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Bioengineering, BSBioE

2021-2022 Edition

  • Undergraduate
    • Admission
    • Information for Entering Students
    • College Expenses
    • Academic Policies and Procedures
    • University Academics
    • College of Arts, Media and Design
    • D'Amore-​McKim School of Business
    • Khoury College of Computer Sciences
    • College of Engineering
      • First Year Engineering
      • Interdisciplinary Minors
      • Bioengineering
        • Bioengineering, BSBioE
        • Bioengineering and Biochemistry, BSBioE
        • Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, BSChE
      • Chemical Engineering
      • Civil and Environmental Engineering
      • Electrical and Computer Engineering
      • Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
      • Accelerated Bachelor/​Graduate Degree Programs
    • Bouvé College of Health Sciences
    • College of Science
    • College of Social Sciences and Humanities
    • Faculty
    • Appendix
  • College of Professional Studies Undergraduate
  • Graduate
  • Course Descriptions
  • Catalog Archives
  • Overview
  • Program Requirements
  • Plan of Study

Bioengineering is engineering in a biological context such as the human body, an ecosystem, or a bioreactor. In every case, the interface between engineered and biological systems places unique constraints on the design and implementation of devices, instruments, or implants. These depend on the properties of the biological system involved and the functionality that is being created.

The interface of engineering and medicine as embodied in bioengineering will be one of the most exciting endeavors and greatest adventures of the 21st century. Job opportunities are expected to expand dramatically with a focus on development of entirely new classes of products, instrumentation, and implants. The impact to human health will be extraordinary.

Bioengineering is intrinsically multidisciplinary and it is essential that students learn the languages used by multidisciplinary teams. To that end, our curriculum is structured around a core of six courses that analyze biological systems from every possible quantitative point of view. On the completion of the core, students choose one of three concentrations, which provides the opportunity to develop a deep level of expertise in a specific area of bioengineering.

Bioengineering students will have unique opportunities in the classroom, research labs, and experiential learning. The projects that they may be able to contribute to include bio-bandages that monitor bacterial growth or that help damaged ligaments heal faster; sheets of cells folded like origami to form a working kidney; and new materials that—like a leaf in the sun—automatically sense and adapt to changes in the environment. 

Complete all courses listed below unless otherwise indicated. Also complete any corequisite labs, recitations, clinicals, or tools courses where specified and complete any additional courses needed beyond specific college and major requirements to satisfy graduation credit requirements.

University-Wide Requirements

All undergraduate students are required to complete the University-Wide Requirements.

NUpath Requirements

All undergraduate students are required to complete the NUpath Requirements.

NUpath requirements Interpreting Culture (IC), Societies and Institutions (SI), and Differences and Diversity (DD) are not satisfied by required engineering courses. Students are responsible for satisfying these requirements with general electives.

Engineering

Course List
Code Title Hours
Required Engineering
BIOE 2355Quantitative Physiology for Bioengineers4
BIOE 2365
and BIOE 2366
Bioengineering Measurement, Experimentation, and Statistics
and Lab for BIOE 2365
5
BIOE 2350Biomechanics4
BIOE 3210Bioelectricity4
BIOE 3310Transport and Fluids for Bioengineers4
BIOE 3380Biomolecular Dynamics and Control4
Bioengineering Capstone
BIOE 4790Capstone Design 14
BIOE 4792Capstone Design 24
Supplemental Credit
2 semester hours from the following course count toward the engineering requirement:2
GE 1501
Cornerstone of Engineering 1 1
3 semester hours from the following course count toward the engineering requirement:3
GE 1502
Cornerstone of Engineering 2 1

Concentration

Complete one concentration.

