Undergraduate Certificate
Undergraduate Bioengineering Certificate
The KU School of Engineering DOES NOT currently offer a Bachelor of Science in Bioengineering or Biomedical Engineering. Students who wish to experience biomedical engineering can participate in the Undergraduate Bioengineering Certificate program in conjunction with any other engineering discipline. This program guides your electives towards the biomedical focused coursework that the various departments offer. This method offers students more in-depth knowledge of the basic engineering principles within the chosen discipline upon which they can use as a basis for a Biomedical/Bioengineering graduate degree.
- Current students can review the requirements and steps to completion, as well as use the links below to sign-up and/or submit forms.
- Prospective students are encouraged to reach out to our School of Engineering undergraduate recruitment team for more details by emailing studyengineering@ku.edu or visiting the School Of Engineering Admission Page for more details.
Admissions
This undergraduate certificate is open to those majoring in engineering disciplines (Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Aerospace, Petroleum, Computer, Architectural, Civil Engineering and Engineering Physics), and Computer Science. There are no admissions requirements beyond a major in the School of Engineering. To complete this certificate a student will also need to complete their degree in one of these disciplines.
Certificate Requirements
Bioengineering Core, 1 course:
- C&PE 656 Introduction of Biomedical Engineering
- ME 633 Introduction to Biomechanics
- EECS 730 Introduction to Bioinformatics
Bioengineering Electives, 3 courses:
Biological Sciences: At least one course from:
- BIOL 150 Prin. Molecular & Cellular Biology
- BIOL 240 Fundamentals of Human Anatomy
- BIOL 246 Principles of Human Physiology
- BIOL 646 Mammalian Physiology
Advanced Electives: At least one course from:
- BINF 701 Computational Biology I - cannot count w/ EECS 730
- BINF 702 Computational Biology II - cannot count w/ EECS 730
- BIOL 600 Introduction to Biochemistry
- Chem 330 Organic Chemistry I or Chem 380 Organic Chemistry I, honors
- C&PE 657 Polymer Science and Technology
- C&PE 676 Principles of Biomolecular Engineering
- C&PE 686 Bioprocess Engineering
- C&PE 752 Tissue Engineering
- CE 773 Biological Principles of Environmental Engineering
- EECS 644 Digital Signal Processing
- EECS 730 Introduction to Bioinformatics
- EECS 740 Digital Image Processing
- ME 640 Mechanical Engineering – Design Project (if taken with ME 643)
- ME 750 Biomechanics of Human Motion
- ME 751 Experimental Methods in Biomechanics
- ME 753 Bone Biomechanics
- ME 754 Biomedical Optics
- ME 755 Computer Simulation in Biomechanics
- ME 756 Biofluid Dynamics
- ME 757 Biomechanical Systems
- ME 758 Physiological System Dynamics
- ME 760 Biomedical Product Development
- ME 765 Biomaterials
- ME 767 Molecular Biomimetics
- ME 790 Biomedical Microdevices
Research or Design, 2 credit hours minimum
- Capstone Design in Bioengineering/Biomechanics:
- ME 643 Mechanical Engineering – Design Project Option (2 cr)
The project topic for the following should be pre-approved by the bioengineering program, and completion must be verified with the submission of a course substitution form. Research and design activity topics that are not pre-approved may not count towards the Bioengineering Certificate.
Upon completion of your project, all of the following require submission of a report in PDF format with your petition.
- Other senior level, capstone design course with a bioengineering-focused project
- Undergraduate Research in Bioengineering:
- C&PE 651/661, C&PE 671, ME 360/361, EECS 399/498, AE 592, CE490,
ARCE 690/691, or EPSX 501/503
- C&PE 651/661, C&PE 671, ME 360/361, EECS 399/498, AE 592, CE490,
- Approved external research experience such as a summer REU program (2 credit hour equivalent required).
Step 1. How to sign up
Once you have completed 30 credit hours, majoring in an engineering discipline with a minimum 2.0 GPA, and have completed Math 127 Calculus III (or equivalent), you may use the “Change of Major” form to add the Bioengineering Certificate.
Here are the steps you need to do to enroll in the certificate:
1. Go to the "Change of Engineering Major" form
2. Fill out the form, keeping your major the same and selecting “Bioengineering Undergraduate Certificate” for “Are you adding an undergraduate certificate?”
3. Click Submit.
Step 2. Have your planned Research or Design Course/Project Topic Pre-Approved!
If you complete ME 643 with a passing grade, your project will automatically be credited to the Bioengineering Certificate. It does not require pre-approval nor a course substitution. For all others, when you have determined your Research or Design project for the Bioengineering Certificate, have your project pre-approved:
1. Download the project topic Pre-Approval Form (docx) and fill it out completely.
2. Email your completed form to fischer@ku.edu.
Step 3. Complete your Research/Design Project and Coursework
This is includes doing the work under the direction of your advisor, and completing a report on the work.
Step 4. Bioengineering Research or Design Course Approval Petition
When you have completed your pre-approved project, then follow these steps for verification of completion of your Research/Design Requirement.
1. Go to the “Course Substitution Petition” form. (this will open a new browser tab, so you can refer to the instructions in this tab).
2. Fill out the form. There is a PDF example/instructions document linked below.
2a. Enter your student information. You MUST enter student ID in the Lookup box. The website will autofill name and ID into the form fields.
2b. For Department and Major select/enter “Bioengineering”
2c. Enter your GPA, first semester at KU, and expected graduation semester.
2d. Enter your substitute course number from the list above, or enter “External Research” and the semester you completed the research requirement. For required course enter “Bioengineering Research”
2e. In the “Reasons:” box, enter the following:
- The Title of your research project
- Your Research Advisor’s Name, email and phone number.
- A very brief (one paragraph) description of your research/design project
2f. ALL petitions must be accompanied by a REPORT. For courses, you may attach a copy of the report required for your course as a PDF file (does not need to be reformatted). For external research opportunities, the minimum report is two pages of double-spaced text, excluding the Title page, figures and tables. Use the “Attachments” button to upload your report.
2g. Use the “Print” button, if you want to print a copy of your substitution petition.
2h. When complete and printed (if desired) use the “Submit” button to submit your petition.
Example Course Substitution Petition for fulfilling the Research or Design Course Requirement (pdf)
An accessible version of the content above will be made available upon request. Please contact bioe@ku.edu to request the content be made available in an accessible format.
Step 5. Apply for Degree AND Certificate!
When you apply for your degree, make sure to CHECK the BOX for the Bioengineering Certificate! Otherwise, we assume you don't want it.
If you have questions about the certificate requirements and/or process, please contact the Bioengineering Program Director, Professor Ken Fischer (fischer@ku.edu).