INTRODUCTION
We analyzed biomedical engineering and bioengineering undergraduate curricula in the US at the level of courses.
We were interested in the following questions:• How much do biomedical engineering programs have in
common?• What courses are required? What domains are covered?• How many credit hours are required in each domain?• Does a “core” undergraduate curriculum already exist?• How much room is devoted to specialization?• Are accredited and non-accredited (often newer)
programs different?
METHODS
• Data were curricula of BME programs posted on university websites as being the most current information
• Counted required courses in engineering and biology• Did not consider math, basic chemistry, physics,
humanities and social science• Counted identifiable courses, so might be undercounting
• e.g. statistics may be taught in a lab course• Converted all curricula to semester credit hour system
• Average curriculum = 128 credit hrs• 71 programs had curricula that could be characterized
• 40 of 42 accredited programs• 31 of 38 non-accredited programs
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
Transport Phenomena
Signals & Systems
Instrumentation
Materials
Statistics
Computing
Circuit Analysis
Biology - Non-Phys
Mechanics
Physiology
Cu
rric
ula
r S
ub
jec
ts
Percentage of Programs Requring Credit Hours
BME Credit Hours
Total Credit Hours
Courses required at ~75% of accredited BME programs.Bars show fraction of programs requiring course (gray) and fraction
requiring that the course be taken from BE/BME department (yellow)
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
Other
Freshman Engineering
Design
Specialization Hours
Imaging
Organic Chemistry
Modeling
Thermodynamics
Cu
rric
ula
r S
ub
jec
ts
Percentage of Programs Requring Credit Hours
BME Credit Hours
Total Credit Hours
Additional courses required at accredited BME programs
“Other” includes courses in Ethics, Engineering Economics, Technical Communication, etc.
0
15
30
45
60
75
90
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Year
# of
Pro
gram
s
Accredited Programs(ABET data)
Total Programs(Date of initiation from Whitaker)
Course Title Accredited %Non-
Accredited %Delta (A – N)
Mechanics 93% 71% 22%
Thermodynamics
63% 45% 17%
Materials 78% 61% 16%
Circuit Analysis 83% 71% 12%
Modeling 40% 29% 11%
Physiology 98% 87% 10%
Imaging 15% 6% 9%
Transport Phenomena
70% 68% 2%
Instrumentation 75% 74% 1%
Course Title Accredited %Non-
Accredited %Delta (A – N)
Signals & Systems
73% 74% - 2%
Statistics 78% 81% - 3%
Biologynon-Physiology
88% 97% - 9%
Computing 78% 90% - 13%
Organic Chemistry
28% 52% - 24%
Courses required at accredited BME programs less frequently than at non-accredited BME programs
0.00 3.00 6.00 9.00
Freshman Engineering
Design
Imaging
Organic Chemistry
Modeling
Thermodynamics
Transport Phenomena
Signals & Systems
Instrumentation
Materials
Statistics
Computing
Circuit Analysis
Biology - Non-Phys
Mechanics
Physiology
Cu
rric
ula
r S
ub
jec
t
Required Credit Hours
BME Credit Hours
Total Credit Hours
Credit hours required at accredited BME programs (mean and SD)
Credit hours required at non-accredited programs (Mean and SD)
0.00 3.00 6.00 9.00 12.00
Freshman Engineering
Design
Imaging
Modeling
Thermodynamics
Organic Chemistry
Materials
Transport Phenomena
Circuit Analysis
Mechanics
Signals & Systems
Instrumentation
Statistics
Physiology
Computing
Biology - Non-Phys
Cu
rric
ula
r S
ub
jec
t
Required Credit Hours
BME Credit Hours
Total Credit Hours
Accredited programs
Non-accredited programs
Mean (SD) credit hrs 12.9 7.3 12.8 6.7
25th percentile 8 8
Median credit hrs 12 12
75th percentile 16 18
OptionParticipants choosing
option
Students should follow a BME track emphasizing depth in a traditional engineering field 23 (29%)
Students should follow a BME track emphasizing depth in a traditional engineering field (as above) or
in an emerging area (e.g., cellular engineering, systems biology, tissue engineering).
26 (33%)
Students should take advanced bioengineering, guided by recommended sequences, but not
formalized as tracks.
17 (22%)
Students should be free to choose advanced courses from bioengineering, other branches of
engineering, and biology.12 (15%)
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
• There is a de facto core already, which most schools approach, but few if any match exactly.
• Courses in design, physiology, additional biology, mechanics, circuits, instrumentation, computing, statistics, and materials are all required by at least 75% of BE/BME accredited programs.
• BME has a broad core; and this matches what both industry and academia want based on survey data (not shown).
• Accredited and non-accredited programs have similar but not identical curricula.
• Beyond the core there is room for specialization.• Industry should be educated about the existence of
this core.
Data on the BME Core Curriculum1Robert A. Linsenmeier and 1,2David W. Gatchell
1Northwestern University, Evanston, IL2Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL
Third Biomedical Engineering Education Summit Meeting, St. Charles, IL June, 2008Supported by NSF EEC 9876363
Required courses at accredited programs
Differences between accredited and non-accredited programsCourses required at accredited BME programs more frequently than at non-accredited BME programs
Specializations or Tracks beyond the coreFaculty and industry responses to survey(Delphi study – round 2)
Credit hours reserved for tracks or specialization courses
Number of programs over time
0% 25% 50% 75%
Other
Tissue, Cellular &Molecular Engineering
Premedicine
Mechanical
Materials Science
Imaging
Electrical
Tra
cks
Percentage of Programs
Non-Accredited
Accredited
Percentage of programs offering different kinds of tracks
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