Mar 28, 2024  
2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Biomedical Engineering Major, BS in Biomedical Engineering


The biomedical engineering curriculum integrates selected engineering sciences and design methods with life science coursework. The program prepares students for careers in a variety of health care related professions including work for medical device manufacturers and regulatory governmental agencies. The course content of the biomedical engineering curriculum complements the departmental strengths in mechanical engineering and includes a comprehensive coverage of engineering materials and biomechanics applications. Elective courses are available to allow students to specialize their curriculum to areas of particular current interest in the marketplace such as cellular and tissue engineering applications. The biomedical engineering program also allows students to take medical school admission requirements with an appropriate selection of technical electives.

uTrack Requirements

Universal Tracking (uTrack) is an academic monitoring system designed to help students stay on track for timely graduation. In order to remain on track, students must complete the minimum requirements for each tracking semester, known as milestones. Milestones include successful completion of specified courses and/or attainment of a minimum GPA. uTrack requirements only affect full-time, degree-seeking students who first entered Fall 2013 or later. uTrack does not apply to transfer students who entered prior to Fall 2015.

PROGRESSION POLICIES AND REQUIREMENTS

Progression

The first two years of the curriculum are considered to be lower-division and the two remaining years upper-division. Students must apply for progression to departmental upper-division courses, which depends on academic performance. Factors considered include overall grade point average, performance in selected lower-division courses and evidence of orderly progression through the prescribed curriculum.

Full Status

A lower-division student may apply for progression to upper-division after completing EF 152 * or EF 158 *, CHEM 120 *, MATH 231 , ME 202 , ME 231 , and ME 321 , with a grade of C or better in each, and an overall GPA of at least 2.4 in these courses. Students who have not satisfied the requirements for full status will be dropped from departmental class rolls in upper-division courses.

Provisional Status

Students who have completed EF 152 * or EF 158 *, CHEM 120 *, MATH 231 , ME 202 , ME 231  and ME 321 , with a grade of C or better and have a GPA between 2.0 and 2.4 in these courses may apply for provisional status. The granting of provisional status is based on the availability of space in departmental programs after full status students have been accommodated. Provisional status students are required to demonstrate their ability to perform satisfactorily in upper-division by attaining a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the first 12 hours of 300-level required engineering courses. Award of upper-division full status is dependent upon this performance. Students with a UTK GPA less than 2.0 will not be admitted to upper-division. Students who have not progressed to upper-division will be dropped from departmental class rolls in upper-division courses.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering


Term 1 Hours Milestone Notes
CHEM 120 * or CHEM 128  4 MATH 130  or MATH 131  or higher or one Arts and Humanities Elective *, Cultures and Civilizations Elective *, or Social Sciences Elective *
EF 105   1  
EF 151 * or EF 157  4  
1ENGL 101 * or ENGL 118  3  
MATH 132 * or MATH 141 * or MATH 147  3-4  
Term 2
CHEM 130 * or CHEM 138  4 MATH 130  or MATH 131  or higher
EF 152 * or EF 158  4  
ENGL 102  3  
MATH 142 * or MATH 148  4  
ME 202   2  
Term 3
BIOL 160 * or BIOL 168 * 3 EF 151 * or PHYS 135 
EF 230   2  
MATH 200 , MATH 231  or MATH 237   5  
ME 231   3  
STAT 251   3  
Term 4
BME 205   3 EF 152 * or PHYS 136 
MATH 241  or MATH 247   4  
ME 321   3  
2Social Sciences Elective * 3  
PHYS 231  3  
Term 5
BME 341   3 CBE 201  or COSC 102  or ME 202  or MSE 201  
2Arts and Humanities Elective * 3  
BME 363  or BME 367 ; BME 474   6  
ECE 301   3  
PHIL 345 * 3  
Term 6
2Arts and Humanities Elective * 3 No milestones
BME 315 , BME 345   6  
3Technical Elective or Biomedical Engineering Elective 3  
3Technical Elective or Biomedical Engineering Elective 3  
2Oral Communication * 3  
Term 7
BME 449 * 4 No milestones
BME 450   3  
BME 473  or BME 477   3  
3Technical Elective or Biomedical Engineering Elective 3  
2Social Sciences Elective * 3  
Term 8
4Biomedical Engineering Elective 3 No milestones
BME 460   3  
2Cultures and Civilizations Electives * 6  
3Technical Elective 3  
TOTAL 132  
1 Students receiving a grade of A or B in ENGL 118 * will complete their first year composition requirement by choosing ENGL 102 *, a sophomore literature course in the English Department, or ENGL 355 *.
2 Choose any course from the University General Education list .
3 Technical Elective: Must be preapproved based on selected Track (see footnote 5 below).
4 Biomedical Engineering Elective: Restricted to any 300-500 biomedical engineering course not required for the degree or CHEM 260  or CHEM 268 CHEM 360  or CHEM 368 .
5 There are (4) Tracks in the BME Undergraduate Program: (1) Diagnostics, (2) Medical Device Design, (3) Therapeutics, and (4) Pre-Med. The technical or biomedical engineering elective courses for each Track are:

Diagnostics Track:


BME 494 ; MATH 300  or MATH 307 , MATH 323  and ECE 472 ; ECE 315 , ECE 316  and ECE 415 ; ECE 202  and ECE 335 ; BME 480 ; MATH 405 ; BIOL 159 , BCMB 415  and BCMB 416 .

Medical Device Design Track:


BME 494 ; ECE 202  and ECE 335 ; ME 405 ; ME 451 ; MSE 201  or MSE 207  and ME 366 ; ME 366  and ME 469 ; ME 366  and ME 470 ; ME 457 ; ME 331 ; BIOL 159 , BCMB 415  and BCMB 416 .

Therapeutics Track:


BME 494 ; BME 409 ; BME 405 ; BME 486 ; NE 433  and NE 490 ; CHEM 260  or CHEM 268 , CHEM 360  or CHEM 368 , CHEM 359 ; BCMB 401  and CHEM 260 /CHEM 360 ; BCMB 461 ; MICR 330 ; BIOL 159 , BCMB 415  and BCMB 416 .

Pre-Med Track:


BME 494 ; BIOL 150 , BIOL 159 ; CHEM 260  or CHEM 268 CHEM 359 , CHEM 360  or CHEM 368 , BIOL 240 ; BCMB 401  and CHEM 260 /CHEM 360 .

Biomedical Engineering Major – Honors Concentration


In addition to satisfying the requirements for the biomedical engineering major, candidates for the honors concentration must also complete the following requirements.

  • Maintain an overall GPA of 3.4.
  • Four 100- or 200-level honors courses* (14 hours minimum, at least two courses must be from Materials Science and Engineering, Engineering Fundamentals, Physics, Math, Chemistry, Biology, Statistics, or MSE 207 ).
  • Complete two upper-division honors courses in biomedical engineering (BME 367 , BME 477 ).
  • Satisfy the Breadth Requirements for the Cook Grand Challenge Honors Program.
* While most students fulfill this requirement with 100- and 200-level courses, students may substitute upper level courses on approval of the Honors faculty.

Biomedical Engineering Major – Five-Year BS/MS Program


The department offers a Five-Year BS-MS program for qualified students. The primary component of the program is that qualified students may take up to 9 hours of approved graduate courses for their senior undergraduate electives and have them count toward both their bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Tennessee. This program is designed for students attending the University of Tennessee for their Master of Science degree because other universities may not accept these courses for graduate credit since they were used to satisfy requirements for the Bachelor of Science degree. Significant components of the program are:

  • Students must have an overall GPA of at least 3.4 to be admitted to the program. Conditional admission may be granted after completing 64 hours of required course work while full admission is granted after completing 96 hours of required course work with a minimum overall GPA of 3.4 in required course work.
  • Students must at least have conditional admission before taking graduate courses for both their bachelor’s and master’s degrees. All courses taken for graduate credit must be approved by the departmental chair of the program. Students admitted to the program must request permission from the Graduate School to take approved courses for graduate credit. Students admitted to the program must also follow the normal procedure for admission to the Graduate School.
  • Admission of students into this program must be approved by the department and the Graduate School.
  • Students will not be eligible for graduate assistantships until they are enrolled as graduate-level students in the Graduate School.

* Meets University General Education Requirement .