  • Biomechanics
  • Biomedical Devices and Bioimaging
  • Cell and Tissue Engineering
  • Computational Bioengineering

Concentration in Biomechanics

Course List
Code Title Hours
Required Courses
Complete three of the following courses:12
BIOE 5630
Physiological Fluid Mechanics
BIOE 5640
Computational Biomechanics
BIOE 5650
Multiscale Biomechanics
ME 5665
Musculoskeletal Biomechanics
Elective Courses
Complete two of the following. Any course on the required course list not used towards the core requirement may also be taken. 8
BIOE 4991
Research
BIOE 5060
Special Topics in Bioengineering
BIOE 5115
Dynamical Systems in Biological Engineering
BIOE 5440
The Cell as a Machine
BIOE 5656
Fields, Forces, and Flows in Biological Systems
BIOE 5820
Biomaterials
ME 4508
Mechanical Engineering Computation and Design
ME 4555
System Analysis and Control

Concentration in Biomedical Devices and Bioimaging

Course List
Code Title Hours
Required Courses
Complete the following:
BIOE 5800Systems, Signals, and Controls for Bioengineers4
Complete two of the following:8
BIOE 5235
Biomedical Imaging
BIOE 5250
Design, Manufacture, and Evaluation of Medical Devices
BIOE 5810
Design of Biomedical Instrumentation
Elective Courses
Complete two of the following. Any course on the required course list not used towards the core requirement may also be taken. 8
BIOE 4991
Research
BIOE 5060
Special Topics in Bioengineering
BIOE 5115
Dynamical Systems in Biological Engineering
BIOE 5820
Biomaterials
BIOE 5850
Design of Implants
BIOL 5581
Biological Imaging
EECE 2530
Fundamentals of Electromagnetics
EECE 2750
Enabling Engineering
EECE 3468
Noise and Stochastic Processes
ME 2340
and ME 2341
Introduction to Material Science
and Lab for ME 2340
ME 4508
Mechanical Engineering Computation and Design

Concentration in Cell and Tissue Engineering

Course List
Code Title Hours
Required Courses
BIOE 5410Molecular Bioengineering4
BIOE 5420Cellular Engineering4
BIOE 5430Principles and Applications of Tissue Engineering4
Elective Courses
Complete two of the following:8
BIOE 4991
Research
BIOE 5060
Special Topics in Bioengineering
BIOE 5115
Dynamical Systems in Biological Engineering
BIOE 5440
The Cell as a Machine
BIOE 5450
Stem Cell Engineering
BIOE 5650
Multiscale Biomechanics
BIOE 5656
Fields, Forces, and Flows in Biological Systems
BIOE 5820
Biomaterials
CHME 5630
Biochemical Engineering

Concentration in Computational Bioengineering

Course List
Code Title Hours
Required Courses
BIOE 5115Dynamical Systems in Biological Engineering4
BIOE 5710Experimental Systems and Synthetic Bioengineering4
BIOE 5720Physical Bioengineering4
Elective Courses
Complete two of the following courses:8
BIOE 5440
The Cell as a Machine
BIOE 5510
Bioengineering Products/Technology Commercialization
BIOE 5640
Computational Biomechanics
BIOE 5750
Modeling and Inference in Bioengineering
BIOE 5760
Method and Logic in Systems Biology and Bioengineering
CHME 5630
Biochemical Engineering

Supporting Courses: Mathematics/Science

Complete all Mathematics/Science courses with a minimum of 30 semester hours. 

Course List
Code Title Hours
Required Mathematics/Science
BIOL 1115
and BIOL 1116
General Biology 1 for Engineers
and Lab for BIOL 1115
5
or BIOL 1111
and BIOL 1112
General Biology 1
and Lab for BIOL 1111
CHEM 1151
and CHEM 1153
General Chemistry for Engineers
and Recitation for CHEM 1151
4
MATH 1341Calculus 1 for Science and Engineering4
MATH 1342Calculus 2 for Science and Engineering4
MATH 2321Calculus 3 for Science and Engineering4
MATH 2341Differential Equations and Linear Algebra for Engineering4
PHYS 1171
and PHYS 1172
and PHYS 1173
Physics 1 for Bioscience and Bioengineering
and Lab for PHYS 1171
and Interactive Learning Seminar for PHYS 1171
5
or PHYS 1151
and PHYS 1152
and PHYS 1153
Physics for Engineering 1
and Lab for PHYS 1151
and Interactive Learning Seminar for PHYS 1151
PHYS 1175
and PHYS 1176
and PHYS 1177
Physics 2 for Bioscience and Bioengineering
and Lab for PHYS 1175
and Interactive Learning Seminar for PHYS 1175
5
or PHYS 1155
and PHYS 1156
and PHYS 1157
Physics for Engineering 2
and Lab for PHYS 1155
and Interactive Learning Seminar for PHYS 1155
Supplemental Credit
1 semester hour from the following course counts toward the mathematics/science requirement:1
GE 1501
Cornerstone of Engineering 1 1

