Requirements for the Major in Biomedical Engineering
Acceptance into the Major
Qualified freshman and transfer students who have indicated their interest in the major on their applications may be admitted directly as a degree major or as a pre-major. Pre-majors are placed into the Area of Interest (AOI) program and to be eligible for the degree, they must be admitted to and declare the major. The requirements and application process for matriculation are detailed below. Students admitted to other programs within the College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS) follow the same admissions process as students in the AOI program. Students in programs outside of CEAS (non-CEAS students) and double major applicants may apply for admission to the degree program following a separate process, outlined below.
Intellectual honesty and academic integrity are cornerstones of academic and scholarly work. The department may table any applications for major/minor admission until academic judiciary matters are resolved. An academic judiciary matter will be identified by a grade of “Q” in the instance of a first offense.
Area of Interest and Other CEAS Students (excluding double major applicants)
Applications for major admission from AOI and other CEAS students are reviewed twice per year and must be received by January 5 for Spring admission and June 5 for Fall admission. Students who submit their application on time will be admitted if they meet the following requirements:
• Completed AMS 161 and PHY 132/134 or equivalents;
• Earn 10 or more credits of mathematics, physics and engineering courses that are taken at Stony Brook and satisfy the major’s requirements;
• Obtain a grade point average of at least 3.2 in major courses with no more than one grade below B-;
• No courses required for the major have been repeated;
• Completion of course evaluations for all transferred courses that are to be used to meet requirements of the major.
Students must complete these requirements no later than one year after they enroll in the first course that applies towards major entry. Students must apply for admission by the application deadline immediately following completion of the above requirements, but no later than the one year limit. Admission of AOI students and other CEAS students who apply late will follow the process of Non-CEAS Students and Double Major Applicants below.
Non-CEAS Students and Double Major Applicants
Applications for major admission from non-CEAS students and double major applicants are reviewed twice per year and must be received by January 5 for Spring admission and June 5 for Fall admission. Students who do not meet the requirements for AOI admission above will not be considered. Fulfilling the requirements does not guarantee acceptance. Admission is competitive and contingent upon program capacity.
Requirements for the Major
The curriculum begins with a focus on basic mathematics and the natural sciences followed by courses that emphasize engineering science and bridging courses that combine engineering science and design. The sequence of courses culminates with a one-year design experience that integrates the science, engineering, and communication knowledge acquired. The technical electives and additional courses are chosen in consultation with a faculty advisor, taking into consideration the particular interest of the student.
Completion of the major requires approximately 128 credits.
1. Mathematics
a. AMS 151, AMS 161 Calculus I, II
b. AMS 261 or MAT 203 Calculus III
c. AMS 361 or MAT 303 Calculus IV
d. AMS 210 Applied Linear Algebra
e. AMS 310 Survey of Probability and Statistics
Note: The following alternate calculus course sequences may be substituted for AMS 151, AMS 161: MAT 125, MAT 126, MAT 127 or MAT 131, MAT 132
2. Natural Sciences
a.BIO 202 Fundamentals of Biology: Molecular and Cellular Biology and BIO 204 Fundamentals of Scientific Inquiry in the Biological Sciences I
b. CHE 131, CHE 132 General Chemistry I, II or CHE 152 Molecular Science I
c. PHY 131/PHY 133, PHY132/PHY 134 Classical Physics I, II with labs
Note: The following alternate physics course sequences may be substituted for PHY 131/PHY 133, PHY 132/PHY 134: PHY 125, PHY 126, PHY 127, PHY 133, PHY 134 Classical Physics A, B, C and Laboratories or PHY 141, PHY 142, PHY 133, PHY 134 Classical Physics I, II: Honors
3. Computers and Programming
a. BME 120 Programming Fundamentals in Biomedical Engineering
4. Biomedical Engineering
a. BME 100 Introduction to Biomedical Engineering
b. BME 203 Emergent Biodesign
c. BME 212 Laboratory Methods in Biomedical Engineering
d. BME 260 Statics and Dynamics in Biological Systems
e. BME 271 Introduction to Electric Circuits and Bioelectricity
f. BME 301Bioelectricity
g. BME 303 Biomechanics
h. BME 304 Genetic Engineering
i. BME 305 Biofluids
j. BME 440 Biomedical Engineering Design
k. BME 441 Senior Design Project in Bioengineering
5. Biomedical Engineering Specializations and Technical Electives
Biomedical engineering students must complete a specialization, composed of at least 30 credits in one ofthree areas, including at least two 3- to 4-credit design technical elective courses with a BME designation. Five technical elective courses must be 300- or 400-level BME courses (not BME 499). BME 499 may be taken as an additional technical elective for a total of 6 credits.(See below for the three specializations with course options.) The specialization must be declared in writing by the end of the sophom*ore year and is selected in consultation with the faculty advisor to ensure a cohesive curriculum with depth at the upper level.
