Biomedical Engineering (BS)
Students studying biomedical engineering at NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill are challenged with a curriculum at the interface of engineering and medicine.泭 During the first year, students are introduced to the fundamentals of engineering.泭 These courses include calculus, physics, chemistry and biology.泭 All of which provide the foundation for future engineering courses.泭 Once accepted into the program, students take engineering courses in mechanics, circuits and materials followed by specialized courses in biomedical engineering.泭 The design process is woven throughout the curriculum.泭 Students take courses that familiarize them with manufacturing processes while preparing them for the capstone senior design course that use a Design Control Process based on the FDA's Quality System Regulations. Computers are used throughout the program. Graduates will be prepared for professional employment in research, design, engineering and the life sciences. First year students interested in this curriculum should enroll in the Engineering First Year program and select BME as their intention.
In the BME泭department, students are given access to state-of-the-art equipment and facilities at both UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State 腦瞳排桴.泭This unique relationship offers students a wealth of opportunities for research, group collaboration, coursework, and exposure to experts in medicine and engineering. While all of the classes undergraduate students need to complete their degree are available on their home campus, students may choose to take courses on either campus. Students never have to travel to the partner campus; the joint program simply offers additional opportunities.
Plan Requirements
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| 唬晨泭101 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science 1 | 3 |
| 唬晨泭102 | General Chemistry Laboratory 1 | 1 |
| 楚泭101 | Introduction to Engineering & Problem Solving 2 | 1 |
| 楚泭115 | Introduction to Computing Environments | 1 |
| 紼插泭141 | Calculus I 1 | 4 |
| 楚捧勞泭101 | Academic Writing and Research | 4 |
| 泭 | Hours | 14 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| BIO泭183 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology | 4 |
| MA泭241 | Calculus II | 4 |
| PY泭205 &泭PY泭206 | Physics for Engineers and Scientists I and Physics for Engineers and Scientists I Laboratory 1 | 4 |
| Select one of the following Economic Courses: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics | ||
| Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics | ||
| Principles of Microeconomics | ||
| Fundamentals of Economics | ||
| E泭102 | Engineering in the 21st Century | 2 |
| 泭 | Hours | 17 |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| BME泭201 | Computer Methods in Biomedical Engineering | 3 |
| BME泭209 | Introduction to the Materials Science of Biomaterials | 4 |
| BME泭298 | Biomedical Engineering Design and Manufacturing I | 2 |
| MA泭242 | Calculus III | 4 |
| PY泭208 &泭PY泭209 | Physics for Engineers and Scientists II and Physics for Engineers and Scientists II Laboratory | 4 |
| 泭 | Hours | 17 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| BME泭205 | Introduction to Biomedical Mechanics | 4 |
| BME泭207 | Biomedical Electronics | 4 |
| CH泭221 &泭CH泭222 | Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry I Lab | 4 |
| MA泭341 or MA泭331 | Applied Differential Equations I or Differential Equations for the Life Sciences | 3 |
| 泭 | Hours | 15 |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| BME泭301 | Human Physiology : Electrical Analysis | 4 |
| STEM Elective 3 | 3 | |
| CH泭201 | Chemistry - A Quantitative Science | 3 |
| CH泭202 | Quantitative Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| PHI泭325 | Bio-Medical Ethics | 3 |
| BME 3x5 Gateway Elective | 3 | |
| 泭 | Hours | 17 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| BME泭302 | Human Physiology: Mechanical Analysis | 4 |
| BME泭398 | Biomedical Engineering Design and Manufacturing II | 2 |
| BME 3x5 Gateway Elective | 3 | |
| BME 3x5 Gateway Elective | 3 | |
| 泭 | Hours | 12 |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| BME泭451 | BME Senior Design: Product Development | 3 |
| BME Specialty Elective 4 | 3 | |
| BME Specialty Elective 4 | 3 | |
| 泭 | Hours | 9 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| BME泭452 | BME Senior Design: Product Implementation and Strategy | 3 |
| BME Specialty Elective 4 | 3 | |
| BME Specialty Elective 4 | 3 | |
| 泭 | Hours | 9 |
| 泭 | Total Hours | 110 |
- 1
A grade of C or higher is required.
