Undergraduate coursework is tailored to provide students with the foundation for a successful career in biomedical engineering.

Academics

Undergraduate Study

The bachelor of science in biomedical engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Biomedical Engineering Program Criteria. The goal of our undergraduate program is to provide an education that prepares students to lead, innovate, and self-educate throughout their careers.

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Our curriculum provides students with core biomedical engineering fundamentals. Beyond the core, students take 4 electives that provide depth in a particular area or breadth across biomedical engineering. Students wishing more depth may focus on:

• Biomechanics and Rehabilitation
• Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine
• Imaging and Biophotonics

Opportunities for students to engage in career development programs within and beyond the classroom are plentiful and can be tailored to a student’s unique interests.  Students commonly broaden their perspectives by participating in one or more of the following:

• Research - When undergraduate students conduct research in our department, it provides them with hands-on experience in modern laboratories. It also allows students to develop in-depth knowledge in a particular field in which they’re interested, and it can provide them with a glimpse at what awaits them in graduate study.
• Co-operative Engineering Education Program (Co-op) – an opportunity for engineering students to alternate periods of academic study with full-time engineering experience in industry.
• Study Abroad – Our students take advantage of the plethora of study abroad programs offered by Northwestern. One that is of particular interest to biomedical engineering students the Global Healthcare Technologies program, designed exclusively for engineering students.
• Special Programs – Please see this extensive list that includes numerous certificate and minor opportunities as well as non-academic options
• BME-focused clubs – Many students to engage with a BME-related club to provide service to the department and their peers or to extend their skills in the design of medical devices.

Students wishing to find out more about the field of biomedical engineering will likely find the following resources to be quite helpful:

• American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineers (AIMBE) is a non-profit organization whose vision is to provide leadership and advocacy in medical and biological engineering for the benefit of society. There are excellent resources on the Educate webpages that provide a great deal of information about the field of biomedical engineering and careers within it.
• IEEE Education Resources