The Penn Bioengineering curriculum offers a rigorous base curriculum in bioengineering, physics, chemistry and life sciences, and mathematics.  The program also provides an opportunity for further focus in a particular area of bioengineering to prepare students for careers in a specific industry or practice area, graduate school, medical and other professional schools.  To address this need, our department offers students the choice to develop a concentration.  Students can use their engineering, technical and professional electives and, if they wish, free electives to develop this focus area.  

Students are not required to select a focus area, and may choose to subscribe to upper electives across a number of areas.   Penn offers literally hundreds of courses in areas of bioengineering, science including biomedical science, mathematics, engineering practice and entrepreneurship and many other topics. Students are encouraged to propose courses and develop their own focus areas. We also encourage students to select an independent study course and work in a laboratory or with a research group to enrich their learning and experience. Concentration and course selections should be made after consulting with your faculty advisor. 

The following courses fit in the BE curriculum in various places depending on their categorization as engineering, math, science, TBS, social science, or humanities.  Please see the Undergraduate Handbook for course categories:  http://www.seas.upenn.edu/ugrad/category_intro.html. 

Biomaterials Focus Area:

BE 200:  Introduction to Biomechanics and Biomaterials (required) 
MSE 220:  Structural Materials 
BE/MSE 330:  Soft Materials 
BE 490/492:  Independent Study 
BE 512:  Biomaterials 
BE 553: Tissue Engineering 
MSE 430:  Polymers & Biomaterials 

Biomechanics Focus Area:

BE 200: Introduction to Biomechanics and Biomaterials (required)

BE 350:  Transport Processes in Living Systems (required for BSE degree)

BE 490/492: Independent Study 
BE 567: Mathematical & Computational Methods for Modeling Biological Systems

MEAM 211: Engineering Mechanics: Dynamics 
MEAM 354: Mechanics of Solids 
MEAM 420/520: Robotics 
MEAM 509: Mechanics of Human Motion 

Computation, Simulation & Modeling Focus Area:

BE 450/550 Hemodynamics (A systems approach course)

BE 459:  Multiscale Modeling of Biological Systems

BE 490/492: Independent Study 
BE 539:  Neural Networks and Applications

BE 567:  Modeling Biological Systems 
ESE 412. Chaotic Dynamics in Electrical and Biological Systems.

(CIS/BIOL/GCB 536:  Computational Biology 

Design Focus Area:

BE 402/502: From Biomedical Science to the Marketplace

BE 490/492:  Independent Study

MEAM 101:  Introduction to CAD/CAM

MEAM 111:  Visual Thinking

MEAM 150:  Fundamentals of Mechanical Protoyping

MEAM 215: Elements of Mechanical Engineering Design

MEAM 410/510:  Design of Mechatronic Systems

MEAM/OPIM 415/515:  Product Design

MEAM 420/520 (CIS 390):  Robotics

MEAM 512:  Industrial Design Basics

MEAM 513 (ESE 406, ESE 505): Modern Feedback Control Theory

MEAM 514: Design for Manufacturability

ESE 112: Introduction to Electrical and Systems Engineering - Devices

ESE 116: Introduction to C Programming

ESE 200: Principles of Digital Design

ESE 201: Principles of Digital Design Lab

ESE 205: Electrical Circuits and Systems I Lab

ESE 206: Electrical Circuits and Systems II Lab

ESE 210: Introduction to Dynamic Systems

ESE 215: Electrical Circuits and Systems I

ESE 216: Electrical Circuits and Systems II

ESE 303: Stochastic Systems Analysis and Simulation

ESE 304:  Optimization of Systems

ESE 350: Embedded Systems/Microcontroller Laboratory

ESE 400 (ESE 540):  Engineering Economics

ESE 405:  Systems Methodology

ESE 406 (ESE 505, MEAM 513): Control of Systems

CSE 110: Introduction to Computer Programming (with Java, for beginners)

CSE 120: Programming Languages and Techniques I

CSE 121: Programming Languages and Techniques II

CSE 277: Introduction to Computer Graphics Techniques

MSE 220:  Structural and Biomaterials

MSE 215: Introduction to Nanoscale Functional Materials

MSE 393:  Materials Selection

EAS 445/545:  Engineering Entrepreneurship I

EAS 446/546:  Engineering Entrepreneurship II

FNAR 123/523 (VLST123):  Drawing I

FNAR 124/524:  Drawing II

FNAR 142/542:  3-D Design 

Entrepreneurial Focus Area with EENT Minor: 
(approval of minor course selections needed, as with all minors) 
http://www.seas.upenn.edu/ent/minor.html

EAS 445/545:  Engineering Entrepreneurship I 
EAS 446/546:  Engineering Entrepreneurship II

BE/EAS 303 Ethics and Social Responsibility for Engineers 
BE 402/502:  From Biomedical Science to the Marketplace 
BE 515:  Bioengineering Case Studies 
ESE 400:  Engineering Economics 
ESE 444/544:  Project Management

MEAM 415/515:  Product Design 

Imaging Focus Area:

BE 480: Introduction to Biomedical Imaging 
BE 483/583: Molecular Imaging 
BE 490/492: Independent Study 
BE 537: Biomedical Image Analysis 
BE 580: Medical Radiation Engineering (Radiation Dosimetry) 
BE 581: Techniques of Magnetic Resonance Imaging 
BE 584: Mathematics of Medical Imaging and Measurement

ESE 511: Modern Optics and Image Understanding

CHEM 559: Biomolecular Imaging 

Molecular & Cellular Engineering Focus Area: 
BE 324:  Chemical Basis of Bioengineering (required for BSE degree)

BE 350:  Transport Processes in Living Systems (required for BSE degree)

BE 440/540:  Biomolecular and Cellular Engineering  
BE 441:  Engineering Microbial Systems  
BE 459/559:  Multiscale Modeling of Biological Systems  
BE 490/492:  Independent Study

BE 512:  Biomaterials 
BE 513:  Molecular and Cell Biology  
BE 552:  Cellular Bioengineering

BE 553:  Tissue Engineering  
BE 557:  From Cells to Tissue: Engineering Structure and Function 
BE 567:  Mathematical & Computational Methods for Modeling Biological Systems  
PHYS/BCHE 580: Biological Physics 

Neuroengineering Focus Area: 
BE 421/521:  Brain-Computer Interfaces 
BE 490/492:  Independent Study

BE 539:  Neural Networks and Applications 
BIOL 219:  Brain and Behavior 
BIOL 251:  Cell Neurobiology 
INS 575 (BIOL 442): Neurobiology of Learning and Memory

 
Premed Focus Area*: 
BE 400:  Preceptorship in Clinical BE

BE 421/521:  Brain-Computer Interfaces

BE 490/492:  Independent Study 
CHEM 241:  Principles of Organic Chemistry (usually taken in Spring of sophomore year)

CHEM 242:  Principles of Organic Chemistry (usually taken in fall of junior year)

CHEM 245:  Experimental Organic Chemistry (usually taken in junior year) 
BIOL124:  Introductory Organism Biology Lab

*Check with the Premed Office about additional premed requirements