Biomedical Engineering BS / Biomedical Engineering MS
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering (BSBE) and Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering (MSBE)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Minimum Required Credits: 228.5
About the Program
The Biomedical Engineering BS/MS dual degree is an accelerated program providing the academically qualified student an opportunity to earn both BS and MS degrees (two diplomas are awarded) in the biomedical engineering program areas of his/her/their choice in five years, the time normally required to finish a bachelor's degree alone.
The program combines the practical work experience of Drexel undergraduate cooperative education with the graduate credentials of an advanced degree. With both an undergraduate and graduate degree and practical work experience, BS/MS graduates enter the work force with specialized knowledge and training.
Additional Information
More information about the School’s accelerate dual degree program can be found at the School of Biomedical Engineering, Sciences and Health Systems' Academic Program webpage.
Natalia Broz
Associate Director for Graduate Programs
School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems
Email: njb33@drexel.edu
Caryn Glaser
Director of Student Services
School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems
glasercb@drexel.edu
Admission Requirements
In addition to meeting the University requirements, students applying into the Biomedical BS/MS program must:
- Be an undergraduate in Biomedical Engineering
- Have an approved plan to study that includes master's degree in Biomedical Engineering
- Have a minimum cumulative GPA of at least 3.4
For those interested in pursuing a MS thesis, there is an additional requirement:
- Students must submit a research petition no later than April 1 of junior year.*
*If the petition is not submitted or accepted, the student will not be able to pursue a thesis option.
Degree Requirements
| Math | ||
| BMES 310 | Biomedical Statistics | 4.0 |
| Introduction to Calculus - Complete one of the following options based on placement exam results: * | 4.0-10.0 | |
| Calculus I | ||
OR | ||
| Calculus and Functions I and Calculus and Functions II ** | ||
OR | ||
| Algebra, Functions, and Trigonometry and Calculus I | ||
| MATH 122 | Calculus II | 4.0 |
| MATH 200 | Multivariate Calculus | 4.0 |
| MATH 201 | Linear Algebra | 4.0 |
| MATH 210 | Differential Equations | 4.0 |
| Biology | ||
| BIO 122 | Cells and Genetics | 4.5 |
| BIO 201 | Human Physiology I | 4.0 |
| BIO 218 | Principles of Molecular Biology | 4.0 |
| Bioscience Electives (2): Choose two 200-level or higher BIO course | 6.0 | |
| General Studies | ||
| BMES 124 | Biomedical Engineering Freshman Seminar I | 2.0 |
| BMES 338 | Biomedical Ethics and Law | 3.0 |
| CIVC 101 | Introduction to Civic Engagement | 1.0 |
| COOP 101 | Career Management and Professional Development *** | 1.0 |
| ENGL 101 | Composition and Rhetoric I: Inquiry and Exploratory Research | 3.0 |
| or ENGL 111 | English Composition I | |
| ENGL 102 | Composition and Rhetoric II: Advanced Research and Evidence-Based Writing | 3.0 |
| or ENGL 112 | English Composition II | |
| ENGL 103 | Composition and Rhetoric III: Themes and Genres | 3.0 |
| or ENGL 113 | English Composition III | |
| UNIV R101 | The Drexel Experience | 1.0 |
| General Studies Electives (Choose 5) † | 15.0 | |
| Biomedical Engineering - Principles | ||
| Design | ||
| BMES 101 | Introduction to BMES Design I: Defining Medical Problems | 2.0 |
| BMES 102 | Introduction to BMES Design II: Evaluating Design Solutions | 2.0 |
| BMES 241 | Modeling in Biomedical Design I | 2.0 |
| BMES 315 | Experimental Design in Biomedical Research | 4.0 |
| BMES 341 | Modeling in Biomedical Design II | 2.0 |
| BMES 381 | Junior Design I | 2.0 |
| BMES 382 | Junior Design II | 2.0 |
| BMES 491 [WI] | Senior Design Project I | 3.0 |
| BMES 492 | Senior Design Project II | 2.0 |
| BMES 493 | Senior Design Project III | 3.0 |
| Biocomputation | ||
| BMES 201 | Programming and Modeling for Biomedical Engineers I | 3.0 |
| BMES 202 | Programming and Modeling for Biomedical Engineers ll | 3.0 |
| BMES 337 | Introduction to Physiological Control Systems | 3.0 |
| BMES 375 | Computational Bioengineering | 4.0 |
| Biomaterials | ||
| BMES 451 | Transport Phenomena in Living Systems | 4.0 |
| CHEM 101 | General Chemistry I ‡ | 3.5-7.5 |
| or CHEM 111 & CHEM 101 | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I | |
| CHEM 102 | General Chemistry II | 4.5 |
| CHEM 253 | Thermodynamics and Kinetics | 4.0 |
| MATE 220 | Fundamentals of Materials | 4.0 |
| Biomechanics | ||
| BMES 345 | Mechanics of Biological Systems | 3.0 |
| BMES 444 | Biofluid Mechanics | 3.0 |
| MEM 202 | Statics | 3.0 |
| MEM 238 | Dynamics | 4.0 |
| PHYS 101 | Fundamentals of Physics I * | 4.0-8.0 |
| or PHYS 100 & PHYS 101 | Preparation for Engineering Studies and Fundamentals of Physics I | |
| Biosignals | ||
| BMES 302 [WI] | Laboratory II: Biomeasurements | 2.0 |
| BMES 303 | Laboratory III: Biomedical Electronics | 2.0 |
| BMES 432 | Biomedical Systems and Signals | 3.0 |
| ECE 201 | Foundations of Electric Circuits I | 4.0 |
| PHYS 102 | Fundamentals of Physics II | 4.0 |
| Biomedical Engineering - Electives | ||
| Laboratories (Choose 2) | 4.0 | |
| Human Physiology Laboratory | ||
| Techniques in Cell Biology | ||
| Techniques in Molecular Biology | ||
| Biochemistry Laboratory | ||
| Laboratory I: Experimental Biomechanics | ||
| Laboratory IV: Ultrasound Images | ||
| Laboratory V: Musculoskeletal Anatomy for Biomedical Engineers | ||
| Brain Computer Interface Laboratory | ||
| Research in Biomedical Engineering | ||
| Organic Chemistry Laboratory I | ||
| Organic Chemistry Laboratory II | ||
| Concentration Requirements and STEM Electives (22 credits total; 6 of which are satisfied by GR SEM electives) | 16.0 | |
Concentration Requirements (3 required courses/concentration. See list below.) | ||
STEM Electives (9.0-12.0 credits depending on concentration) (Graduate SEM electives satisfies 6.0 credits of UG STEM electives) ^ | ||
| Graduate Core Courses | ||
| BMES 501 | Medical Sciences I | 3.0 |
| BMES 502 | Medical Sciences II | 3.0 |
| BMES 510 | Biomedical Statistics | 4.0 |
| BMES 538 | Biomedical Ethics and Law | 3.0 |
| BMES 550 | Advanced Biocomputational Languages | 4.0 |
| BMES 864 | Seminar (Must be taken 3 times) | 0.0 |
| Modeling Intensive Courses (choose 2) | 6.0 | |
| Biological Control Systems | ||
| Transport Phenomena in Living Systems I | ||
| Biosimulation I | ||
| Biosimulation II | ||
| Mathematical Modeling of Cellular Behavior | ||
| Biocomputational Modeling and Simulation | ||
| Neural Signals | ||
| BMES Electives (can include up to 9.0 credits of Thesis) | 16.0 | |
| Medical Sciences III | ||
| Cardiovascular Engineering | ||
| Entrepreneurship for Biomedical Engineering and Science | ||
| Experimental Design in Biomedical Research | ||
| Intermediate Biostatistics | ||
| Interpretation of Biomedical Data | ||
| Introduction to Biosensors | ||
| Pediatric Engineering I | ||
| Pediatric Engineering II | ||
| Chronobioengineering I | ||
| Chronobioengineering II | ||
| Design Thinking for Biomedical Engineers | ||
| Introduction to Product Design for Biomedical Engineers | ||
| Nano and Molecular Mechanics of Biological Materials | ||
| Quantitative Systems Biology | ||
| Genome Information Engineering | ||
| Structural Bioinformatics and Drug Design | ||
| Genomic and Sequencing Technologies | ||
