BME Minor

The BME minor offers a core sequence of five courses that articulates the Meinig School’s multiscale vision. This core series is supported by electives in biomedical mechanics, imaging and instrumentation, biomaterials and tissue engineering. An introductory freshman course (BME 1310) provides an overview of the breadth of BME. The core courses for the minor are taught by tenure-track faculty in BME. Instruction for associated laboratories is performed by a senior lecturer (Dr. Shivaun Archer). This minor allows students to build expertise in quantitative engineering analysis of human biology, physiology, and pathology that complements their major discipline training for a broad range of industrial, academic, and professional careers.

To apply to the BME minor, contact the BME Undergraduate Coordinator in 121 Weill Hall, bmeugrad@cornell.edu.

I liked that BME taught engineering concepts in the context of medicine. You constantly face challenges in solving real-world problems in lecture, homework, and projects.

— Heather Lukas, B.S. '19

BME Minor Overview

Objectives

Students in the College of Engineering graduating with a BME minor will:

Have gained exposure to the breadth and depth of biomedical engineering offerings at Cornell’s Meinig School
Be prepared for advanced studies in biomedical engineering
Obtain transcript recognition for their interest and capability in this rapidly growing field

Requirements

All undergraduates in the College of Engineering, College of Arts and Sciences, and College of Agriculture and Life Sciences are eligible to participate in the BME minor, as long as they have met the following requirements:

At least C– in each course in the minor. GPA ≥2.0 for all courses in the minor. All courses must be taken for a letter grade.
At least six (6) courses (minimum of 18 credits) from the five categories listed below.
Two courses need to be in Category 1 (Introductory Biology) and/or Category 2 (Advanced Biology) with no more than one listing from Category 1.
Four courses must come from Category 3 (Molecular and Cellular Biomedical Engineering); Category 4 (Biomedical Engineering Analysis of Physiological Systems); and Category 5 (Biomedical Engineering Applications), with courses from at least two of these categories represented.
Up to two courses can be a specifically required Major degree course or crosslisting. A course chosen from a list of major electives is acceptable.

Curriculum

Category 1. Introductory Biology (maximum of 4 credits; 3-8 credits count as one course for this category)

A score of 5 on (CEEB) Advanced Placement Biology
ENGRI 1310: Introduction to Biomedical Engineering
BIOMG 1350: Principles of Cell and Developmental Biology
BIOG 1440: Introductory Biology: Comparative Physiology, or
BIOG 1445: Introduction to Comparative Anatomy and Physiology, Individualized Instruction
BME 2010: Human Physiology of Health and Disease
CHEME 2880: Biomolecular Engineering: Fundamentals and Applications

Category 2. Advanced Biology

BIOAP 3160/BIOMS 3160: Cellular Physiology
BIOAP/BIOMS 4130: Histology
BIOMG 3300 or 3310-3320: Principles of Biochemistry
BIOMG 3330 or 3350: Principles of Biochemistry, Proteins, Metabolism, and Molecular Biology
BIOMG 2800: Genetics and Genomics
BIOMI 2900: General Microbiology Lectures
BIONB 2220: Neurobiology and Behavior II: Introduction to Neurobiology
NS 3410: Human Anatomy and Physiology

Category 3. Molecular & Cellular Biomedical Engineering

BEE 3600: Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering
BME 3010a: Cellular Principles of Biomedical Engineering
BME 3020/CHEME 4020a: Molecular Principles of Biomedical Engineering
BME 5830: Cell-Biomaterials Interactions
BME 5850: Current Practice in Tissue Engineering
BTRY 4840/CS 4775: Computational Genetics and Genomics

Category 4. Biomedical Engineering Analysis of Physiological Systems

BIONB/BIOAP/BIOMS 4140: Principles of Pharmacology
BIONB/BME/COGST/PSYCH 3300: Introduction to Computational Neuroscience
BIONB/BME 4910: Principles of Neurophysiology
BME 3410: Systems Mechanobiology
BME 4010/MAE 4660a: Biomedical Engineering Analysis of Metabolic and Structural Systems
BME 4020a: Electrical and Chemical Physiology
MAE/BME 4640: Orthopaedic Tissue Mechanics

Category 5. Biomedical Engineering Applications

AEP 4700/BIONB 4700/BME 5700: Biophysical Methods
BEE 4500: Bioinstrumentation
BEE/MAE 4530: Computer-Aided Engineering: Applications to Biomedical Processes
BME 3210: Multiscale Biomaterial Analysis
BME 3310: Medical and Preclinical Imaging
BME/ECE 5040: Introduction to Neural Engineering
BME/ ECE 5780: Computer Analysis of Biomed Images
BME 5810/MAE 5680: Soft Tissue Biomechanics
BME 6210: Engineering Principles for Drug Delivery
CHEME 5430: Bioprocess Engineering
MSE 4610: Biomedical Materials and their Applications

* For full course descriptions please visit the Cornell University courses of study website.

a. Students interested in professional practice as biomedical engineers should consider the M.Eng. degree in BME. The recommended sequence for admission is as follows, two courses from category I and category II, BME 3010, 3020, 4010, and 4020. The program requires that students have knowledge of molecular and cellular biomedical engineering and of biomedical engineering analysis of physiological systems.