Biomedical Engineering (https://engineering.brown.edu/undergraduate/concentrations/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 interdisciplinary 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 (BME) 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 devices and instruments. They also use their understanding of biology to advance synthetic and naturally-derived 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 life sciences and medicine. 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 and is structured to include more science courses and electives that introduce cutting edge areas in the field of BME.
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.
Standard program for the Sc.B. degree
| 1. Core Courses | ||
| ENGN 0030 | Introduction to Engineering | 1 |
| 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 | Introduction to Probability and Statistics with Calculus | 1 |
| or BIOL 0495 | Statistical Analysis of Biological Data | |
| or PHP 1510 | Principles of Biostatistics and Data Analysis | |
| or APMA 1655 | Introduction to Probability and Statistics with Theory | |
| 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 | ||
| Immunoengineering | ||
| 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 1240 | Biomedical Engineering Design and Innovation | 1 |
| ENGN 1250 | Biomedical Engineering Design and Innovation II | 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
The requirements for all undergraduate professional tracks within concentrations are standardized and additional information can be found here: