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Biomedical Engineering

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Undergraduate Study

For undergraduate curriculum in biomedical engineering leading to the degree Bachelor of Science.

engineering.iastate.edu/bme/

Administered as an interdepartmental degree program.

Biomedical engineering seeks to better human health by designing engineered systems that can interface with biomedical systems or by controlling the biomedical systems themselves. Biomedical engineers leverage their deep understanding of fundamental scientific disciplines including physics, chemistry and biology as well as a broad understanding of different traditional engineering disciplines such as chemical, electrical and mechanical engineering. Broad areas of biomedical engineering include medical molecules and materials, biomedical mechanics and manufacturing and biomedical instrumentation that allow for engineering of cells and tissues or delivery of drugs and vaccines or devices that can detect or alleviate disease, regenerate tissue or assist after injury.

Practicing biomedical engineers work in research, uncovering fundamental properties of either biomedical systems or the engineered systems with which they interface. They work as product engineers, bringing innovative technology to bear in a usable product that can pass approval processes by the relevant regulatory organizations or process engineers, developing manufacturing approaches that can produce products economically, safely and under the proper conditions to ensure their use in the human body. Finally, biomedical engineers work in technical sales, intellectual property or governmental regulation.

The curriculum of biomedical engineering includes broad training in math, chemistry, physics, biology as well as engineering sciences such as thermodynamics, materials, fluid and solid mechanics and circuits. The curriculum also provides training in areas such as disease therapeutics and drug delivery, implants and tissue engineering, advanced diagnostics and biosensors, prosthetics and organ mechanics, medical device manufacturing, and medical imaging and equipment electronics. This training will culminate in lab and design courses that will emphasize a synthesis of these topics to design, build and test biomedical systems.

The curriculum will prepare students for a career in serving society through designing and manufacturing biomedical systems that improve human health. The curriculum will also prepare students to navigate difficult ethical questions through training in bioethics and will include broader training in the social sciences and humanities. This prepares graduates to better gauge the impact of biomedical engineering design decisions on broader society. Finally, graduates will be well-trained to communicate both with other technical colleagues as well as the broader public that benefits from the biomedical engineering products.

Student Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the biomedical engineering curriculum should have, at the time of graduation:

  1. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
  2. An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
  3. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
  4. An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
  5. An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
  6. An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
  7. An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Program Educational Objectives

The objectives of the biomedical engineering program at Iowa State University are to produce graduates who:

  • Will excel in careers as professional biomedical engineers in the businesses and industries related to biomedical engineering.
  • Will successfully pursue research and advanced studies in biomedical engineering or in related professional fields such as medicine, law and business.

A cooperative education program is available to students in biomedical engineering.