- 2
A grade of C- or higher is required.
- 3
Students should consult their academic advisors to determine how to complete this requirement.
- 4
Take 4 specialty electives from no more than two groups
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| GEP Courses | |||
| GEP Humanities | 6 | ||
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | ||
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 2 | ||
| GEP Elective | 3 | ||
| GEP Global Knowledge (verify requirement) | |||
| World Language Proficiency (verify requirement) | |||
| Total Hours | 14 | ||
BME 3x5 Gateway Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| BME泭315 | Biotransport | 3 | |
| BME泭325 | Biochemistry for Biomedical Engineers | 3 | |
| BME泭335 | Biomaterials | 3 | |
| BME泭345 | Biomedical Solid Mechanics | 3 | |
| BME泭355 | Biocontrols | 3 | |
| BME泭365 | Linear Systems in Biomedical Engineering | 3 | |
| BME泭375 | Biomedical Microcontroller Applications | 3 | |
| BME泭385 | Bioinstrumentation | 3 |
BME Specialty Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group 061 | |||
| Pharmacoengineering | |||
| BME泭516 | Advanced Drug Delivery | 3 | |
| BME泭570 | ImmunoEngineering | 3 | |
| BME 498 | Undergraduate Research in Biomedical Engineering | ||
| BMME 511 | Genetic Engineering | ||
| BMME 523 | Biomolecular Engineering | ||
| BMME 524 | Biomolecular Sensing Technologies | ||
| BMME 527 | Engineering Principles in Targeted Photomedicine | ||
| Group 062 | |||
| Regenerative Medicine | |||
| BIT泭466 &泭BME泭483 | Animal Cell Culture Techniques and Tissue Engineering Technologies | 2 | |
| BME泭448 | Functional Tissue Engineering | 3 | |
| or泭BME泭548 | Functional Tissue Engineering | ||
| BME泭462 | Biomaterials Characterization | 3 | |
| BME泭484 | Fundamentals of Tissue Engineering | 3 | |
| or泭BME泭584 | Fundamentals of Tissue Engineering | ||
| BME泭498 | Undergraduate Research in Biomedical Engineering | 3 | |
| MAE泭201 | Thermal-Fluid Sciences | 3 | |
| or泭MSE泭301 | Introduction to Thermodynamics of Materials | ||
or BMME 441 | Thermal Physics | ||
| MAE泭308 | Fluid Mechanics | 3 | |
| or泭CE泭282 | Hydraulics | ||
or BMME 455 | Biofluid Mechanics | ||
| TE泭463 | Polymer Engineering | 3 | |
| BME 498 | Undergraduate Research in Biomedical Engineering | 3 | |
| BMME 420 | Intro to Synthetic Biology | ||
| BMME 435 | Biological Physics | ||
| BMME 470 | Analysis of Tissue Engr. Tech. | ||
| BMME 511 | Genetic Engineering | ||
| Group 063 | |||
| Rehabilitation Engineering | |||
| BME泭418 | Wearable Biosensors and Microsystems | 3 | |