| Biomedical Signal Processing | ||
| Medical Device Development | ||
| Pharmacogenomics | ||
| Biological Control Systems | ||
| Medical Imaging Systems I | ||
| Medical Imaging Systems II | ||
| Medical Imaging Systems III | ||
| Tissue Engineering I | ||
| Tissue Engineering II | ||
| Biomedical Mechanics I | ||
| Biomedical Mechanics II | ||
| Transport Phenomena in Living Systems I | ||
| Biomaterials I | ||
| Biomaterials II | ||
| Biosimulation I | ||
| Biosimulation II | ||
| Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering III | ||
| Mathematical Modeling of Cellular Behavior | ||
| Biocomputational Modeling and Simulation | ||
| Experimental Methods in Neuroengineering | ||
| Neural Signals | ||
| Principles in Neuroengineering | ||
| Neural Aspects of Posture and Locomotion I | ||
| Neural Networks | ||
| Medical Instrumentation | ||
| Medical Instrumentation II | ||
| Hospital Administration | ||
| Science, Engineering, and Medicine Electives (satisfies both UG and GR degree requirements) ^^ | 6.0 | |
| Thesis Option § | ||
| Research | ||
| Master's Thesis | ||
| Total Credits | 228.5-242.5 | |
- *
MATH and PHYS sequences are determined by the student's Calculus Placement Exam score and the completion of any summer online preparatory courses available based on that score.
- **
Some students may need a one-credit concurrent practicum course depending on their calculus exam score and summer preparatory review participation.
- ***
Co-op cycles may vary. Students are assigned a co-op cycle (fall/winter, spring/summer, summer-only) based on their co-op program (4-year, 5-year) and major.
COOP 101 registration is determined by the co-op cycle assigned and may be scheduled in a different term. Select students may be eligible to take COOP 001 in place of COOP 101.
- †
General studies electives include all liberal arts electives plus additional subjects, such as business, which do not fall under the subject areas of science, math or engineering. See the Biomedical Engineering General Studies List for a detailed list of approved courses. An abbreviated list is shown here: DANC, MUSC, TVPR, VSST, GER, FREN, GST, PHIL, PPE, PSCI, BLAW, HRMT, INTB, MGMT, OPM, ORGB; CULA, ENTP, CRTV, EDLT, EHRD.
- ‡
CHEM sequence is determined by the student's Chemistry Placement Exam score and the completion of a summer online preparatory course available based on that score.
- ^
STEM electives include courses offered by the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, as well as select science, technology, and math courses from other academic units. An abbreviated list of 200 level and higher courses is shown here: ENVS, PHYS, INFO (including INFO 101, INFO 110), CS (including CS 171, CS 172, CS 175), HSCI (excluding HSCI 205). Please see Biomedical Engineering STEM Elective List for a detailed list of approved courses
- ^^
Science, engineering, and medicine (SEM) electives may include graduate-level (500 level and above) courses from appropriate disciplines and departments (for example, MATH, PHYS, CS, MATE), including Biomedical Engineering (BMES). Please see (List_SEM(BSMS)_Electives) for a complete list and consult with your graduate advisor when formulating your plan of study and choosing electives.
- §
Up to 9.0 credits of research and thesis credits may be applied toward the MS degree requirements. The research for the thesis may include work carried out during an internship.
Undergraduate Concentration Requirements
Students must select one undergraduate concentration (as part of the BS) and complete the listed required courses. The student also needs to take additional STEM electives, as described above. The credit total of the concentration required courses and the STEM electives must be at least 22.0 credits.
