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

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ula

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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

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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