| or泭BME泭518 | Wearable Biosensors and Microsystems | ||
| BME泭425 | Bioelectricity | 3 | |
| or泭BME泭525 | Bioelectricity | ||
| BME泭438 | Bone Mechanobiology | 3 | |
| or泭BME泭538 | Bone Mechanobiology | ||
| BME泭444 | Orthopaedic Biomechanics | 3 | |
| or泭BME泭544 | Orthopaedic Biomechanics | ||
| BME/TE 467 | Mechanics of Tissues & Implants Requirements | 3 | |
| BME泭456 | Rehabilitation Robotics | 3 | |
| or泭BME泭556 | Rehabilitation Robotics | ||
| BME 498 | Undergraduate Research in Biomedical Engineering | ||
| BMME 405 | Biomechanics of Movement | ||
| BMME 445 | Systems Neuroscience | ||
| BMME 447 | Neural Basis of Rehabilitation Engineering | ||
| Group 064 | |||
| Biosignals and Imaging | |||
| BME泭412 | Biomedical Signal Processing | 3 | |
| or泭BME泭512 | Biomedical Signal Processing | ||
| BME 418 | Wearable Biosensors and Microsystems | ||
or BME 518 | Wearable Biosensors and Microsystems | ||
| BME 425 | Bioelectricity | ||
or BME 525 | Bioelectricity | ||
| BME泭463 | Biomedical Optics and Lasers | 3 | |
| or泭BME泭563 | Biomedical Optics and Lasers | ||
| BME泭464 | Microscopy | 3 | |
| or泭BME泭564 | Microscopy | ||
| BME 498 | Undergraduate Research in Biomedical Engineering | ||
| ECE 505 | Neural Interface Engineering | ||
| ECE泭455 | Industrial Robot Systems | 3 | |
| ECE泭456 | Mechatronics | 3 | |
| or泭ECE泭556 | Mechatronics | ||
| ECE泭461 | Embedded System Analysis and Optimization | 3 | |
| or泭ECE泭561 | Embedded System Analysis and Optimization | ||
| MA泭501 | Advanced Mathematics for Engineers and Scientists I | 3 | |
or MATH 528 | Mech. Method for Physical Sciences and Engineers | ||
| BMME 461 | Intro to Medical Imaging | ||
| BMME 575 | Machine Learning | ||
| BMME/COMP 576 | Mathematics for Imaging Computing | ||
| Group 065 | |||
| Medical Microdevices | |||
| BME泭412 | Biomedical Signal Processing | 3 | |
| or泭BME泭512 | Biomedical Signal Processing | ||
| BME 418 | Wearable Biosensors and Microsystems | ||
or BME 518 | Wearable Biosensors and Microsystems | ||
| BME 498 | Undergraduate Research in Biomedical Engineering | ||
| BME/ECE 522 | Medical Instrumentation | 3 | |
| E泭304 | Introduction to Nano Science and Technology | 3 | |
| ECE泭436 | Digital Control Systems | 3 | |
| ECE泭505 | Neural Interface Engineering | 3 | |
| MAE泭201 | Thermal-Fluid Sciences | 3 | |
| or泭MSE泭301 | Introduction to Thermodynamics of Materials | ||
or BMME 455 Biofluid Mechanics | |||
| MAE泭308 | Fluid Mechanics | 3 | |
| or泭CE泭282 | Hydraulics | ||
or BMME 441 | Thermal Physics | ||
Semester Sequence
This is a sample.
