Program OverviewBioengineering is the application of engineering principles to the fields of biology, medicine and health care. Students will utilize knowledge from the biological sciences as well as mechanical, chemical, electrical, and computer engineering in order to invent the future of medicine through novel, innovative, and cost-effective solutions.
Admission RequirementsEngineering Undeclared Students
See section on College of Engineering Admission for additional details on Direct-to-College admission and placement process for Engineering Undeclared students. The deadline to submit a request for placement in an engineering major occurs annually on July 1.
If the number of Engineering Undeclared students requesting the major exceeds the department capacity for such students, a matching process is implemented. Factors considered include performance in prerequisite courses, quality of overall academic record, content of personal statement, applicable work or extracurricular activities, and other special circumstances as disclosed by the applicant.
Core courses within the department form a seven-quarter curriculum designed to start spring quarter of the sophomore year. Because the curriculum is cohort-based and all students start and proceed at the same pace, Engineering Undeclared students admitted to Bioengineering after their first year are expected to start the curriculum in spring quarter of their second year.
Engineering Undeclared students in good standing with respect to the continuation criteria described below may request placement into an engineering major after completion of minimum requirements as specified below:
- ENGR 101
- English composition
- MATH 124, MATH 125, MATH 126 (or MATH 134, MATH 135, MATH 136)
- CHEM 142 (or CHEM 143 or CHEM 145)
- PHYS 121 (or PHYS 141)
- One course from list of approved courses on the College of Engineering website. Students are encouraged to choose a course required for graduation in the majors they are considering.
- Minimum 2.0 grade in each course used to satisfy a placement requirement.
- Minimum 12 credits as a matriculated UW student. Some departments require more credits. See department websites for details.
Students in good standing who do not meet the placement requirements by July 1 will be placed into a major on a conditional basis pending the completion of all placement requirements and readiness to begin the bioengineering core sequence of courses in the following spring quarter. Additional advising resources will be available to these students. See section on College of Engineering Continuation Policy for Engineering Undeclared Students for additional details.
Current UW Students and Transfer Students
The department follows a cohort model beginning in spring quarter. Transfer students, current UW students without Engineering Undeclared status, and current UW students with Engineering Undeclared status who are eligible to begin the bioengineering core sequence of courses in their first spring quarter may apply. Admission is competitive.
Core courses within the department form a seven-quarter curriculum designed to start in the spring quarter. Because the curriculum is cohort-based and all students start and proceed at the same pace, students admitted to Bioengineering are expected to start the bioengineering curriculum in spring quarter immediately following admission.
- Admission is for spring quarter only. Application deadline: January 15
- Course requirements: MATH 124, MATH 125, MATH 126 (or MATH 134, MATH 135, MATH 136); CHEM 142, CHEM 152, CHEM 162 (or CHEM 143, CHEM 153; or CHEM 145, CHEM 155, CHEM 165); PHYS 121 (or PHYS 141); 5 credits English composition. All courses completed prior to application deadline.
- Additional course requirements: AMATH 301 (or one course from CSE 121, CSE 122, CSE 123, CSE 142, or CSE 160; and BIOEN 217); BIOL 180; CHEM 223 or CHEM 237; PHYS 122 (or PHYS 142) - all completed or in progress at time of application; all completed prior to beginning the Bioengineering curriculum in spring quarter
- Grade requirements: Minimum 2.5 grade in CHEM 162 (or CHEM 153 or CHEM 165); minimum 2.50 cumulative GPA in courses required for application
- Strongly recommended completed or in progress at time of application: BIOEN 215 or ENGR 115; and MATH 207 (or AMATH 351)
Factors evaluated for admission include performance in prerequisite courses, quality of overall academic record, demonstrated ability to handle a rigorous course load, record of honors, content of personal statement, applicable work or extracurricular activities, and other special circumstances as disclosed by the applicant.
Credential OverviewBioengineering is the application of engineering principles to the fields of biology, medicine and health care. Students will utilize knowledge from the biological sciences as well as mechanical, chemical, electrical, and computer engineering in order to invent the future of medicine through novel, innovative, and cost-effective solutions.
Completion Requirements180 credits
General Education Requirements
Basic Skills
- Written and Oral Communication (12 credits)
- English Composition: 5 credits from the University list
- Writing: 7 credits met by coursework in the major
- Reasoning (RSN) (5 credits): met by program requirements
- Diversity (DIV) (5 credits): courses may also apply to an Area of Inquiry requirement. Of Special Note: For students admitted to the University prior to autumn quarter 2023, the DIV requirement is 3 credits.
