Biomedical Engineering is a dynamic and growing field based upon the application of the tools of engineering to the subject matter of biology and medicine. The undergraduate program in biomedical engineering is an independent concentration structured as a joint program between the Division of Biology and Medicine and the School of Engineering. Students can take courses from and do research with faculty from engineering, the various departments of biology, and the Brown-affiliated hospitals in Rhode Island. The Biomedical Engineering concentration shares much of the core with the other engineering programs, but the program’s primary emphasis is on the fundamentals of biomedical engineering, while also allowing students to personalize their curriculum. Biomedical engineers design new drugs, genetically engineer organisms, and devise new medical and medical instruments. They also use their understanding of biology to reinvent man-made materials and products. BME students learn to apply the principles of engineering and science, along with problem solving skills and critical thinking to a broad spectrum of engineering problems. Further, BME is a sound foundation for lifelong education with its emphasis on the use of teamwork, effective communication skills, and an understanding of broad social, ethical, economic and environmental consequences. The biomedical engineering curriculum at Brown prepares students for careers in biomedical engineering and biotechnology, as well as careers in diverse areas such as medicine, law, business, and health care delivery.
The Sc.B. program in Biomedical Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET http://www.abet.org/. It is jointly offered by the School of Engineering and the Division of Biology and Medicine as an interdisciplinary concentration designed for students interested in applying the methods and tools of engineering to the subject matter of biology and the life sciences. Alumni of the Biomedical Engineering (BME) program will achieve one or more of these program educational objectives (PEOs) within five (5) years of graduation: (1) Serve society through work or advanced study in a broad range of fields including, but not limited to, medicine, healthcare, industry, government, and academia; (2) Apply their deeply creative and versatile biomedical engineering education to solve a broad spectrum of engineering and societal challenges; and (3) Contribute as role models, mentors, or leaders in their fields. The student outcomes of this program are the ABET (1) - (7) Student Outcomes as defined by the ABET Criteria for Accrediting Engineering Programs, available online at http://www.abet.org/accreditation-criteria-policies-documents/. The Biomedical Engineering concentration shares much of the core with the other engineering programs, but is structured to include more courses in biology and chemistry, and a somewhat different emphasis in mathematics.
The requirements regarding Mathematics, Advanced Placement, Transfer Credit, Substitutions for Required Courses, and Humanities and Social Science Courses are identical to those of the Sc.B. degree programs in Engineering. Please refer to the Engineering section of the University Bulletin for explicit guidelines.
The Biomedical Engineering concentration shares much of the core with the other engineering programs, but is structured to include more courses in biology and chemistry, and a somewhat different emphasis in mathematics.
Standard program for the Sc.B. degree
| 1. Core Courses | ||
| ENGN 0030 | Introduction to Engineering | 1 |
| or ENGN 0031 | Honors Introduction to Engineering | |
| or ENGN 0032 | Introduction to Engineering: Design | |
| ENGN 0040 | Engineering Statics and Dynamics | 1 |
| ENGN 0510 | Electricity and Magnetism | 1 |
| or ENGN 0520 | Electrical Circuits and Signals | |
| ENGN 0720 | Thermodynamics | 1 |
| ENGN 0810 | Fluid Mechanics | 1 |
| CHEM 0330 | Equilibrium, Rate, and Structure | 1 |
| MATH 0190 | Single Variable Calculus, Part II (Physics/Engineering) | 1 |
| or MATH 0100 | Single Variable Calculus, Part II | |
| CHEM 0350 | Organic Chemistry I | 1 |
| MATH 0200 | Multivariable Calculus (Physics/Engineering) | 1 |
| or MATH 0180 | Multivariable Calculus | |
| or MATH 0350 | Multivariable Calculus With Theory | |
| APMA 0350 | Applied Ordinary Differential Equations 1 | 1 |
| APMA 1650 | Statistical Inference I | 1 |
| or BIOL 0495 | Statistical Analysis of Biological Data | |
| or PHP 1510 | Principles of Biostatistics and Data Analysis | |
| or APMA 1655 | Honors Statistical Inference I | |
| 2. Upper Level Biomedical Engineering Curriculum | ||
| ENGN 1110 | Transport and Biotransport Processes | 1 |