6. Upper-Division Writing Requirement: BME 300 Writing in Biomedical Engineering
All degree candidates must demonstrate skill in written English at a level acceptable for engineering majors. All Biomedical Engineering students must complete the writing course BME 300 concurrently with a selected 300- or 400-level BME course (excluding BME 440, 441, and 499). The quality of writing in technical reports submitted for the course is evaluated, and students whose writing does not meet the required standard are referred for remedial help. Satisfactory writing warrants an S grade for BME 300, thereby satisfying the requirement.
Grading
All courses taken to satisfy 1 through 5 above must be taken for a letter grade. The grade point average for all required BME courses and all technical electives must be at least a 2.5 to graduate. A grade of C or higher is required in the following courses: AMS 151 , AMS161 or equivalent; BIO 202 ; CHE 131 , CHE 132 or equivalent; PHY 131 / PHY 133 , PHY 132 / PHY 134 or equivalent; all BME courses.
Specializations
To complete the specialization, students choose from the technical elective course list for one of the three specializations. Other courses may be used towards this requirement with the permission of the undergraduate program director. A total of 30 credits in technical electives are required. Fifteen credits or more must be engineering designations. Fifteen credits must be BME (not BME 499), however six additional credits may be BME 499. Although any BME technical elective courses will be accepted within any of the three tracks, below are recommended courses for each track. Non-BME technical elective courses are entirely track specific. BME courses with significant design content are marked by (*).
a. Biomechanics and Biomaterials
Courses that focus on developing an understanding of mechanical structures and dynamics of biological systems, and material properties of those structures. This specialization is appropriate for students interested in the areas of biofluid mechanics, hard and soft tissue biomechanics, biomaterials, biocompatibility, medical prosthetics, or bioinstrumentation.
Recommended courses:
BME 353 Introduction to Biomaterials
BME 354 Advanced Biomaterials (*)
BME 361 Data Science with Python
BME 371 Biological Microfluidics
BME 381 Nanofabrication in Biomedical Applications (*)
BME 404 Essentials of Tissue Engineering (*)
BME 420 Computational Biomechanics
BME 430 Quantitative Human Physiology
BME 461 Biosystems Analysis
ESG 302 Thermodynamics of Materials
ESG 332 Materials Science I: Structure and Properties of Materials
ESM 335 Strength of Materials
ESM 453 Biomaterials
ESM 469 Polymer Engineering
MEC 363 Mechanics of Solids
Alternative courses:
AMS 315 Data Analysis
AMS 333 Mathematical Biology
BME 311 Fundamentals of Bio-imaging (*)
BME 312 LabVIEW Programming in Engineering (*)
BME 313 Bioinstrumentation (*)
BME 402 Contemporary Biotechnology
BME 481 Biosensors (*)
CHE 321 Organic Chemistry I
CHE 322 Organic Chemistry II
CHE 327 Organic Chemistry Laboratory
CSE 332 Introduction to Scientific Visualization
ESE 315 Control System Design
ESG 281 Engineering Intro to Solid State
ESG 316 Engineering Science Design Methods
ESM 325 Diffraction Techniques and Structure of Solids
ESM 335 Strength of Materials
ESM 450 Engineering Systems Laboratory
ESM 469 Polymer Engineering
MEC 310 Introduction to Machine Design
MEC 320 Numerical Methods in Engineering Design and Analysis
MEC 402 Mechanical Vibrations
MEC 410 Design of Machine Elements
MEC 411 Control System Analysis and Design
MEC 455 Applied Stress Analysis
b. Bioelectricity and Bioimaging
Courses focusing on the description of biological cells, tissues, and organisms as complex systems. This specialization is appropriate for students interested in the areas of bioinstrumentation, medical imaging, electrical prosthetics, electromagnetic compatibility, tissue engineering, or bioinformatics.
