Harrington Department of Bioengineering

Professors: Guilbeau, He, Towe

Associate Professors: Abbas, Garcia, Iasemidis, Jung, Massia, Pizziconi, Sweeney, Yamaguchi

Assistant Professors: Caplan, Muthuswamy, Panitch, Vernon

Senior Research Professional: Brandon

The faculty in the Harrington Department of Bioengineering offer the B.S.E. degree in Bioengineering. The major builds on a broad base of knowledge within the basic and mathematical sciences and the engineering core. The major offers graduates excellent career opportunities.

Faculty within the department also participate in the Engineering Special Studies program in premedical engineering, which is described separately in “Programs in Engineering Special Studies.”

BIOENGINEERING—B.S.E. - Back to Top

Bioengineering (synonyms: biomedical engineering, medical engineering) is the discipline of engineering that applies principles and methods from engineering, the physical sciences, the life sciences, and the medical sciences to understand, define, and solve problems in medicine, physiology, and biology. The mission of the bioengineering program at ASU is to educate students to use engineering and scientific principles and methods to develop instrumentation, materials, diagnostic and therapeutic devices, artificial organs, or other equipment and technologies needed in medicine and biology and to discover new fundamental principles regarding the functioning and structure of living systems. The overall goal of the program is to produce high-quality graduates with a broad-based education in engineering and the life and natural sciences who are well prepared for further graduate study in bioengineering, a career in the medical device or biotechnology industries, a career in biomedical research, or entry into a medical or other health profession school.

The program’s mission is achieved by having its faculty and graduate teachers fulfill the following objectives: to provide students with a strong foundation in mathematics, the physical and life sciences, and basic engineering; and to give students a balance of theoretical understanding and ability in order to apply modern techniques, skills, and tools for problem solving at the interface of engineering with the biological and medical sciences. Students demonstrate an ability to make measurements on and interpret data from living systems, addressing the problems associated with the interaction between living and nonliving materials and systems. Students are able to design systems, devices, components, processes, and experiments with an understanding of manufacturing processes to meet real-world needs for solutions to problems in the biomedical device industries, medicine, and the life sciences. Students are able to communicate effectively as bioengineers in oral, written, computer-based, and graphical forms. Faculty seek to instill students with a sense of commitment to professionalism and ethical responsibility as bioengineers. Students are given opportunities to interact with and gain real-world experience with local and national medical device and technology industries, health-care organizations, educational institutions, and constituent populations. Faculty seek to develop within students an understanding of and positive approach toward continued lifelong learning of new technologies and relevant issues in the discipline of bioengineering.

Graduate degree programs in Bioengineering are offered at ASU at the master’s and doctoral levels. For more information, consult the Graduate Catalog.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS - Back to Top

A minimum of 128 semester hours is necessary for the B.S.E. degree in Bioengineering. A minimum of 50 upper-division semester hours is required. Students must attain a GPA of at least 2.00 for the courses in the major field.

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS - Back to Top

In addition to fulfilling school and major requirements, students must satisfy all university graduation requirements. See “University Graduation Requirements.”

COURSE REQUIREMENTS - Back to Top

The course work, in semester hours, for the undergraduate degree can be classified into the following categories:

The major BME courses require a grade of “C” or higher to advance in the program and to receive a baccalaureate degree.

Bioengineering Areas of Study - Back to Top

Technical electives should in general be selected from one of the following emphasis areas. Students can elect to emphasize biochemical engineering, bioelectrical engineering, biomaterials engineering, biomechanical engineering, biomedical imaging engineering, biosystems engineering, molecular and cellular bioengineering, or premedical engineering in their studies. A student may also, with prior approval of the department, select a general area of study or combination of courses that support a career in bioengineering not covered by the following areas.

Biochemical Engineering. This area is designed to strengthen the student’s knowledge of chemistry and transport phenomena and is particularly well suited for students interested in biotechnology. Students should choose technical electives from the following:

Bioelectrical Engineering. This area is designed to strengthen the student’s knowledge of electrical systems, electronics, and signal processing. Students considering a career in bioelectric phenomena, biocontrol systems, medical instrumentation, neural engineering, or electrophysiology should consider this area of study. Students should choose technical electives from the following:

Biomaterials Engineering. This area integrates the student’s knowledge of materials science and engineering with biomaterials science and engineering concepts for the design of materials intended to be used for the development of medical and diagnostic devices. It emphasizes structure-property relationships of engineering materials (metals, polymers, ceramics, and composites) and biological materials, biomaterial-host response phenomena, technical and regulatory aspects of biomaterials testing and evaluation. Students interested in careers in the biomaterials, medical device, or biotechnology industries should consider this area of study. Students must take the following two courses:

Students should choose additional technical electives from the following:

Biomechanical Engineering. This area is designed to strengthen the student’s knowledge of mechanics and control theory. Students interested in careers related to biomechanical analyses, the design of orthotic/prosthetic devices and orthopaedic implants, forensic biomechanics, and rehabilitation engineering should consider this area of study. While students may choose any combination of the following technical electives, it is recommended that courses be selected from one of three subareas: movement biomechanics, rehabilitation engineering, or orthopaedic biomechanics. The movement biomechanics area is designed to strengthen the student’s knowledge of dynamics and control theory. Students interested in analyzing pathological movement disorders, sports techniques, and neuromuscular control should select courses from this area. Rehabilitation engineering emphasizes the design of highly functional products for people with disabilities. Biomechanical, electrical, and mechanical design procedures are used to develop new assistive devices, orthoses, and prostheses. The student primarily interested in the material properties of bones, cartilage, soft tissues, and the design of implants for tissue repair and replacement should select courses from the orthopaedic biomechanics area.

Recommended subarea selections of courses are as follows:

Biomedical Imaging Engineering. This area is designed to strengthen the student’s knowledge of radiation interactions, health physics, medical diagnostic imaging (MRI, PET, X-ray, CT), radiation protection, and nuclear instrumentation. Students considering careers in medical engineering or health physics should consider this area of study. Students should choose technical electives from the following or other departmental approved electives:

Biosystems Engineering. This area is designed to strengthen the background of students interested in physiological systems modeling and analysis and design and evaluation of artificial organs and medical devices. Analyzing physiological systems and designing artificial organs require knowledge in integrating electrical, mechanical, transport, and thermofluid systems. Students considering careers in medical device industries, clinical engineering, or artificial organs should consider this area of study.

Students should choose technical electives from the following:

Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering. This area is designed to strengthen and integrate the student’s knowledge of molecular and cellular biology, biochemistry, and biomaterials science and engineering for the design of biomolecular- and cellular-based hybrid medical and diagnostic devices. It is particularly suited for students interested in pursuing graduate studies in molecular and cellular bioengineering and health-related biotechnologies.

Students are encouraged to choose the following courses:

Students should choose additional or alternative technical electives from the following;

Premedical Engineering. This area is designed to meet the needs of students desiring entry into a medical, dental, or veterinary school. The course sequence provides an excellent background for advanced study leading to a career in research in the medical or life sciences. Technical electives must include the following:

Additional technical electives should be chosen from any of the course offerings listed for the other bioengineering areas of study listed. Note that, to fulfill medical school admission requirements, BIO 187 General Biology is required in addition to the degree requirements and cannot generally be used as a technical elective.

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