Professional Development

Course List
Code Title Hours
GE 1000Introduction to the Study of Engineering1
ENCP 2000Introduction to Engineering Co-op Education1
ENCP 3000Professional Issues in Engineering1
Additional Required Courses
1 semester hour from the following course counts toward the professional development requirement:1
GE 1501
Cornerstone of Engineering 1 1
1 semester hour from the following course counts toward the professional development requirement:1
GE 1502
Cornerstone of Engineering 2 1

​Writing Requirements

Course List
Code Title Hours
A grade of C or higher is required:
ENGW 1111First-Year Writing4
ENGW 3302Advanced Writing in the Technical Professions4
or ENGW 3315 Interdisciplinary Advanced Writing in the Disciplines

Required General Electives

Course List
Code Title Hours
Complete 28SH of academic, nonremedial, nonrepetitive courses.28

Major GPA Requirement

2.000 minimum required in BIOE courses

Program Requirement

135 total semester hours required

1 Students can substitute GE 1110 and GE 1111 for GE 1501 and 1502 in approved situations.

Four Years, Two Co-ops in Summer 2/Fall

Year 1
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
CHEM 1151 (ND)4GE 1502 (ER)4BIOL 1115 or 1111 (ND)4General Elective4
CHEM 11530MATH 1342 (FQ)4BIOL 1116 or 11121General Elective4
ENGW 1111 (WF)4PHYS 1171 or 1151 (ND)3General Elective4 
GE 10001PHYS 1172 or 1152 (AD)1  
GE 15014PHYS 1173 or 11531  
MATH 1341 (FQ)4General Elective4  
 17 17 9 8
Year 2
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
BIOE 2365 (AD, WI)4MATH 2321 (FQ)4BIOE 33104Co-op0
BIOE 23661BIOE 23504General Elective4 
MATH 23414BIOE 23554  
PHYS 1175 or 1155 (ND)3ENCP 20001  
PHYS 1176 or 1156 (AD)1General Elective4  
PHYS 1177 or 11571   
General Elective4   
 18 17 8 0
Year 3
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
Co-op0BIOE 32104BIOE 4790 (EI, CE, WI)4Co-op0
 BIOE 33804ENGW 3302 or 3315 (WD)4 
 ENCP 30001  
 BIOE Concentration4  
 BIOE Concentration4  
 0 17 8 0
Year 4
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1Hours 
Co-op0BIOE 4792 (EI, CE, WI)4 
 BIOE Concentration4 
 BIOE Concentration4 
 BIOE Concentration4 
 0 16 0 
Total Hours: 135