Recommended courses:
BME 311 Fundamentals of Macro to Molecular Bioimaging (*)
BME 312 LabVIEW Programming in Engineering (*)
BME 313 Bioinstrumentation (*)
BME 361 Data Science with Python
BME 381 Nanofabrication in Biomedical Applications (*)
BME 430 Quantitative Human Physiology
BME 461 Biosystems Analysis
BME 481 Biosensors (*)
CSE 377 Introduction to Medical Imaging
ESE 211 Electronics Laboratory A
ESE 273 Microelectronic Circuits
ESE 306 Random Signals and Systems
ESE 314 Electronics Laboratory B
ESE 315 Control System Design
Alternative courses:
AMS 311 Probability Theory
CHE 321 Organic Chemistry I
CHE 322 Organic Chemistry II
CHE 327 Organic Chemistry Laboratory
ESE 305 Deterministic Signals and Systems
ESE 324 Electronics Laboratory B
c. Molecular and Cellular Biomedical Engineering
Courses focus on the application of biochemistry, cell biology, and molecular biology (i.e., recombinant DNA methodology) to the broad fields of genetic engineering, biotechnology, bionano-technology, and biosensors. Includes the specific engineering principles that are applied to problems involving structure and function of molecules and cells in areas such as tissue engineering, gene therapy, microarray, drug design and delivery, structural biology computational methods, and bioinformatics.
Recommended courses:
BIO 317 Principles of Cellular Signaling
BME 311 Bioimaging (*)
BME 353 Introduction to Biomaterials
BME 354 Advanced Biomaterials (*)
BME 361 Data Science with Python
BME 371 Biological Microfluidics
BME 381 Nanofabrication in Biomedical Applications (*)
BME 402 Contemporary Biotechnology
BME 404 Essentials of Tissue Engineering (*)
BME 420 Computational Biomechanics
BME 430 Quantitative Physiology
BME 461 Biosystems Analysis
BME 481 Biosensors(*)
CHE 321 Organic Chemistry I
CHE 322 Organic Chemistry II
CHE 327 Organic Chemistry Laboratory
Alternative courses:
BIO 310 Cell Biology
BIO 320 General Genetics
BIO 325 Animal Development
BIO 328 Mammalian Physiology
BIO 361 Biochemistry I
BIO 362 Biochemistry II
BIO 365 Biochemistry Laboratory
BME 312 LabVIEW Programming in Engineering (*)
BME 313 Bioinstrumentation (*)
CHE 312 Physical Chemistry for the Life Sciences
CHE 346 Biomolecular Structure and Reactivity
CHE 353 Chemical Thermodynamics
EBH 302 Human Genetics
ESG 332 Materials Science I: Structure and Properties of Materials
ESM 453 Biomaterials
ESM 469 Polymer Engineering
Honors Program in Biomedical Engineering
The purpose of the honors program in Biomedical Engineering is to give high achieving students an opportunity to receive validation for a meaningful research experience and for a distinguished academic career. A student interested in becoming a candidate for the honors program in Biomedical Engineering may apply to the program at the end of the sophom*ore year. To be admitted to the honors program, students need a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.50 and a B or better in all major required courses (including math and physics). Transfer students who enter Stony Brook University in the junior year need a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.50 and a B or better in all required major courses (including math and physics) in their first semester at Stony Brook University.
Graduation with departmental honors in Biomedical Engineering requires the following:
- A cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher and a B or better in all major required courses (including math and physics) upon graduation.
- Completion ofBME 494, a 1 credit seminar on research techniques, with a B or better.
- Completion ofBME 495, a 3-credit honors research project, with a B or better.
- Presentation of an honors thesis (written in the format of an engineering technical paper) under the supervision of a BME faculty member. The thesis must be presented to and approved by a committee.
For students who qualify, this honor is indicated on their diploma and on their permanent academic record.
BE/MS Degree
BME undergraduate students may be eligible to enroll in the BE/MS degree starting in their senior year and pursue a Bachelor’s Degree along with a MS in Biomedical Engineering.Important features of thisaccelerated degree program are that students must apply to the program through the BME Graduate Program Director during their junior year.