Critical Path Courses Identify using the code (CP) which courses are considered critical path courses which represent specific major requirements that are predictive of student success in a given program/plan. Place the (CP) next to the credit hours for the course.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| 唬晨泭101 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science 1 | 3 |
| 唬晨泭102 | General Chemistry Laboratory 1 | 1 |
| 楚泭101 | Introduction to Engineering & Problem Solving (CP) 1 | 1 |
| 楚泭115 | Introduction to Computing Environments (CP) 1 | 1 |
| 楚捧勞泭101 | Academic Writing and Research (CP) 2 | 4 |
| 紼插泭141 | Calculus I (CP) 1 | 4 |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| 泭 | Hours | 15 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| MA泭241 | Calculus II (CP) 1 | 4 |
| PY泭205 | Physics for Engineers and Scientists I (CP) 1 | 3 |
| PY泭206 | Physics for Engineers and Scientists I Laboratory (CP) 1 | 1 |
| BIO泭183 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology | 4 |
| E泭102 | Engineering in the 21st Century | 2 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Fundamentals of Economics | ||
| Principles of Microeconomics | ||
| Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics | ||
| 泭 | Hours | 17 |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| BME/BMME 201 | Computer Methods in Biomedical Engineering (CP) | 3 |
| BME/BMME 209 or BME泭205 | Introduction to the Materials Science of Biomaterials (CP) or Introduction to Biomedical Mechanics | 4 |
| BME/BMME 298 | Biomedical Engineering Design and Manufacturing I (CP) | 2 |
| MA泭242 | Calculus III | 4 |
| PY泭208 | Physics for Engineers and Scientists II (CP) | 3 |
| PY泭209 | Physics for Engineers and Scientists II Laboratory (CP) | 1 |
| 泭 | Hours | 17 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| BME/BMME 205 or BME泭209 | Introduction to Biomedical Mechanics (CP) or Introduction to the Materials Science of Biomaterials | 4 |
| BME/BMME 207 | Biomedical Electronics (CP) | 4 |
| CH泭221 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
| CH泭222 | Organic Chemistry I Lab | 1 |
| MA泭341 or MA泭331 | Applied Differential Equations I or Differential Equations for the Life Sciences | 3 |
| 泭 | Hours | 15 |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| BME/BMME 301 | Human Physiology : Electrical Analysis | 4 |
| CH泭201 | Chemistry - A Quantitative Science | 3 |
| CH泭202 | Quantitative Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| BME 3x5 Gateway Elective | 3 | |
| STEM Elective | 3 | |
| PHI泭325 | Bio-Medical Ethics | 3 |
| 泭 | Hours | 17 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| BME/BMME 302 | Human Physiology: Mechanical Analysis | 4 |
| BME 3x5 Gateway Elective | 3 | |
| BME 3x5 Gateway Elective | 3 | |
| BME/BMME 398 | Biomedical Engineering Design and Manufacturing II | 2 |
| GEP Requirement | 3 | |
| 泭 | Hours | 15 |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| BME泭451 or BMME泭697 | BME Senior Design: Product Development or | 3 |
| BME Specialty Elective | 3 | |
| BME Specialty Elective | 3 | |
| GEP Requirement | 3 | |
| GEP Requirement | 3 | |
| 泭 | Hours | 15 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| BME泭452 or BMME泭698 | BME Senior Design: Product Implementation and Strategy or | 3 |
| BME Specialty Elective | 3 | |
| BME Specialty Elective | 3 | |
| GEP Requirement | 3 | |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| 泭 | Hours | 13 |
| 泭 | Total Hours | 124 |
- 1
A grade of C or higher is required.
- 2
A grade of C- or higher is required.
Career Opportunities
Biomedical engineers are employed by hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, medical device and testing companies, government agencies, universities, and medical schools. With so many areas of specialization within the field, graduates are encouraged to further their education by attending graduate or professional school after graduation. Graduates from this program have attended graduate programs in biomedical engineering, physical therapy, mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, microbiology, virology, public health, and sports physiology, among others, at many different institutions. Graduates who have taken additional courses to satisfy entrance requirements have also been accepted by medical, dental and pharmacy schools.
Career Titles
- Anesthesiologist (MD)
- Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers
- Biofuels/Biodiesel Technology and Product Development Manager
- Biomedical Engineer
- Cardiologist (MD)
- Chemical Engineer
- Dentist (DDS)
- Dermatologist (MD)
- Engineering Professor
- Family Practitioner (MD)
- General Internists (MD)
- Gynecologist (MD)
- Mechanical Engineer
- Medical Technologist
- Nanosystems Engineers
- Non-Destructive Testing Specialists
- Obstetrician (MD)
- Occupational Physician (MD)
- Ophthalmologist (MD)
- Orthodontist (MD)
- Pathologist (MD)
- Pediatrician (MD)
- Psychiatrist (MD)
- Radiologist (MD)
- Sales Engineers
- Surgeons (MD)
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