Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Program By Virginia Commonwealth University |Top Universities

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Biomedical Engineering

Main Subject Area

Anatomy and PhysiologyMain Subject Area

Program overview

Main Subject

Anatomy and Physiology

Degree

Other

Study Level

Undergraduate

Biomedical engineering applies engineering expertise to analyze and solve problems in biology and medicine in order to enhance health care. Students involved in biomedical engineering learn to work with living systems and to apply advanced technology to the complex problems of medical care. Biomedical engineers work with other health care professionals including physicians, nurses, therapists and technicians toward improvements in diagnostic, therapeutic and health delivery systems. Biomedical engineers may be involved with designing medical instruments and devices, developing medical software, tissue and cellular engineering, developing new procedures or conducting state-of-the-art research needed to solve clinical problems. There are numerous areas of specialization and course work within biomedical engineering. These include: Bioinstrumentation: the application of electronics and measurement techniques to develop devices used in the diagnosis and treatment of disease, including heart monitors, intensive care equipment, cardiac pacemakers and many other electronic devices. Biomaterials: the development of artificial and living materials used for implantation in the human body, including those used for artificial heart valves, kidney dialysis cartridges, and artificial arteries, hips and knees. Biomechanics: the study of motion, forces and deformations in the human body, including the study of blood flow and arterial disease, forces associated with broken bones and their associated repair mechanisms, mechanisms of blunt trauma including head injuries, orthopedic systems, and the forces and movement associated with human joints such as the knee and hip. Tissue and cellular engineering: the application of biochemistry, biophysics and biotechnology toward the development of new cellular and tissue systems and an understanding of disease processes, including development of artificial skin and organs, cell adherence to artificial materials to prevent rejection by the body, and the development of new genetic cellular systems to treat diseases. Medical imaging: the development of devices and systems to image the human body to diagnose diseases, including the development and data processing of the CAT scan, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), medical ultrasound, X-ray and PET (positron emission tomography). Rehabilitation and human factors engineering: the development of devices and prosthetics to enhance the capabilities of disabled individuals, including design of wheelchairs, walkers, artificial legs and arms, enhanced communication aids, and educational tools for the handicapped. Learning outcomes Upon completing this program, students will know and know how to do the following: Identify and apply recent knowledge, and analyze and solve problems in the foundation areas of mathematics, the sciences and statistics. Identify and apply recent knowledge, and analyze and solve problems in the foundation engineering areas of electrical circuits, mechanics, biomedical engineering, and engineering systems and design. Identify and apply recent knowledge, and analyze and solve problems in the life sciences, including biology, physiology and anatomy, and understand the relationship between the life sciences, mathematics and engineering. Design and conduct lab experiments, collect, analyze and interpret data from physical and simulated systems to solve technical problems, and analyze physiology and life science laboratory experiments to integrate engineering and physiology/biology.

