Biomedical Engineering
Department Website: Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical Engineering is a highly interdisciplinary program at Gonzaga University with the primary goal of improving the quality of life for people everywhere through the advancement of the medical industry. Biomedical engineers use their knowledge in science, engineering, and mathematics to design new solutions and solve problems in the medical field to help fulfill the Gonzaga Mission to be committed “to the dignity of the human person, social justice, diversity, intercultural competence, global engagement, solidarity with the poor and vulnerable, and care for the planet.”
The biomedical engineering field is extraordinarily broad, with careers in medical electronics and imaging, medical device design, biochemistry, biology, medicine, manufacturing, business, and human physiology. Students at Gonzaga are prepared for this through a thorough grounding in a variety of mathematical, scientific, and engineering fundamentals while allowing students to specialize later in the curriculum through their choices of technical electives. As one of the most interdisciplinary degrees on campus, students will develop a base in a variety of areas including biology, chemistry, physics, computer science, human anatomy and physiology, all in parallel to their engineering courses. The fundamentals are enhanced with exposure to important engineering tools such as: mathematical techniques; computer programming; computer applications including computer aided design (CAD), electronics, and laboratory equipment. All students engage in design courses beginning in their Freshman year leading to a culminating two-semester capstone design experience in the Senior year. The capstone experience typically entails requiring student design teams, led jointly by faculty and practicing engineers, to solve real industrial design problems. Finally, the degree requirements also include the opportunity for breadth as well as concentration in particular engineering applications through a group of technical electives taken in the senior year (the list of allowed technical electives is given below). Students must take 12 credits of technical electives, 3 credits of which must come from an engineering course. These electives come from a wide range of departments and some include accompanying 1 credit labs. Note that some classes on the technical elective list have additional prerequisites required outside of the standard curriculum or a course on this list may be a prerequisite for another technical elective on the list. Students are encouraged to plan accordingly and discuss their desired area of emphasis and course scheduling with their academic advisor. All semesters in the plan with technical electives have 17 or fewer credits to allow for the additional credit of those courses with an accompanying lab. Information is also available for students planning to enroll in the Gonzaga-in-Florence Engineering Semester program which can be done using the same course schedule as below.
The following curriculum details the course requirements for each semester. In addition to these courses, all students must take the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination prior to graduation (see ENSC 400 Foundations of Engineering Exam course in the Spring semester of the Senior year). Finally, students who follow a curriculum sequence other than that listed below should meet with their Academic Advisors at their first opportunity in order to resolve any scheduling conflicts that may arise due to off-schedule course availability and/or course pre- and co-requisite structure. In all cases, students must comply with the pre- and co-requisite requirements in order to be granted admission into courses.
The Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering degree program is in the process of becoming accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org.