Biomedical Engineering

Biomedical Engineering is an academic department co-located at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Established on December 1, 2003, it links the College of Engineering at NC State and the School of Medicine at UNC-CH. We offer the BS in Biomedical Engineering at NC State. Examples of work currently being done by biomedical engineers include:

• Designing and constructing medical instruments (e.g. cardiac pacemakers, artificial organs, blood oxygenators), medical imaging systems (e.g. ultrasound, MRI, X-rays), computer systems to monitor patients during surgery or intensive care, and implantable drug-delivery systems.
• Developing strategies for clinical decision-making based on expert systems and artificial intelligence.
• Constructing and implementing mathematical or computer models of physiological systems.
• Designing and constructing biomaterials and determining their mechanical, transport, and biocompatibility characteristics.
• Investigating the biomechanics of injury and wound healing.

Opportunities are continuing to develop in the application of engineering to biomedical problems.  Students with strong backgrounds in basic biological sciences coupled with engineering sciences have unique opportunities in medical equipment development and sales, pharmaceutical and biomedical companies, and hospitals.  This degree program also offers a rigorous analytical and scientific program for students planning to enter professional schools of medicine or pursue advanced degrees.

What is Biomedical Engineering?

Biomedical engineers are professionally trained to combine the rigors of medical and biological systems studies with the exacting calculations of engineering to improve the health care of people and animals the world over.  The increasing complexity of medicine has created the need for an engineering approach to many disciplines, e.g. biomaterials, rehabilitation medicine, clinical engineering, tissue engineering, and the medical electronics arena.  New discoveries are happening daily, so the need is ever increasing for the unique combination of skills that the biomedical engineer possesses.

The emphasis of biomedical engineering is on finding solutions by researching, testing and applying medical, biological, mechanical, chemical, electrical and structural information.  Biomedical engineers are unique individuals who are making contributions to health care that are both satisfying to themselves and others.

The educational objectives of the B.S. in Biomedical Engineering are to:

• educate students to be successful Biomedical Engineers by emphasizing the fundamentals of engineering and biology related to basic medical sciences and human health;
• produce Biomedical Engineers able to communicate effectively with diverse audiences and prepared to work in multidisciplinary teams;
• develop in students professional, ethical, and societal responsibility in Biomedical Engineering practices;
• introduce students to advances in Biomedical Engineering practice and research and to instill in them a life-long thirst for knowledge;
• instill in students personal responsibility for the success of their careers and to prepare them for graduate engineering programs or professional schools

Return to Degree Information and Curricula.