Areas of Inquiry
- Arts and Humanities (A&H) and Social Sciences (SSc) (24 credits)
- A&H (10 credits)
- SSc (10 credits)
- Additional credits in A&H or SSc to bring total to 24 credits
- Natural Sciences (NSc) (59-70 credits)
- Mathematics (15-21 credits) complete one of the following:
- MATH 124, MATH 125, MATH 126, MATH 207 (or AMATH 351), MATH 208 (or AMATH 352)
- MATH 134, MATH 135, MATH 136
- Sciences (41-44 credits): CHEM 142, CHEM 152, CHEM 162 (or CHEM 143, CHEM 153; or CHEM 145, CHEM 155, CHEM 165) and CHEM 223 (or CHEM 237); PHYS 121, PHYS 122 (or PHYS 141, PHYS 142); BIOL 180, BIOL 200, BIOL 220
- Statistics (3-5 credits) one course from: STAT 390, IND E 315, STAT 311, or Q SCI 381
Additional Completion RequirementsMajor Requirements (75-76 credits)
- Engineering Fundamentals (4-5 credits): One of the following options: (1) AMATH 301; (2) CSE 121 and BIOEN 217; (3) CSE 122 and BIOEN 217; (4) CSE 123 and BIOEN 217;(5) CSE 142 and BIOEN 217; (6) CSE 160 and BIOEN 217
- Bioengineering Core (37 credits): BIOEN 215 or ENGR 115; BIOEN 315, BIOEN 316, BIOEN 317, BIOEN 325, BIOEN 326, BIOEN 327, BIOEN 335, BIOEN 336, BIOEN 337, BIOEN 345, BIOEN 400
- Bioengineering Capstone (7-10 credits): One of the following options: (1) BIOEN 401 plus 9 credits of BIOEN 402; (2) BIOEN 404 and BIOEN 405; students taking BIOEN 404 and BIOEN 405 take three additional engineering elective credits from a departmentally approved list (see 5, below).
- Bioengineering Senior Electives (15 credits): from designated 400-level and above BIOEN-prefixed courses. Refer to departmental list.
- Approved Engineering Electives (9-12 credits): Chosen from a departmentally approved list or from additional bioengineering senior elective credit. Students who take BIOEN 402 need 9 approved engineering elective credits; students who instead take BIOEN 404 and BIOEN 405 need 12.
- Grade Requirements: Minimum 2.0 grade in each BIOEN-prefixed course applied to the major
Credential OverviewBioengineering students who want to specialize in data-science-focused careers will need to take data science courses such as programming, machine learning, data visualization, data management, and societal implications of data science, along with the Bioengineering curriculum. Students who complete all of the required coursework will have the Data Science option listed on their transcript upon graduation. This specialization will ensure that Bioengineering students interested in data science-related careers will acquire knowledge and skills to prepare for this fast-growing field.
Additional Admission RequirementsOption specific admission
By self-selection. Normally occurs winter quarter of the junior year, upon completion of all bioengineering prerequisites and formal admission to bioengineering major. Students declare the Data Science option with a department adviser.
Completion Requirements180 credits
General Education Requirements
Basic Skills
- Written and Oral Communication (12 credits)
- English Composition: 5 credits from the University list
- Writing: 7 credits met by coursework in the major
- Reasoning (RSN) (5 credits): met by program requirements
- Diversity (DIV) (5 credits): courses may also apply to an Area of Inquiry requirement. Of Special Note: For students admitted to the University prior to autumn quarter 2023, the DIV requirement is 3 credits.
Areas of Inquiry
- Arts and Humanities (A&H) and Social Sciences (SSc) (24 credits)
- A&H (10 credits)
- SSc (10 credits)
- Additional credits in A&H or SSc to bring total to 24 credits
- Natural Sciences (NSc) (59-70 credits)
- Mathematics (15-21 credits) complete one of the following:
- MATH 124, MATH 125, MATH 126, MATH 207 (or AMATH 351), MATH 208 (or AMATH 352)
- MATH 134, MATH 135, MATH 136
- Sciences (41-44 credits): CHEM 142, CHEM 152, CHEM 162 (or CHEM 143, CHEM 153; or CHEM 145, CHEM 155, CHEM 165) and CHEM 223 (or CHEM 237); PHYS 121, PHYS 122 (or PHYS 141, PHYS 142); BIOL 180, BIOL 200, BIOL 220
- Statistics (3-5 credits) one course from: STAT 390, IND E 315, STAT 311, or Q SCI 381
Additional Completion RequirementsOption Requirements (82-86 credits)
- Engineering Fundamentals (4-5 credits): One of the following options: (1) AMATH 301; (2) CSE 121 and BIOEN 217; (3) CSE 122 and BIOEN 217; (4) CSE 123 and BIOEN 217;(5) CSE 142 and BIOEN 217; (6) CSE 160 and BIOEN 217
- Bioengineering Core (37 credits): BIOEN 215 or ENGR 115; BIOEN 315, BIOEN 316, BIOEN 317, BIOEN 325, BIOEN 326, BIOEN 327, BIOEN 335, BIOEN 336, BIOEN 337, BIOEN 345, BIOEN 400
- Bioengineering Capstone (7 to 10 credits): One of the following options: (1) BIOEN 401 plus 9 credits of BIOEN 402; (2) BIOEN 404 and BIOEN 405
- Data Science Courses (minimum 23 credits):
- Introduction to Data Science: STAT 180/CSE 180/INFO 180, INFO 201, or INFO 370
- Programming: one course from CSE 123, CSE 143, or CSE 163
- Machine Learning: CSE 416/STAT 416, STAT 435, or INFO 371
- Societal Implications of Data Science: SOC 225, B H 201, B H 311, or B H 444
- At least one course each in two of the following data science areas (refer to eScience Institute list):
- Data Management
- Data Visualization and Communication
- Data Science in Bioengineering: BIOEN 420, BIOEN 423, BIOEN 424, BIOEN 436, BIOEN 447, BIOEN 449, BIOEN 451, BIOEN 466, BIOEN 485, BIOEN 488, or BIOEN 492
- Electives: Data Science courses on approved list of engineering electives may be used to satisfy requirements 5.a. and 5.b., below. See department for approved list and for appropriate course combinations to satisfy minimum major requirements.
