Cornell University Registrar

Program Description

Biomedical Engineering is the application of engineering principles and methods to a wide array of problems associated with human health. The discipline includes the design of biocompatible materials, prostheses, surgical implants, artificial organs, controlled drug-delivery systems, and wound closure devices. Diagnosing diseases and determining their biological origins depend upon increasingly sophisticated instrumentation and the use of mathematical models. This minor allows students to gain exposure to the breadth and depth of biomedical engineering offerings at Cornell, to prepare for advanced studies in biomedical engineering, and to obtain transcript recognition for their interest and capability in this rapidly growing area.

All undergraduates are eligible to participate in this minor, but they may participate in only one of the Biological Engineering (BEE) and the Biomedical Engineering (BME) minors.

Academic Standards

Grade Requirements

Each course must be completed with a grade of C- or better to count toward the minor.

A cumulative GPA of > 2.0 is required for all courses within the minor.

Minor Declaration Information  

Students interested in the minor should contact the BME undergraduate coordinator.

Program Information

• Minimum Credits for Minor: 18

Minor Requirements

At least six (6) courses from the five (5) categories listed below; two course groups need to be in categories: 

1. Introductory biology and/or
2. Advanced biology with no more than one course from category 1. Four courses must come from the following categories: 
3. Molecular and cellular biological engineering,
4. Biomedical engineering analysis of physiological systems, and
5. Biomedical engineering applications with courses from at least two of these categories represented.

Up to two of the six courses are allowed to be required major degree courses or cross-listings. A course chosen from a list of major electives is acceptable.

Additional courses, such as courses listed as concentration electives for the biomedical engineering major, may be approved by petition.

Introductory Biology

Advanced Biology

Molecular and Cellular Biomedical Engineering

BME Analysis of Physiological Systems

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Students interested in professional practice as biomedical engineers should consider an M.Eng. degree in BME. The recommended sequence for admission is as follows: two courses from Introductory Biology and Advanced Biology, BME 3010 Cellular Principles of Biomedical Engineering, BME 3020 Molecular Principles of Biomedical Engineering, BME 4010 Biomedical Engineering Analysis of Metabolic and Structural Systems, and BME 4020 Electrical and Chemical Physiology. The program requires students to have a knowledge of molecular and cellular biomedical engineering, and of biomedical engineering analysis of physiological systems.

Biomedical Engineering Applications

Graduation Requirements for Engineering Minor Degree Programs

Requirements

Students may pursue minors in any department in any college that offers them, subject to limitations placed by the department offering the minor or by the students' major. Completed minors will appear on the student's transcript. Not all departments offer minors. Additional information on specific minors can be found above, in the Engineering Undergraduate Handbook, in the undergraduate major office of the department or school offering the minor, and in Engineering Advising.

An engineering minor recognizes formal study of a particular subject area in engineering normally outside the major. Students undertaking a minor are expected to complete the requirements during the time of their continuous undergraduate enrollment at Cornell. Completing the requirements for an engineering minor (along with a major) may require more than the traditional eight semesters at Cornell. However, courses that fulfill minor requirements may also satisfy other degree requirements (e.g., distribution courses, advisor-approved, or major-approved electives), and completion within eight semesters is possible.

An engineering minor requires:

• successful completion of all requirements for an undergraduate degree.
• enrollment in a major that approves participation in the minor.
• satisfactory completion of six courses (at least 18 credits) in a college-approved minor.

Students may apply for certification of a minor at any time after the required course work has been completed in accordance with published standards. An official notation of certification of a minor appears on the Cornell transcript following graduation.

• Apply foundational principles from biology and engineering to explain and analyze basic behaviors of biological and physiological systems relevant to human health and disease.
• Interpret and utilize core concepts in biomedical engineering subfields—including molecular and cellular systems, physiological system analysis, and biomedical applications—to solve structured problems.
• Analyze complex biomedical problems at an appropriate level of depth, recognizing variability in biological systems and the limitations of models and assumptions.