The Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis requires students to complete all of the courses in the core curriculum, five upper-level engineering electives (two from Tier I and three from Tier II), five humanity/social science electives and three general electives.

Students must also meet all McKelvey School of Engineering and WashU requirements (including the English composition requirement) and, to satisfy ABET requirements for a professional degree, must accrue 47 engineering topics credits over their coursework. The total BME curriculum requires a total of 120 credit hours.

Curriculum Core

Physical Sciences (18 credit hours)
  • Chem 111A: General Chemistry I and Chem 112A: General Chemistry II (6 credit hours)
  • Chem 151: Chemistry Lab I and Chem 152: Chemistry Lab II (4 credit hours)
  • Physics I, Physics I Lab Phys 191, 191L; Physics II, Physics II Lab Phys 192/192L (8 credit hours)
Biological Sciences (6 credit hours)
  • Biol 2960: Principles of Biology I (4 credit hours)
  • Biol 3057: Physiological Control Systems (3 credit hours)
Mathematics (18 credit hours)
  • Math 132: Calculus II and Math 233: Calculus III (6 credit hours)
  • Math 217: Differential Equations (3 credit hours)
  • ESE 318: Engineering Mathematics A and ESE 319: Engineering Mathematics B (6 credit hours)
  • ESE 326: Probability and Statistics for Engineers (3 credit hours) OR Engr 328: Engineering Statistics with Probability (3 credit hours)
Engineering Science (12 credit hours)
  • CSE 131: Computer Science I (3 credit hours)
  • Three Tier II courses (9 credit hours)
Biomedical Engineering (35 credit hours)
  • BME 140: Intro to Biomedical Engineering (3 credit hours)
  • BME 220: Intro to Biomedical Circuits (4 credit hours)
  • BME 240: Biomechanics (3 credit hours) and BME 240L: Biomechanics Lab (1 credit hour)
  • BME 301A: Quantitative Physiology I and BME 301B: Quantitative Physiology II (8 credit hours)
  • BME 320B: Bioengineering Thermodynamics (3 credit hours)
  • BME 366: Transport (3 credit hours)
  • BME 401A: Senior Capstone Design A and BME 401B: Senior Capstone Design B (4 credit hours)
  • Two Tier I courses (6 credit hours)
Other (31 credit hours)
  • Humanities/Social Sciences (H/SS) (18 credit hours. Must include the three courses listed below.)
    • Eng 4501: Engineering Ethics and Sustainability (SS 1 credit hour)
    • Eng 4502: Engineering Leadership and Team Building (SS 1 credit hour)
    • Eng 4503: Conflict Management and Negotiation (SS 1 credit hour)
  • General electives (10 credit hours)
  • Eng 310: Technical Writing (3 credit hours)

Specialized Interests

Sophomores with an interest in integrating biomedical engineering with upper-level coursework in one of the other four departments within the McKelvey School of Engineering should consider taking the corresponding sophomore-level course listed below as one of their electives. This course does not fulfill a core or upper-level requirement, but will substantively improve preparation for integrative courses taken within BME and across the school.
  • CSE 247: Data Structures and Algorithms
  • EECE 201: Engineering Analysis of Chemical Systems
  • ESE 232: Introduction to Electronic Circuits
  • MEMS 255: Engineering Mechanics II

Double Majors

Students majoring in biomedical engineering may choose to double major within the McKelvey School of Engineering, leading to a second professional Bachelor of Science degree in one of the other engineering disciplines in four years. Depending upon the second major chosen, total unit requirements may range from 140 to 148 (or fewer if the student enters with AP credits). Hence, some summer work may be necessary in order to complete a double major within four academic years. To determine the specific requirements to be satisfied for both degrees, students are urged to consult with an adviser in the second department and their four-year adviser as early as possible.

Minors

Many undergraduate engineering students pursue a minor in engineering or other disciplines. View the list of McKelvey Engineering minors.