Undergraduate Program
Official and extensive details of undergraduate course requirements are available from the SEAS online bulletin
Note that each student enrolled in the BME department is assigned an academic adviser. Students are required to meet their adviser during pre-registration and registration periods.
BME Undergraduate Chair
Barclay Morrison, Ph.D. ()
BME Sophomore Adviser
Lance C. Kam, Ph.D. ()
Administrative Assistant for Student Affairs
Jarmaine Lomax ()
First and Second Years
In the first two years at Columbia, all engineering students are expected to complete a sequence of courses in mathematics, physics, chemistry, English composition, and physical education, as well as nontechnical electives, including the humanities. Certain courses are required, and others are recommended for students wishing to major in Biomedical Engineering. For a chart of degree requirements click here.
For details on individual courses see: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/bulletin/uwb/
It is strongly advised that students take required courses during the term that they are designated in the course tables, as course conflicts may arise if courses are taken out of sequence.
All BME majors must take the pre-professional course BMEN E1001 Engineering in Medicine. This course will tell you all about Biomedical Engineering, and introduce each of our three core tracks.
To learn more about studying Biomedical Engineering at Columbia University:
- Contact and visit the Department
- Attend first year and sophomore class centers
- Attend days on campus (pre-admission)
- Attend first year academic fair
- Attend Engineering Week (fall/spring)
Please click here for more information about taking a minor in Biomedical Engineering.
third and fourth years
Rising juniors must decide which of our three tracks they would like to follow: 1) cellular and tissue engineering, 2) biomechanics, and 3) biomedical imaging. All students must complete a set of core courses in addition to track-specific core requirements. Students are also required to choose from a broad range of technical and non-technical electives. Undergraduates also have the opportunity to work in many of the research laboratories within the Department of Biomedical Engineering. This structure allows students to design their own unique program to encompass their particular interests and educational objectives.
Core elements common to all tracks include introductions to molecular and cellular biology, providing a comprehensive overview of modern biology from molecular to organ-system levels. Students must also take the two-semester quantitative physiology sequence taught by Biomedical Engineering faculty and emphasizing quantitative applications of engineering principles in understanding biological systems and phenomena from molecular to organ-system levels.
Students are also required to take our three-semester undergraduate lab sequence, our two-semester capstone senior design course as well as bioethics as a nontechnical elective. Track-specific required courses as well as technical electives and research opportunities provide the opportunity for students to obtain more specialized understanding of their chosen field. Requirements for each track are summarized here.
For details on individual courses see http://www.columbia.edu/cu/bulletin/uwb/
It is strongly advised that students take required courses during the term that they are designated in the course tables, as course conflicts may arise if courses are taken out of sequence.
It is important to note the following differences in the technical elective requirements for each track. For the class of 2008:
- Cell and tissue engineering track requires 4.5 of the required 9 points of technical electives to be from engineering courses;
- Biomechanics track, 2.5 points of technical electives must be from engineering courses
- Imaging track, core requirements satisfy the 48 points of engineering content
See electives for more details.