| Biomaterials Concentration Required Courses | ||
| BMES 460 | Biomaterials I | 4.0 |
| BMES 461 | Biomaterials II | 4.0 |
| CHEM 241 | Organic Chemistry I * | 4.0 |
| Total Credits | 12.0 | |
| Biomechanics Concentration Required Courses | ||
| BMES 441 | Biomechanics I: Introduction to Biomechanics | 4.0 |
| BMES 442 | Biomechanics II: Musculoskeletal Modeling and Human Performance | 4.0 |
| MEM 201 | Foundations of Computer Aided Design | 3.0 |
| Total Credits | 11.0 | |
| Biomedical Imaging Concentration Required Courses | ||
| BMES 421 | Biomedical Imaging Systems I: Images | 4.0 |
| BMES 422 | Biomedical Imaging Systems II: Ultrasound | 4.0 |
| PHYS 201 | Fundamentals of Physics III * | 4.0 |
| Total Credits | 12.0 | |
| Biomedical Informatics Concentration Required Courses | ||
| BIO 219 [WI] | Techniques in Molecular Biology | 3.0 |
| BMES 483 | Quantitative Systems Biology | 4.0 |
| BMES 484 | Genome Information Engineering | 4.0 |
| Total Credits | 11.0 | |
| Neuroengineering Concentration Required Courses | ||
| BIO 462 | Biology of Neuron Function * | 3.0 |
| BMES 477 | Neuroengineering I: Neural Signals | 3.0 |
| BMES 478 | Neuroengineering II: Principles of Neuroengineering | 3.0 |
| Total Credits | 9.0 | |
| Tissue Engineering Concentration Required Courses | ||
| BIO 219 [WI] | Techniques in Molecular Biology * | 3.0 |
| BMES 471 | Cellular and Molecular Foundations of Tissue Engineering | 4.0 |
| BMES 472 | Developmental and Evolutionary Foundations of Tissue Engineering | 4.0 |
| Total Credits | 11.0 | |
(Optional) Graduate Concentration
Students may elect to pursue a graduate concentration for the MS. Completion of a graduate concentration is completely optional. The graduate concentration options are listed below.
| Biomedical Technology Development Concentration (Optional) | ||
| BMES 509 | Entrepreneurship for Biomedical Engineering and Science | 3.0 |
| BMES 534 | Design Thinking for Biomedical Engineers | 3.0 |
| BMES 538 | Biomedical Ethics and Law | 3.0 |
| BMES 588 | Medical Device Development | 3.0 |
| BMES 596 | Clinical Practicum | 3.0 |
| Total Credits | 15.0 | |
| Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Concentration (Optional) | ||
| BMES 631 | Tissue Engineering I | 4.0 |
| BMES 632 | Tissue Engineering II | 4.0 |
| BMES 660 | Biomaterials I | 4.0 |
| BMES 661 | Biomaterials II | 4.0 |
| BMES 675 | Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering III | 4.0 |
| Total Credits | 20.0 | |
| Bioinformatics Concentration (Optional) | ||
| BMES 543 | Quantitative Systems Biology | 4.0 |
| BMES 544 | Genome Information Engineering | 4.0 |
| BMES 545 | Biosystems Modeling | 4.5 |
| or BMES 549 | Genomic and Sequencing Technologies | |
| BMES 551 | Biomedical Signal Processing | 3.0 |
| BMES 604 | Pharmacogenomics | 3.0 |
| Total Credits | 18.5 | |
| Pediatric Engineering Concentration (Optional) | ||
| BMES 528 | Pediatric Engineering I | 3.0 |
| BMES 529 | Pediatric Engineering II | 3.0 |
| BMES 538 | Biomedical Ethics and Law | 3.0 |
| BMES 509 | Entrepreneurship for Biomedical Engineering and Science | 3.0 |
| Total Credits | 12.0 | |
| Neuroengineering Concentration (Optional) | ||
| BMES 710 | Neural Signals | 3.0 |
| BMES 711 | Principles in Neuroengineering | 3.0 |
| BMES 715 | Systems Neuroscience and Applications I | 3.0 |
| BMES 718 | Brain Computer Interfaces | 3.0 |
| BMES 725 | Neural Networks | 3.0 |
| Total Credits | 15.0 | |
Writing-Intensive Course Requirements
In order to graduate, all students must pass three writing-intensive courses after their freshman year. Two writing-intensive courses must be in a student's major. The third can be in any discipline. Students are advised to take one writing-intensive class each year, beginning with the sophomore year, and to avoid “clustering” these courses near the end of their matriculation. Transfer students need to meet with an academic advisor to review the number of writing-intensive courses required to graduate.
A "WI" next to a course in this catalog may indicate that this course can fulfill a writing-intensive requirement. For the most up-to-date list of writing-intensive courses being offered, students should check the Writing Intensive Course List at the University Writing Program. Students scheduling their courses can also conduct a search for courses with the attribute "WI" to bring up a list of all writing-intensive courses available that term.