- Bioengineering Senior Electives: Designated 400-level and above BIOEN-prefixed courses (15 credits)
- Approved Engineering Electives: Chosen from departmentally-approved list of additional bioengineering senior elective credits. Students who take BIOEN 402 need 9 approved engineering elective credits, and students who take BIOEN 404 and BIOEN 405 need 12 credits.
- Minimum 2.0 grade in each bioengineering course applied to the major
Credential OverviewBioengineering is the application of engineering principles to the fields of biology, medicine and health care. Students will apply knowledge from the biological sciences as well as mechanical, chemical, electrical, and computer engineering in order to invent the future of medicine through novel, innovative, and cost-effective solutions. This option allows students to focus on design at the nanomolecular level.
Additional Admission RequirementsOption specific admission
By self-selection. Normally occurs winter quarter of the junior year, upon completion of all bioengineering prerequisites and formal admission to the bioengineering major. Students declare the NME option with a department adviser.
Completion Requirements180 credits
General Education Requirements
Basic Skills
- Written and Oral Communication (12 credits)
- English Composition: 5 credits from the University list
- Writing: 7 credits met by coursework in the major
- Reasoning (RSN) (5 credits): met by program requirements
- Diversity (DIV) (5 credits): courses may also apply to an Area of Inquiry requirement. Of Special Note: For students admitted to the University prior to autumn quarter 2023, the DIV requirement is 3 credits.
Areas of Inquiry
- Arts and Humanities (A&H) and Social Sciences (SSc) (24 credits)
- A&H (10 credits)
- SSc (10 credits)
- Additional credits in A&H or SSc to bring total to 24 credits
- Natural Sciences (NSc) (59-70 credits)
- Mathematics (15-21 credits) complete one of the following:
- MATH 124, MATH 125, MATH 126, MATH 207 (or AMATH 351), MATH 208 (or AMATH 352)
- MATH 134, MATH 135, MATH 136
- Sciences (41-44 credits): CHEM 142, CHEM 152, CHEM 162 (or CHEM 143, CHEM 153; or CHEM 145, CHEM 155, CHEM 165) and CHEM 223 (or CHEM 237); PHYS 121, PHYS 122 (or PHYS 141, PHYS 142); BIOL 180, BIOL 200, BIOL 220
- Statistics (3-5 credits) one course from: STAT 390, IND E 315, STAT 311, or Q SCI 381
Additional Completion RequirementsOption Requirements (77-78 credits)
- Engineering Fundamentals (4-5 credits): One of the following options: (1) AMATH 301; (2) CSE 121 and BIOEN 217; (3) CSE 122 and BIOEN 217; (4) CSE 123 and BIOEN 217;(5) CSE 142 and BIOEN 217; (6) CSE 160 and BIOEN 217
- Bioengineering Core (37 credits): BIOEN 215 or ENGR 115; BIOEN 315, BIOEN 316, BIOEN 317, BIOEN 325, BIOEN 326, BIOEN 327, BIOEN 335, BIOEN 336, BIOEN 337, BIOEN 345, BIOEN 400
- Bioengineering Capstone (10 credits): BIOEN 401, plus 9 credits of BIOEN 402.
- Nanoscience and Molecular Engineering Courses (21 credits): NME 220, NME 321, NME 421; minimum 15 credits of designated 400-level and above BIOEN-prefixed nano-molecular engineering courses; refer to departmental list. The senior capstone (10 credits from BIOEN 401 and BIOEN 402) must be in an NME area.
- Approved Engineering Electives (5 credits)
- Minimum 2.0 grade in each bioengineering course applied to the major