Curriculum in Bioengineering

Department of Bioengineering
3120 Digital Computer Laboratory
1304 West Springfield Avenue
Urbana, IL 61801
217-333-1867

For the Degree of Bachelor of Science in Bioengineering

Bioengineering combines the analytical and experimental methods of the engineering profession with the biological and medical sciences to achieve a more detailed understanding of biological phenomena and to develop new techniques and devices. In keeping with the mission of the department, students successfully completing the undergraduate curriculum in Bioengineering will be prepared for professional careers in businesses related to medical diagnostics, prosthetic devices and implants, the pharmaceutical industry, and consulting in health-related fields, as well as, other positions in industry, commerce, education, and government; or to continue their formal education at a graduate school of their choice.

New Bioengineering Department and Major

The Illinois Board of Higher Education approved the Department of Bioengineering and the degree of Bachelor of Science in Bioengineering in December 2003. Plans are to build the program over five years to a steady state where 50 to 75 undergraduates enter as freshmen each year. Between 20 and 25 students will enter the Bioengineering major as freshmen in fall 2004. We plan a modest increase in the number of freshmen entering in fall 2005. As we expect demand to be high, we strongly urge prospective students to consider alternate ways of approaching bioengineering undergraduate study, which many have found sufficient for a bioengineering career, by majoring in another engineering discipline and minoring in bioengineering, or majoring in a life science discipline and taking basic engineering courses.

Educational Objectives

The Bioengineering curriculum is administered by the Department of Bioengineering. The Educational Objectives of the department's programs are based on the mission of the department and the perceived needs of the constituents, and consistent with Engineering Criteria 2000 of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). The mission statement has a preamble followed by declarations of four interconnected commitments: to students, to faculty, to alumni, and to the State of Illinois, with the understanding that the latter two include industry. There are five Program Educational Objectives for the Bioengineering program:

1. Fundamentals. To provide students with understanding of the fundamental knowledge in the mathematical, physical, chemical and life sciences, as well as the principles of engineering design, so as to prepare them for a productive career in a rapidly changing field.

2. Depth. To provide students with technical depth within one area of bioengineering so as to assist them in their first employment or entry into graduate school.

3. Breadth. To provide students with the broad education, including exposure to the liberal arts, knowledge of important current issues in the life sciences and engineering necessary for productive careers in the public or private sectors, or for the pursuit of graduate education.

4. Professionalism. To develop skills for clear communication and responsible teamwork, and to inculcate professional attitudes and ethics, so that students are prepared for the complex modern work environment and for lifelong learning.

5. Learning Environment. To provide an environment that enables students to pursue their goals in an innovative program that is rigorous and challenging, open and supportive.

Outcomes

To prepare the student for the Program Educational Objectives to be achieved, a set of Program Outcomes, that is, statements that describe what students are expected to know and are able to do by the time of graduation, have been adopted. These Outcomes, which parallel the Criterion 3 of the Engineering Criteria 2000 and the applicable Program Criteria, are:

• Ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering
• Ability to design and conduct experiments as well as analyze and interpret data
• Ability to design a system to meet desired needs
• Ability to function on multidisciplinary teams
• Ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems
• Understanding of professional and ethical responsibility
• Ability to communicate effectively
• Broad education necessary to understand impact of engineering solutions in a global/societal context
• Recognition of the need for and ability to engage in lifelong learning
• Knowledge of contemporary issues
• Ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice
• Knowledge of the life sciences and of the interaction of engineered devices with medical and biological systems

The Importance of the Fundamentals, Depth, and Breadth in the Sciences and Engineering

Bioengineering is a broad field combining engineering and the life sciences. It is especially important that students prepare themselves thoroughly not only in the mathematics and physics common to other engineering disciplines, but also in the chemical, biochemical, physiological and molecular biological sciences. Otherwise they will find it difficult to adjust to the rapid advances in engineering, the life sciences generally and biotechnology in particular. It is equally important that students gain sufficient depth in one area of bioengineering so as learn the level of understanding needed to make substantive engineering contributions. Finally, bioengineers will likely interact with professionals whose training varies widely. Hence, bioengineers must simultaneously achieve fundamental understanding, depth, and breadth in their academic study.

Intellectual Content of the Bioengineering Curriculum

The curriculum is divided into four components. The largest component, that of the basic sciences, dominates the first two years of study. It includes mathematics, physics, and chemistry through biochemistry, and is capped with largely upper level life science classes. The Bioengineering component begins in the second term sophomore year; it imbues a quantitative approach employing engineering analysis and design to problems drawn largely from the life sciences. The third component is the concentration track in which each student develops depth in one area of bioengineering. The fourth component comprises the general education and free elective coursework that gives balance to a student's education. The Bioengineering component has a capstone design or research experience, a capstone life science course on the medical implications of bioengineering interventions, and a biomedical professionalism and ethics course.

