Biomedical Engineering B.S.B.E.

The mission of the USF Department of Medical Engineering is to advance excellence in biomedical engineering education through a joint venture between the Morsani College of Medicine and the College of Engineering by conducting innovative translational research, developing impactful cutting-edge technologies, and preparing highly talented students for success as multidisciplinary global leaders across the fields of engineering, healthcare, and biomedical sciences.

Program Educational Objectives and Student Outcomes

The graduates from the Department of Medical Engineering undergraduate biomedical engineering major are expected to achieve the following educational objectives:

  1. To develop into successful, ethical biomedical engineers, healthcare professionals, or other related practitioners guided by an interdisciplinary curriculum, extracurricular activities and targeted internship experience.
  2. To continue to pursue and expand their technical and professional knowledge and skills through academic and industrial training and lifelong learning.
  3. To contribute to the local, national and global communities using experiences and skills acquired through their biomedical engineering education at the University of South Florida (USF).

ABET Student Learning Outcomes

The graduates of the B.S. degree program in Biomedical Engineering at USF will demonstrate that they have:

  1. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
  2. An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
  3. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
  4. An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
  5. An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
  6. An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
  7. An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.
  8. An ability to write complex programming code in at least one language to solve complex biomedical engineering problems and systems.

Furthermore, the structure of the curriculum provides both breadth and depth across the range of engineering and science topics consistent with the program educational objectives and student outcomes. The curriculum prepares graduates with experience in:

(a) Applying principles of engineering, biology, human physiology, chemistry, calculus-based physics, mathematics (through differential equations) and statistics;

(b) Solving bio/biomedical engineering problems, including those associated with the interaction between living and non-living systems;

(c) Analyzing, modeling, designing, and realizing bio/biomedical engineering devices, systems, components, or processes; and

(d) Making measurements on and interpreting data from living systems.

Specialized Admissions - Biomedical Engineering B.S.B.E.

This major has additional admissions requirements as listed in this section.

The Biomedical Engineering major is a specialized admissions program due to the following reasons: 1) limited space, equipment and other instructional facilities, including required laboratories; and 2) the program is of such a nature that in order to demonstrate potential for success in the program, applicants must attain a grade point average as noted below.

First-Year Students:

Incoming first-year students who are interested in the Biomedical Engineering Major program must meet the following entrance criteria for this rigorous specialized admissions program:

Sophomores:

Current USF students must meet the following minimum requirements to be considered for admission to the upper-division program.

*Only the best attempt in each prerequisite course as listed below, is considered for admission into the BME program.

Students apply for admission to the upper-division BME major once all prerequisite courses are complete, which would typically happen in the spring semester of the sophomore year.

In addition to the requirements above, in order for students to be allowed to continue into the upper-division BME major beginning in the fall semester of the junior year, they must also earn a 3.2 or higher Engineering GPA (includes all College of Engineering courses) by the end of the fourth semester of the BME plan of study.

Transfers:

Transfer students must meet the following minimum requirements to be considered for admission into the BME program.

Applicants who do not meet the minimum admission requirements as stated above will not be eligible for admission into the BME program.

Transfer applications are referred to the department only after the USF Office of Admissions (including official transcripts) considers them complete. Applications are reviewed periodically and not on a rolling basis. The date of review may vary depending on the number of applications received.

Transfer applicants coming from out-of-state or private Florida institutions will be considered on a space available basis only.

PREREQUISITE COURSES FOR ADMISSION TO THE UPPER-DIVISION MAJOR

University Admissions - College of Engineering

Admission to the University is based on the University’s Undergraduate Admission Requirements that may be found by clicking on the following urls:

For Admission information specific to the College of Engineering, see the information at College of Engineering .

