BME

The major program objective is to prepare students for medical school. The curriculum is designed to meet the requirements for admission to medical schools, but is also suitable for those planning to enter graduate school in biomedical engineering, physiology, biology, neurosciences, or related fields. It has less engineering content and more biological sciences than the accompanying Biomedical Engineering major. It is one of many majors that can serve as preparation for further training in medical, veterinary, or allied health professions.

The Biomedical Engineering Premedical curriculum provides future physicians with a quantitative background in biomechanics, bioelectronics, and biotransport. Such a background is increasingly important because of the heavy utilization of biomedical technology in modern medical practice. The curriculum includes courses in the sciences that satisfy the requirements of most medical schools. The education experience is enriched through a design course where students work as teams to solve Biomedical Engineering problems inspired by the clinical arena at the UCI Medical Center.

The minor in Biomedical Engineering requires a total of nine courses -- two advanced mathematics courses, five core Biomedical Engineering courses, and two Biomedical Engineering electives. Some of these courses may include prerequisites that may or may not be part of a student's course requirements for their major.

Private biomedical industry has indicated a keen interest in engineers that have a more traditional engineering degree (i.e. electrical engineering), but also possess some in-depth knowledge of biomedical systems. Hence, the minor in Biomedical Engineering is designed to provide a student with the introductory skills necessary to perform as an engineer in the biomedical arena.

The program objective is to prepare students for careers in the biomedical industry or for further education in graduate school. Biomedical Engineering students learn engineering and principles of biology, physiology, chemistry and physics. They may go on to design devices to diagnose and treat disease, engineer tissues to repair wounds, develop cutting-edge genetic treatments, or create computer programs to understand how the human body works. The curriculum emphasizes education in the fundamentals of engineering sciences that form the common basis of all engineering subspecialties. Education with this emphasis is intended to provide students with a solid engineering foundation for a career in which engineering practice may change rapidly. In addition, elements of bioengineering design are incorporated at every level in the curriculum. This is accomplished by integration of laboratory experimentation, computer applications, and exposure to real bioengineering problems throughout the program. Students also work as teams in senior design project courses to solve multidisciplinary problems suggested by industrial and clinical experience.

Planning a Program of Study

The sample program of study chart shown is typical for the major in Biomedical Engineering. Students should keep in mind that this program is based upon a sequence of prerequisites, beginning with adequate preparation in high school mathematics, physics, and chemistry. Students who are not adequately prepared, or who wish to make changes in the sequence for other reasons, must have their program approved by their faculty advisor. Biomedical Engineering majors must consult at least once every year with the academic counselors in the Student Affairs Office and with their faculty advisors.

Q. Can the application fee be waived?
A. No. It is against University policy to offer fee waivers.

Q. Is it easier to be admitted for the Fall, Winter or Spring quarter?
A.  Applications are accepted for Fall quarter only. Under special circumstances, students completing their UCI undergraduate degree in the Fall or Winter quarters, may enroll in the Winter or Spring quarters only if they have a faculty sponsor in the department. Fellowships are only awarded in the Fall quarter.

BME Graduate Program Guidelines

• MS Guidelines
• PhD Guidelines

Graduate Student Forms
www.rgs.uci.edu/grad/students/forms.htm

Reseach Areas

Biophotonics

Biomedical Nanoscale Systems