Four Years, Two Co-ops in Spring/Summer 1

Year 1
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
CHEM 1151 (ND)4GE 1502 (ER)4BIOL 1115 or 1111 (ND)4General Elective4
CHEM 11530MATH 1342 (FQ)4BIOL 1116 or 11121General Elective4
ENGW 1111 (WF)4PHYS 1171 or 1151 (ND)3PHYS 1175 or 1155 (ND)3 
GE 10001PHYS 1172 or 1152 (AD)1PHYS 1176 or 1156 (AD)1 
GE 15014PHYS 1173 or 11531PHYS 1177 or 11571 
MATH 1341 (FQ)4General Elective4  
 17 17 10 8
Year 2
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
BIOE 23554Co-opCo-opBIOE 32104
BIOE 2365 (AD, WI)4  General Elective4
BIOE 23661   
ENCP 20001   
MATH 2321 (FQ)4   
MATH 23414   
 18 0 0 8
Year 3
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
BIOE 23504Co-opCo-opBIOE 4790 (EI, CE, WI)4
BIOE 33804  General Elective4
BIOE Concentration4   
General Elective4   
 16 0 0 8
Year 4
FallHoursSpringHours  
BIOE 33104ENGW 3302 or 3315 (WD)4  
BIOE 4792 (EI, CE, WI)4BIOE Concentration4  
ENCP 30001BIOE Concentration4  
BIOE Concentration4BIOE Concentration4  
General Elective4   
 17 16  
Total Hours: 135

Five Years, Three Co-ops in Summer 2/Fall

Year 1
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
CHEM 1151 (ND)4GE 1502 (ER)4VacationVacation
CHEM 11530MATH 1342 (FQ)4  
ENGW 1111 (WF)4PHYS 1171 or 1151 (ND)3  
GE 10001PHYS 1172 or 1152 (AD)1  
GE 15014PHYS 1173 or 11531  
MATH 1341 (FQ)4General Elective4  
 17 17 0 0
Year 2
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
BIOE 2365 (AD, WI)4BIOE 23504VacationCo-op
BIOE 23661BIOE 23554  
BIOL 1115 or 1111 (ND)4ENCP 20001  
BIOL 1116 or 11121MATH 23414  
MATH 2321 (FQ)4General Elective4  
PHYS 1175 or 1155 (ND)3   
PHYS 1176 or 1156 (AD)1   
PHYS 1177 or 11571   
 19 17 0 0
Year 3
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
Co-opBIOE 32104BIOE 33104Co-op
 BIOE 33804General Elective 4 
 ENGW 3302 or 3315 (WD)4  
 BIOE Concentration4  
 0 16 8 0
Year 4
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
Co-opENCP 30001BIOE 4790 (EI, CE, WI)4Co-op
 BIOE Concentration4General Elective 4 
 BIOE Concentration4  
 BIOE Concentration4  
 General Elective 4  
 0 17 8 0
Year 5
FallHoursSpringHours  
Co-opBIOE 4792 (EI, CE, WI)4  
 BIOE Concentration4  
 General Elective4  
 General Elective4  
 0 16  
Total Hours: 135

Five Years, Three Co-ops in Spring/Summer 1

Year 1
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
CHEM 1151 (ND)4GE 1502 (ER)4VacationVacation
CHEM 11530MATH 1342 (FQ)4  
ENGW 1111 (WF)4PHYS 1171 or 1151 (ND)3  
GE 10001PHYS 1172 or 1152 (AD)1  
GE 15014PHYS 1173 or 11531  
MATH 1341 (FQ)4General Elective4  
 17 17 0 0
Year 2
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
BIOE 2365 (AD, WI)4Co-opCo-opVacation
BIOE 23661   
BIOL 1115 or 1111 (ND)4   
BIOL 1116 or 11121   
ENCP 20001   
MATH 2321 (FQ)4   
PHYS 1175 or 1155 (ND)3   
PHYS 1176 or 1156 (AD)1   
PHYS 1177 or 11571   
 20 0 0 0
Year 3
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
BIOE 23504Co-opCo-opBIOE 32104
BIOE 23554  General Elective4
MATH 23414   
General Elective4   
 16 0 0 8
Year 4
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
BIOE 33104Co-opCo-opBIOE 4790 (EI, CE, WI)4
BIOE 33804  General Elective4
ENCP 30001   
ENGW 3302 or 3315 (WD)4   
BIOE Concentration4   
 17 0 0 8
Year 5
FallHoursSpringHours  
BIOE 4792 (EI, CE, WI)4BIOE Concentration4  
BIOE Concentration4BIOE Concentration4  
BIOE Concentration4General Elective4  
General Elective4General Elective 4  
 16 16  
Total Hours: 135
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