Biological and biomedical sciences

Biology, General: Biology/Biological Sciences, General; Biomedical Sciences, General

Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology: Biochemistry; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Other; Biophysics; Molecular Biochemistry; Molecular Biology; Molecular Biophysics; Radiation Biology/Radiobiology; Structural Biology

Botany/Plant Biology: Botany/Plant Biology; Botany/Plant Biology, Other; Plant Molecular Biology; Plant Pathology/Phytopathology; Plant Physiology

Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences: Anatomy; Cell Biology and Anatomy; Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences, Other; Cell/Cellular Biology and Histology; Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology; Developmental Biology and Embryology

Microbiological Sciences and Immunology: Immunology; Medical Microbiology and Bacteriology; Microbiological Sciences and Immunology, Other; Microbiology and Immunology; Microbiology, General; Parasitology; Virology

Zoology/Animal Biology: Animal Behavior and Ethology; Animal Physiology; Entomology; Wildlife Biology; Zoology/Animal Biology; Zoology/Animal Biology, Other

Genetics: Animal Genetics; Genetics, General; Genetics, Other; Genome Sciences/Genomics; Human/Medical Genetics; Molecular Genetics; Plant Genetics

Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences: Aerospace Physiology and Medicine; Cardiovascular Science; Cell Physiology; Endocrinology; Exercise Physiology; Molecular Physiology; Oncology and Cancer Biology; Pathology/Experimental Pathology; Physiology, General; Physiology, Pathology, and Related Sciences, Other; Reproductive Biology; Vision Science/Physiological Optics

Pharmacology and Toxicology: Environmental Toxicology; Molecular Pharmacology; Neuropharmacology; Pharmacology; Pharmacology and Toxicology; Pharmacology and Toxicology, Other; Toxicology

Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology: Bioinformatics; Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Other; Biometry/Biometrics; Biostatistics; Computational Biology

Biotechnology: Biotechnology

Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology: Aquatic Biology/Limnology; Conservation Biology; Ecology; Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Ecology, Evolution, Systematics and Population Biology, Other; Environmental Biology; Epidemiology; Evolutionary Biology; Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography; Population Biology; Systematic Biology/Biological Systematics

Molecular Medicine: Molecular Medicine

Neurobiology and Neurosciences: Neurobiology and Anatomy; Neurobiology and Behavior; Neurobiology and Neurosciences, Other; Neuroscience

Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other: Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other

Bioengineering/biomedical engineering

Description

The terms above are used interchangeably to describe the study of the application of engineering knowledge to the fields of medicine and biology. Bioengineering applies engineering principles to living things. It stands at the intersection of engineering, medicine, and the natural and physical sciences. It combines design engineering and biological knowledge to create devices, design operations, and invent techniques to prolong or improve the health and well-being of humans and animals. Bioengineering includes the development of prosthetic devices used to replace lost or nonfunctional parts of the body, dialysis methodologies, genomic therapies, hip and knee implantations, and techniques for vascular bypass surgery.

Plan of study

The plan of study follows the structure of all engineering programs, with physics, chemistry, calculus, and engineering sciences at the lower-division level and more engineering course work and supervised research at the upper-division level. In some colleges, the bioengineering or biomedical specialty is an augment to a major in a traditional engineering area, such as mechanical, civil, electrical, or chemical. Course work in physiology, corrosion, corrosion fatigue, signal acquisition and transmission, and modeling of physiological systems is stressed. Independent, supervised projects in current topics are required.

Expect to take

Physics and advanced physics, chemistry and advanced chemistry, calculus, engineering mechanics, thermodynamics, electrical circuitry, materials science, design project, bioelectric and biocontrol systems, process engineering.

Suggested high school subjects

Advanced science through physics, advanced mathematics through calculus, social studies, foreign language, computer studies.

General interest areas

Mathematics, science, medicine, research, human systems, analysis of data.

Some career possibilities

Bioengineer
Medical consultant
Biomedical engineer
Physician
College professor
Physiologist
Lawyer
Reliability engineer
Materials engineer
Research scientist
Mechanical engineer

Some related majors

Anatomy
Engineering physics
Biology
Human/animal physiology
Biophysics
Mechanical engineering
Chemical engineering
Physics
Chemistry

Directory Data is copyrighted material which is reproduced in this publication by permission of Wintergreen Orchard House, a division of Alloy Education. Copyright 2009 by Wintergreen Orchard House. All rights reserved.