrication Laboratory | ||
| Micro/Nano Fabrication | ||
| Micro/Nano Fabrication Laboratory | ||
| Biopotential Instrumentation | ||
| Special Advanced Topics | ||
| Special Advanced Laboratory | ||
| Senior Thesis | ||
| Principles of Tissue Engineering | ||
| Biomedical Imaging | ||
| Skeletal Tissue Mechanics | ||
| Advanced Issues in Biomaterials | ||
| Bioseparations and Clinical Diagnostics | ||
| Current and Evolving Topics in Biomedical Engineering | ||
| Reliability for Design and Testing | ||
| Design of Experiments for Industrial Applications | ||
| Advanced Materials Characterization | ||
| Nanoscale Materials | ||
| Intermediate Dynamics | ||
| Access by Design: Introduction to Rehabilitation Engineering | ||
| Total Units | 18-19 | |
General Education (GE) Requirements
- 43 units required, 13 of which are specified in Major and/or Support.
- If any of the remaining 30 Units is used to satisfy a Major or Support requirement, additional units of Free Electives may be needed to complete the total units required for the degree.
- See the complete GE course listing.
- A grade of C- or better is required in one course in each of the following GE Areas: 1A (English Composition), 1B (Critical Thinking), 1C (Oral Communication), and 2 (Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning).
| Lower-Division General Education | ||
| Area 1 | English Communication and Critical Thinking | |
| 1A | Written Communication | 3 |
| 1B | Critical Thinking | 3 |
| 1C | Oral Communication | 3 |
| Area 2 | Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning | |
| 2 | Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning (3 units in Support) 1 | 0 |
| Area 3 | Arts and Humanities | |
| 3A | Arts | 3 |
| 3B | Humanities: Literature, Philosophy, Languages other than English | 3 |
| Area 4 | Social and Behavioral Sciences (Area 4 courses must come from at least two different course prefixes.) | |
| 4A | American Institutions (Title 5, Section 40404 Requirement) | 3 |
| 4B | Social and Behavioral Sciences | 3 |
| Area 5 | Physical and Life Sciences | |
| 5A | Physical Sciences (3 units in Support) 1 | 0 |
| 5B | Life Sciences (3 units in Support) 1 | 0 |
| 5C | Laboratory (may be embedded in a 5A or 5B course) (1 units in Support) 1 | 0 |
| Area 6 | Ethnic Studies | |
| 6 | Ethnic Studies | 3 |
| Upper-Division General Education | ||
| Upper-Division 2/5 | Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning or Physical and Life Sciences (3 units in Support) 1 | 0 |
| Upper-Division 3 | Arts and Humanities | 3 |
| Upper-Division 4 | Social and Behavioral Sciences (Area 4 courses must come from at least two different course prefixes.) | 3 |
| Total Units | 30 | |
- 1
Required in Major or Support; also satisfies General Education (GE) requirement.