The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Bioengineering prepares students for a variety of careers in the biomedical device industry and for further education in graduate school. The program addresses the bioengineering topics of biomechanics, biotransport, bioinstrumentation, bioelectricity, biosystems, and biomaterials, and the complementary fields of systems and organ physiology. Education in these areas allows application of bioengineering and scientific principles to benefit human health by advancing methods for effective diagnosis and treatment of disease through development of medical devices and technologies.
Bioengineering Major SUMMARY
CURRICULUM
Flowchart
Flowcharts for the Bioengineering major are provided here, downloadable in PDF format:
Bioengineering "New" Course Flowchart (Effective Fall 2015) - updated 7/22/2024
Current undergraduate students are encouraged to be aware of their own progress toward graduation. To achieve this, students should keep up-to-date a flowchart that is marked for each course with the year/quarter it is completed and the grade received.
Freshman
If you have satisfied one or more courses by Advance Placement ("AP") from high school, enroll in the next course in the series (e.g. if "AP" credit exempts you from MATH 20A, enroll in MATH 20B).
Freshman and Transfer Students
Go to https://catalog.ucsd.edu/courses/BENG.html to read the Bioengineering (BENG) departmental course descriptions in the UCSD General Catalog. Additionally, visit similar sites to review the course descriptions for courses required in your major that are offered by other departments.
If, after reviewing your major's requirements, you have questions and wish to contact Bioengineering Student Affairs academic advisors, do so preferably via the Virtual Advising Center (VAC) or via email request be-uginfo@bioeng.ucsd.edu.
COURSES
- Freshman Year
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- BENG 1: Introduction to Bioengineering (2 units)
- BILD 1: The Cell
- CHEM 6A: General Chemistry I
- CHEM 6B: General Chemistry II
- MATH 20A: Calculus for Science and Engineering
- MATH 20B: Calculus for Science and Engineering
- MATH 20C: Calculus and Analytic Geometry for Science and Engineering OR MATH 31BH: Honors Multivariable Calculus
- PHYS 2A: Physics-Mechanics
- PHYS 2B: Physics-Electricity and Magnetism
- PHYS 2BL: Physics Laboratory-Mechanics (2 units)
- HSS: Humanities/Social Science College General Ed. Courses
- Sophomore Year
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- BENG 100: Introduction to Probability and Statistics for Bioengineers
- BENG 140A: Bioengineering Physiology
- BENG 140B: Bioengineering Physiology
- CHEM 7L: General Chemistry Laboratory
- MAE 3: Introduction to Engineering Graphics and Design
- MAE 8: Matlab Programming for Engineering Analysis
- MAE 140: Linear Circuits
- MATH 18: Linear Algebra or MATH 31AH Honors Linear Algebra
- MATH 20D: Introduction to Differential Equations
- MATH 20E: Vector Calculus OR MATH 31CH: Honors Vector Calculus
- PHYS 2C: Physics-Fluids, Waves, Thermodynamics, and Optics
- PHYS 2CL: Physics Laboratory-Electricity and Magnetism (2 units)
- HSS: Humanities/Social Science College General Ed. Courses
- Junior Year
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- BENG 103B: Bioengineering Mass Transfer
- BENG 110: Musculoskelatal Biomechanics
- BENG 112A: Soft Tissue Biomechanics
- BENG 112B: Fluid and Cell Biomechanics
- BENG 130: Biotechnology Thermodynamics and Kinetics
- BENG 172: Bioengineering Laboratory
- BENG 186B: Principles of Bioinstrumentation Design
- BENG 187A: Bioengineering Design Project: Planning (1 unit)
- BENG 191: Senior Seminar I: Professional Issues in Bioengineering (2 units, recommended, not required)
- MAE 107: Computational Methods in Engineering
- MAE 170: Experimental Techniques
- HSS: Humanities/Social Science College General Ed. Courses
- Senior Year
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- BENG 122A: Biosystems and Control
- BENG 125: Modeling and Computation in Bioengineering
- BENG 186A: Principles of Biomaterials Design
- BENG 187B: Bioengineering Design Project: Development (1 unit)
- BENG 187C: Bioengineering Design Project: Implementation (1 unit)
- BENG 187D: Bioengineering Design Project: Presentation (1 unit)
- BENG 191: Senior Seminar I: Professional Issues in Bioengineering (2 units, if not taken in junior year --- recommended, not required)
- BENG XXXA: Design Elective Course "A" (3 units)
- BENG XXXB: Design Elective Course "B" (3 units)
- MAE 150: Computer-Aided Design
- TE: Technical Elective Courses (8 units total of which 4 units must be engineering-related)
- HSS: Humanities/Social Science College General Ed. Courses