Departmental Policies

In addition to the college’s graduation requirements, the department has the following policies:

  1. Mandatory academic advising of students for each term.
  2. Exit interviews as a graduation requirement.

Required Courses: (114 credit hours)

State Mandated Common Course Prerequisites - Biomedical Engineering B.S.B.E. (33 credit hours)*

Following Florida BOG Regulation 8.010, state mandated common course prerequisites are lower-division courses that are required for progression into the upper-division of a particular baccalaureate degree program.

Transfer students should complete the following prerequisite courses at the lower-level prior to entering the university. If these courses are not taken at a Florida College System institution, they must be completed before the degree is granted. Successful completion of common prerequisites alone does not guarantee a student admission into the degree program.

Unless stated otherwise, a grade of C is the minimum acceptable grade in prerequisite courses.

* All state common prerequisite courses count towards major-required Mathematics and Science courses and are not additional credit hours These courses are also used to meet the Math and Science requirements for the major so are not additional credits

State Mathematics Pathway – Biomedical Engineering B.S.B.E. (7 Credit Hours)*

The Biomedical Engineering B.S.B.E. uses the Algebra through Calculus Mathematics Pathway with the following requirements:

Major Core Courses: 37 courses; 98 credit hours

Math and Science: 16 courses; 40 credit hours

Basic Engineering: 5 courses; 12 credit hours

Specialization: 16 courses; 46 credit hours

Major Electives: 5 courses; 13 credit hours

In addition to the core curriculum, students are required to complete 6 credits of STEM electives, 6 credits of BME electives, and 1 professional elective. Students may select elective courses from the lists below or petition the Medical Engineering department, prior to registration, for approval of any non-listed courses.

BME Elective Options

STEM Elective Options

Professional Elective Options

Additional Information - Biomedical Engineering B.S.B.E.

GPA Requirements

Students must have and maintain a minimum 2.0 semester GPA, 2.0 Math and Science GPA, 2.0 Engineering GPA, 2.0 Specialization GPA, 2.0 USF GPA, and 2.0 overall GPA.

Grading Requirements

A total of one D grade is allowed in all BSBE required courses. Upon receiving a D, a grade petition form must be submitted to progress in the BME major. If another D is received, the student must repeat the petitioned course. The student will not be required able to take additional BME courses until the second D is successfully completed with a passing grade.

Unless otherwise stated, the minimum acceptable grade in BSBE required math, science, engineering and specialization courses is a C or higher (C- is insufficient).

Residency Requirements

Transfer students must complete a minimum number of approved specialization courses in the major at USF. The minimum number of USF specialization credit hours required is established by the respective academic department. In no case will this be less than 18 hours. Basic Engineering courses are not considered specialization courses. The University residency requirement must also be met.

A dual degree student must meet the requirements of each major and have a minimum of 18 approved specialization hours taken in the degree granting department beyond those specialization hours required for the first degree.

Bachelor’s/Master’s Pathways

Students majoring in Biomedical Engineering have the option to pursue one of the following Bachelor’s/Master’s Pathways:

For more information, see the Graduate Catalog.

Accreditation Information

The Biomedical Engineering (B.S.) program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and Program Criteria for Bioengineering, Biomedical and Similarly Named Engineering Programs.

Research Opportunities - College of Engineering

Undergraduate students in any degree program are able to participate in undergraduate research. Several options exist to show mentored undergraduate research activity on a student’s official transcript. Those who wish to enroll in an undergraduate research course should consult with their academic advisor to understand how the credit will apply towards the degree requirements. If no credit is needed, students may be eligible to enroll in the 0-credit IDS 4914 - Advanced Undergraduate Research Experience course. This course will not impact degree credits or GPA but will show on an official transcript and document the experience. The Office of High Impact Practices and Undergraduate Research (HIPUR) is able to assist with further inquiries.

Advising Information - Biomedical Engineering B.S.B.E.

All incoming freshman and transfer students must meet with the Medical Engineering Department undergraduate advisor.

Medical Engineering Department

Office: Interdisciplinary Science Building (ISA) 7031

Phone: (813) 974-9379

Plans of Study - Biomedical Engineering B.S.B.E.