Sample Plan of Study
5 year, 3 coop
| First Year | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| BMES 101 | 2.0 | BMES 102 | 2.0 | BIO 122 | 4.5 | VACATION | |
| BMES 124 | 2.0 | CHEM 102 | 4.5 | BMES 201 | 3.0 | ||
| CHEM 101 | 3.5 | ENGL 102 or 112 | 3.0 | COOP 101* | 1.0 | ||
| CIVC 101 | 1.0 | MATH 122 | 4.0 | ENGL 103 or 113 | 3.0 | ||
| ENGL 101 or 111 | 3.0 | PHYS 101 | 4.0 | MATH 200 | 4.0 | ||
| MATH 121 | 4.0 | PHYS 102 | 4.0 | ||||
| UNIV R101 | 1.0 | ||||||
| 16.5 | 17.5 | 19.5 | 0 | ||||
| Second Year | |||||||
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| BMES 202 | 3.0 | BIO 218 | 4.0 | COOP EXPERIENCE | COOP EXPERIENCE | ||
| ECE 201 | 4.0 | MEM 238 | 4.0 | ||||
| MATE 220 | 4.0 | BMES 241 | 2.0 | ||||
| MATH 201 | 4.0 | BMES 338 | 3.0 | ||||
| MEM 202 | 3.0 | MATH 210 | 4.0 | ||||
| (UG) Bioscience Elective 200+ level or higher | 3.0 | ||||||
| 18 | 20 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Third Year | |||||||
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| BIO 201 | 4.0 | BMES 303 | 2.0 | COOP EXPERIENCE | COOP EXPERIENCE | ||
| BMES 345 | 3.0 | BMES 310 | 4.0 | ||||
| BMES 375 | 4.0 | BMES 341 | 2.0 | ||||
| BMES 432 | 3.0 | BMES 451 | 4.0 | ||||
| CHEM 253 | 4.0 | (UG) Bioscience Elective 200+ level or higher | 3.0 | ||||
| (UG) Laboratory Elective | 2.0 | (UG) Laboratory Elective | 2.0 | ||||
| BMES 538 | 3.0 | ||||||
| 20 | 20 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Fourth Year | |||||||
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| BMES 315 | 4.0 | BMES 302 | 2.0 | COOP EXPERIENCE | COOP EXPERIENCE | ||
| BMES 381 | 2.0 | BMES 337 | 3.0 | ||||
| (UG) General Studies Electives | 6.0 | BMES 382 | 2.0 | ||||
| BMES 550 | 4.0 | BMES 444 | 3.0 | ||||
| BMES 510 | 4.0 | (UG) Concentration Requirement | 3.0 | ||||
| (GR) Modeling Intensive Elective | 3.0 | ||||||
| (GR) BMES Elective | 4.0 | ||||||
| 20 | 20 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Fifth Year | |||||||
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
| BMES 491 | 3.0 | BMES 492 | 2.0 | BMES 493 | 3.0 | ||
| (UG) Concentration Requirement | 3.0 | (UG) Concentration Requirement | 3.0 | (UG) Gen Studies Elective | 3.0 | ||
| (UG) Gen Studies Elective | 3.0 | (UG) Gen Studies Elective | 3.0 | (GR) BMES Elective | 4.0 | ||
| (UG) STEM Elective | 3.0 | (UG) STEM Elective | 4.0 | (GR) Modeling Intensive Elective | 3.0 | ||
| BMES 501 | 3.0 | BMES 502 | 3.0 | (GR) SEM Elective (counts as UG STEM Elective** | 3.0 | ||
| (GR) BMES Elective | 4.0 | (GR) BMES Elective | 4.0 | (GR) SEM Elective (counts as UG STEM Elective** | 3.0 | ||
| 19 | 19 | 19 | |||||
| Total Credits 228.5 | |||||||
- *
Co-op cycles may vary. Students are assigned a co-op cycle (fall/winter, spring/summer, summer-only) based on their co-op program (4-year, 5-year) and major.
COOP 101 registration is determined by the co-op cycle assigned and may be scheduled in a different term. Select students may be eligible to take COOP 001 in place of COOP 101.
- **
GR credits shared with BSE program.