When you enter any engineering discipline, you must have a strong interest in science and mathematics in a way that allows you to solve problems of a highly technical nature. For biomedical engineering, you must be willing to add the life sciences and medical knowledge necessary to understand the frame work of the problems on which you will work.
This is not part of the traditional engineering education and requires not only an above average ability in math and science but also a willingness to embrace these other areas due to the interdisciplinary nature of biomedical engineering. The modern life sciences have become more analytical and computer based in their approach to fundamental knowledge, and the biomedical industry in now considered one of the leading edge industries whose benefits we are just beginning to reap.
The output of these industries directly benefits the health and well being of people. Therefore the biomedical engineer is often attracted to this humanistic component as well as the advanced technology. Examples are bountiful and include devices such as implantable cardiac pacemakers and defibrillators, joint replacement implants, biomedical imaging, novel drug delivery systems, and tissue engineered skin used for grafting. If these topics and applications interest you and you enjoy the challenge of working on such people oriented problems, then Biomedical Engineering is for you.
Biomedical engineers work with a broad range of professionals ranging from other engineering specialties, to basic laboratory scientists, to physicians and nurses. Strong communications skills are essential as the biomedical engineer often becomes the general interpreter for such widely educated individuals; the biomedical engineer who knows the language of both engineering and medicine.
High school preparation for biomedical engineering would include four years of math (through pre-calculus), one year each of physics, chemistry and biology. Most universities also expect the prospective Biomedical Engineer to have 4 years of English and a mix of social studies and language courses which comprise a strong pre-college curriculum.
Biomedical engineers have a wide range of job opportunities that can include a hospital based practice as a clinical engineer, an industrially based engineer designing medical devices, a technical sales engineer, or a staff engineer in a medical research laboratory. Biomedical Engineers find themselves in a wide variety of specialties which may organize around various diseases, such as cancer, or organ systems such as the cardiovascular system, or technology, such as biomaterials or imaging. A biomedical engineer may have jobs which involve the following skills and applications:
ABET-accredited biomedical engineering program integrates the engineering disciplines with the biomedical sciences in the curriculum. Many BME programs expect the students to “track” into a specific discipline such as biomechanics or bioelectricity where their interests are channeled along both a traditional engineering field with the necessary biomedical applications. Other students will pursue the BS in Engineering (usually at an institution without a formal Biomedical Engineering degree) where they can choose a group of electives in biology and organic chemistry which will give them the necessary breadth to pursue professional degrees or further graduate Biomedical Engineering studies. These students may also track through the major elements of a traditional engineering degree but use the their electives to give them this breadth of education.
Regardless of the approach to a biomedical engineering degree, the curriculum will have a complete series of math courses from calculus through differential equations and will likely include a course in statistics. A full complement of science courses in physics, chemistry, and biology with advanced courses such as organic chemistry and physiology are also quite usual for biomedical engineering majors. Most engineering majors will also take a series social studies/humanities courses during their four years of education.
The engineering courses may follow a track with a traditional engineering bias (e.g., electrical, chemical, mechanical) but will have to integrate the life science examples so that Biomedical Engineering students will have sufficient laboratory experiences to include taking measurements and interpreting data from living systems. They must also learn the issues involved with the interface between living systems and non-living materials and systems. Courses such as biomaterials, biomechanics, and bioelectricity are often part of the undergraduate Biomedical Engineering curriculum.
Up to two-thirds of Biomedical Engineering undergraduates go on for advanced degrees either in graduate school for an MS or PhD or to professional schools for an MD, DDS, or JD. Thus the Biomedical Engineering degree, with its broad interdisciplinary approach, attracts students with similar educational goals and enables them to pursue a wide variety of career options.
This is a commonly asked question since Biomedical Engineering is a relatively new degree program and is not offered by a large number of universities. There is no simple answer as both approaches are quite common and every student has a different set of needs. The undergraduate Biomedical Engineering degree is often a stepping stone for professional studies (Medicine, Law, Dentistry, etc) or graduate work (Biomedical Engineering, Physiology, Molecular Biology, etc) but many students also go directly into industries where biomedical products are designed and manufactured. Biomedical Engineering graduates bring a unique knowledge of modern life sciences and engineering design and analysis skills to an employer.
Evidence of the newness and growing interest in Biomedical Engineering is the fact that over 40 new Departments and Programs (double the previous number) have been started in the past 5 years and this number is expected to continue to increase.
One must recognize that BME incorporates a wide range of engineering sub-disciplines such as heat transfer, circuit theory and electromagnetics, fluid dynamics, statics and dynamics, materials, etc. In addition, the range of biological/life sciences and medicine is also very broad. BME students may take courses in molecular biology, physiology, anatomy, or pharmacology. Most biomedical engineering programs have courses which combine these basic core areas so that the integration of these diverse knowledge bases provides a very interesting and challenging curriculum for the students. With this understanding, no individual can be expected to have or develop such broad expertise when compared to BME. Therefore, biomedical engineering students commonly focus on a single engineering discipline with a significant area of application in the biology/life sciences or a specific field of medicine. Below are some primary areas which comprise contemporary biomedical engineering:
One key skill of the biomedical engineer is the ability to understand complex medical problems and use engineering methods to solve them. This often includes being part of a multi-disciplinary team where the biomedical engineer dives into both sides of the problem. The biomedical engineer will fully appreciate that most biological systems do not follow the precise physical laws that govern mechanical, chemical, or electrical systems. Biological systems have a unique spectrum of responses to various stimuli – remember the last time you were given a medicine that worked for everyone else, but not you! Well understanding these variable systems while having the skills to design and manipulate the physical systems that form part of the solution is what describes good biomedical engineer. In other words, the biomedical engineer must master the interface between the living system and the engineered system.
A skilled biomedical engineer is proficient at problem definition, applied sciences, mathematics, and engineering principles to develop solutions to problems. Biomedical engineers must also be skilled in communcation tools, such as computers and the ability to effectively communicate with coworkers, peers, supervisors, healthcare professionals, clients, and more.
U of T Engineering is committed to inspiring students through a full range of year-round Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs offered by our Engineering Outreach Office. Beyond the selected listing of high school programs below, we also offer a suite of programs for younger learners, from Grades 3 to 8.
Designed for high school students from Grades 9 to 12 with a passion for science and math, DEEP Summer Academy is an opportunity to explore advanced topics in engineering including robotics, nanotechnology, product design and biomedical engineering. DEEP instructors are PhD candidates who will share their knowledge and research through lectures, labs and hands-on sessions. Join students from all over the world at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering in downtown Toronto this July!
Blueprint is an academic enrichment program designed for highly motivated Black students currently in Grades 9, 10 and 11 who are interested in careers in Science, Technology Engineering and Math with a strong interest in Engineering. The program includes five weeks of summer programming and year-long student engagement, including monthly webinars and scheduled meet-ups. Students will be exposed to state-of-the-art teaching facilities and labs at Canada’s top engineering school and have the opportunity to hear from students and researchers in the fields.
ENGage High School Saturdays is a mentorship program for Black high school students interested in learning more about STEM. This community-building program encourages students to develop their academic skills in science and engineering while gaining and developing valuable life skills.
Academic Preparation Courses aim to enrich the knowledge students in Grades 9 to 11 on core Ontario high school level math and science curriculum. Designed in consultation with current Ontario high-school teachers, these non-credit courses consist of a curated suite of online materials and real-world challenge problems to practice problem-solving skills.