Methods of Instruction and Design Experience

Instruction is given using a combination of lecture, discussion, laboratory, and project methodologies of the highest quality. Laboratory work occurs in conjunction with the chemistry, physics, and physiology courses. The Bioengineering curriculum offers additional laboratory coursework in Bioinstrumention and Cell and Tissue Engineering, as well as in a capstone design experience.

Honors Activity

Students wishing to do honors work are encouraged to apply to the James Scholar Program administered jointly by the College of Engineering and the Bioengineering Department. In consultation with departmental honors advisors, students create and carry out honors activity contracts. They must also participate in the Bioengineering Honors Seminar and are encouraged to participate in the yearly Undergraduate Honors Symposium. The department offers thesis courses and project opportunities for students wishing to graduate with Highest Honors.

Grade Point Average Requirements

A student must have a grade-point average of at least 2.0 in the math, science and engineering courses in order to remain in good standing and to graduate. To qualify for registration for the Bioengineering courses shown in the third year of the curriculum, a student must have completed, with a combined 2.25 grade point average, the mathematics, engineering and science courses shown in the first two years of the curriculum.

Advising

All regular Bioengineering Faculty are involved in Undergraduate Advising. The Bioengineering Department Chief Undergraduate Advisor provides coordination, oversight, and special expertise in curricular and other advising matters. Due to the diverse nature of bioengineering, students should discuss their curriculum not only with their regularly assigned advisor, but also with any course instructors or other knowledgeable staff with whom they have contact.

Overview of Curricular Requirements

The curriculum requires 132 Hours for graduation and is organized as follows:

Basic Sciences and Mathematics

These courses stress the scientific principles upon which the bioengineering discipline is based.

1. Each of TAM/BIOE 461, CHBE 321, and MSE 401 is a four-hour course that may be used to satisfy a three hour requirement. If a student takes one (or more) of these courses the extra hours will be counted toward the Concentration Track requirement.

Bioengineering Course Work

These courses constitute the core curriculum in Bioengineering.

1. Each of TAM/BIOE 461, CHBE 321, and MSE 401 is a four hour course that may be used to satisfy a three hour requirement. If a student takes one (or more) of these courses the extra hours will be counted toward the Concentration Track requirement.

Concentration Tracks

Students must complete 15 hours of study which show coherence, focus, and purpose within a bioengineering context. Students may choose from among the concentration tracks pre-approved by the Bioengineering Department Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, or they may propose their own. Petitions for substitutions will be judged by that committee or a subgroup assigned for that purpose. Overage hours in required courses¹ may be counted toward the 15 hour minimum. A list of courses satisfying each pre-approved track is available. The pre-approved tracks are:

• Biosignals, Systems, Control, and Modeling
• Electronics
• Imaging
• Cellular and Molecular Microengineering
• Computational Biology
• Biomaterials
• Biomechanics
• Biomolecular Engineering
• Cell and Tissue Engineering
• Premedical Concentration
• Student Initiated Bioengineering Tracks (requires approval from a Bioengineering Undergraduate Advisor)

1. Each of TAM/BIOE 461, CHBE 321, and MSE 401 is a four-hour course that may be used to satisfy a three hour requirement. If a student takes one (or more) of these courses the extra hours will be counted toward the Concentration Track requirement.

Composition, Social Sciences, Humanities, Free Electives and General Education Requirements

These courses provide balance to create a university education. The free electives give the student the opportunity to explore any intellectual area. The composition course (RHET 105) teaches fundamentals of expository writing and satisfies the Composition I requirement. The social sciences and humanities courses, as approved by the College of Engineering, and the Campus General Education Requirements ensure that students have exposure in breadth and depth to areas of intellectual activity that are essential to the general education of any college graduate. Students must select courses that satisfy both the college social sciences and humanities requirement and the campus requirements in social and behavioral sciences and in humanities and the arts. Proper choices will ensure that these courses also satisfy the campus requirements in the areas of Western and non-Western Cultures. Many of these courses satisfy the campus Composition II requirement, which ensures that the student has the advanced writing skills expected of all college graduates. The campus requirements in natural sciences and technology, and quantitative reasoning are met by required courses. Students must complete a third-level college language course. Most students satisfy this by completing three years of high school instruction in a single language.

Suggested Sequence

First Year

Second Year

Third Year

Fourth Year

1. RHET 105 may be taken in the first or second semester of the first year as authorized. The alternative is MCB 150.

2. Each student must satisfy the 18-hour social sciences and humanities requirements of the College of Engineering and the campus general education requirements for social sciences and humanities.

3. To be selected from a list of courses if a pre-approved concentration track is chosen. Alternately a student may devise a special concentration track which must be approved by the Bioengineering Department.