| ENGN 1210 | Biomechanics | 1 |
| ENGN 1230 | Instrumentation Design | 1 |
| ENGN 1490 | Biomaterials | 1 |
| BIOL 0800 | Principles of Physiology | 1 |
| 3. Additional Biomedical Engineering Electives: Complete at least 3 courses from the following groups; other upper-level courses are subject to Concentration Advisor approval. | 3 | |
Select one or two of the following: | ||
| Computational Molecular Biology | ||
or CSCI 1820 | Algorithmic Foundations of Computational Biology | |
| Digital Computing Systems | ||
| Neuroengineering | ||
| Nanoengineering and Nanomedicine | ||
| Cardiovascular Engineering | ||
| Recent Advances in Biomedical Engineering | ||
| Computer Aided Visualization and Design | ||
| Biomedical Optics | ||
| Optical Microscopy: Fundamentals and Applications | ||
| Cancer Nanotechnology | ||
| Analytical Modeling for Biomechanical and Biomedical Systems | ||
| Implantable Devices | ||
| Tissue Engineering | ||
| Stem Cell Engineering | ||
| Drug and Gene Delivery | ||
| At least one or two more courses from: | ||
| Biochemistry | ||
| Genetics | ||
| Cell and Molecular Biology | ||
| Introductory Microbiology | ||
| Principles of Immunology | ||
| Polymer Science for Biomaterials | ||
| Cell Physiology and Biophysics | ||
| Methods in Informatics and Data Science for Health | ||
| Quantitative Models of Biological Systems | ||
| Organic Chemistry II | ||
| Topics in Translational Research and Technologies | ||
| Principles of Neurobiology | ||
| Mechanisms and Meaning of Neural Dynamics | ||
| Biological Physics | ||
| 21st Century Applications in Cell and Molecular Biology | ||
| 4. Capstone Design 2 | ||
| ENGN 1930L | Biomedical Engineering Design and Innovation 1 | 1 |
| ENGN 1931L | Biomedical Engineering Design and Innovation II 1 | 1 |
| 5. General Education Requirement: At least four approved courses must be taken in the humanities and social sciences. | ||
| Total Credits | 21 | |
- 1
Students who completed APMA 0330 and/or APMA 0340 prior to academic year 2021-22 may count these as satisfying the APMA 0350 and/or APMA 0360 requirements.
- 2
In some rare cases, Independent Study may be substituted, subject to Concentration Advisor approval.
Professional Track
While we do not give course credit for internships, we officially recognize their importance via the optional Professional Tracks. The requirements for the professional tracks include all those of the standard tracks, as well as the following: Students must complete full-time professional experiences (or part-time experiences of equivalent total effort) doing work that is related to their concentration programs, totaling 2-6 months, whereby each internship must be at least one month in duration in cases where students choose to do more than one internship experience. Such work is normally done at a company, but may also be at a university under the supervision of a faculty member. Internships that take place between the end of the fall and the start of the spring semesters cannot be used to fulfill this requirement. On completion of each professional experience, the student must write and upload to ASK a reflective essay about the experience addressing the following prompts:
- Describe the organization you worked in and the nature of your responsibilities.
- Which courses were put to use in your work?
- Which topics, in particular, were important?
- In retrospect, which courses should you have taken before embarking on your work experience?
- What are the topics from these courses that would have helped you if you had been more familiar with them?
- What topics would have been helpful in preparation for this work experience that you did not learn at Brown?
- What did you learn from the experience that probably could not have been picked up from course work?
- Is the sort of work you did something you would like to continue doing once you graduate? Explain.
- Would you recommend your work experience to other Brown students? Explain.
The reflective essays are subject to the approval of the student's Concentration Advisor.
Entry to the Professional Track requires a simple application form to be completed by the student and approved by the Concentration Advisor at the time of the concentration declaration. If the student has not yet declared a concentration, the form may be approved by the Chair of the Concentration Committee. The Concentration Advisor will certify that all Professional Track students have completed the necessary internships and will grant approval for the associated reflective essays. All other requirements remain identical to those in the standard tracks in the concentrations.