Program overview

Main Subject

Anatomy and Physiology

Degree

Other

Study Level

Undergraduate

Biomedical engineering applies engineering expertise to analyze and solve problems in biology and medicine in order to enhance health care. Students involved in biomedical engineering learn to work with living systems and to apply advanced technology to the complex problems of medical care. Biomedical engineers work with other health care professionals including physicians, nurses, therapists and technicians toward improvements in diagnostic, therapeutic and health delivery systems. Biomedical engineers may be involved with designing medical instruments and devices, developing medical software, tissue and cellular engineering, developing new procedures or conducting state-of-the-art research needed to solve clinical problems. There are numerous areas of specialization and course work within biomedical engineering. These include: Bioinstrumentation: the application of electronics and measurement techniques to develop devices used in the diagnosis and treatment of disease, including heart monitors, intensive care equipment, cardiac pacemakers and many other electronic devices. Biomaterials: the development of artificial and living materials used for implantation in the human body, including those used for artificial heart valves, kidney dialysis cartridges, and artificial arteries, hips and knees. Biomechanics: the study of motion, forces and deformations in the human body, including the study of blood flow and arterial disease, forces associated with broken bones and their associated repair mechanisms, mechanisms of blunt trauma including head injuries, orthopedic systems, and the forces and movement associated with human joints such as the knee and hip. Tissue and cellular engineering: the application of biochemistry, biophysics and biotechnology toward the development of new cellular and tissue systems and an understanding of disease processes, including development of artificial skin and organs, cell adherence to artificial materials to prevent rejection by the body, and the development of new genetic cellular systems to treat diseases. Medical imaging: the development of devices and systems to image the human body to diagnose diseases, including the development and data processing of the CAT scan, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), medical ultrasound, X-ray and PET (positron emission tomography). Rehabilitation and human factors engineering: the development of devices and prosthetics to enhance the capabilities of disabled individuals, including design of wheelchairs, walkers, artificial legs and arms, enhanced communication aids, and educational tools for the handicapped. Learning outcomes Upon completing this program, students will know and know how to do the following: Identify and apply recent knowledge, and analyze and solve problems in the foundation areas of mathematics, the sciences and statistics. Identify and apply recent knowledge, and analyze and solve problems in the foundation engineering areas of electrical circuits, mechanics, biomedical engineering, and engineering systems and design. Identify and apply recent knowledge, and analyze and solve problems in the life sciences, including biology, physiology and anatomy, and understand the relationship between the life sciences, mathematics and engineering. Design and conduct lab experiments, collect, analyze and interpret data from physical and simulated systems to solve technical problems, and analyze physiology and life science laboratory experiments to integrate engineering and physiology/biology.

Admission requirements

80+
6+

Tuition fee and scholarships

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RICHMOND, Va., (Feb. 1, 2006) – Virginia Commonwealth University is one of eight universities nationwide that has earned designation as a National Academic Center of Excellence on Youth Violence Prevention from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The centers serve as models for the prevention of youth violence and foster an environment that encourages collaborations among health scientists, social scientists and the community with the common goal of reducing violence among youth.“VCU’s designation as a Center of Excellence on Youth Violence Prevention is a significant honor that speaks to the expertise, initiative and dedication of our faculty and staff who are committed to addressing youth violence prevention,” said Stephen D. Gottfredson, VCU’s provost and vice president for academic affairs. The VCU center, newly named the VCU Clark-Hill Institute for Positive Youth Development, will provide a basis for extending current efforts in the areas of youth violence research and community engagement. Faculty and researchers from the VCU Center for Promotion of Positive Youth Development and the VCU Center for the Study and Prevention of Youth Violence will be working together to develop and implement community response plans and to evaluate strategies for preventing youth violence.“Given the highly competitive nature of the selection process, the CDC’s selection of VCU represents a strong endorsement of the collaborations that have been established between VCU and the community,” said Albert D. Farrell, Ph.D., professor of psychology at VCU and the institute’s director.The institute also represents the types of efforts that VCU Community Solutions supports in strengthening VCU’s work on critical social issues in the community.The VCU Clark-Hill Institute for Positive Youth Development recognizes the contributions to the field of adolescent development by Maxine L. Clark, Ph.D., a former associate professor of psychology at VCU, and John P. Hill, Ph.D., former chair of the VCU Department of Psychology. Clark, who died in 1995, was involved with research that broadened the understanding of the development of African American adolescents and the role of culture in development. Hill, who died in 1988, was an acclaimed scholar in the field of adolescence. His conceptual and theoretical work shapes much of current teaching and understanding of adolescent psychology. In addition to VCU, the other CDC-funded centers of excellence are at Columbia University; Harvard University; Johns Hopkins University; the University of Hawaii; the University of California’s Berkeley and Riverside campuses; and the University of Illinois’ Chicago campus. VCU psychology, psychiatry, epidemiology and community health faculty involved with the new center include: Robert Cohen, Ph.D., associate director; Kevin Allison, Ph.D., director of community mobilization; Wendy Kliewer, Ph.D., director of training and mentoring; Saba Masho, M.D., director of community surveillance; Aleta Meyer, Ph.D., and Terri Sullivan, Ph.D., research faculty; Torey Edmonds, community liaison; and Anne Greene, director of operations. Elizabeth Erwin, Ph.D., is the director of qualitative inquiry and is from the University of Virginia School of Nursing

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