Degree Requirements
Educational Program Objectives
The educational program objectives of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Southern California are designed to promote technical competence, professionalism and citizenship.
Technical Competence
Graduates will have fundamental knowledge in science and engineering and the ability to apply engineering principles to define and solve problems in engineering and medicine.
Graduates will have the ability to design and test devices, components, processes and systems that meet desired needs in biomedical engineering.
Professionalism
Graduates will be prepared professionally and personally to practice engineering in biomedical and other technology-based industries, as well as to succeed in medical school and advanced graduate studies.
Graduates will have the leadership capabilities and communication skills to succeed in multidisciplinary teams.
Graduates will understand that their professional responsibility includes continued development of their knowledge and skills throughout their careers.
Citizenship
Graduates will understand the societal consequences of engineering decisions and will be committed to an ethical and socially responsible professional practice.
Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering
The requirement for the degree is 128 units. A cumulative grade point average of C (2.0) is required for all courses taken at USC as well as for all courses taken within the Biomedical Engineering department.
See common requirements for undergraduate degrees.
Technical electives are to be selected from an approved list available in the department office.
| composition/writing requirement | Units |
|---|
| WRIT 140* | Writing and Critical Reasoning | 4 |
| WRIT 340 | Advanced Writing | 3 |
| General education (see here) | Units |
|---|
| General education* + | 20 |
| Pre-major requirements | Units |
|---|
| Math Requirement |
| MATH 125 | Calculus I | 4 |
| MATH 126 | Calculus II | 4 |
| MATH 226 | Calculus III | 4 |
| MATH 245 | Mathematics of Physics and Engineering I | 4 |
| Physics Requirement |
| PHYS 151L** | Fundamentals of Physics I: Mechanics and Thermodynamics | 4 |
| PHYS 152L | Fundamentals of Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism | 4 |
| Chemistry Elective |
| CHEM 105aL** | General Chemistry, or |
| CHEM 115aL** | Advanced General Chemistry | 4 |
| CHEM 105bL | General Chemistry, or |
| CHEM 115bL | Advanced General Chemistry | 4 |
| Major requirements | Units |
|---|
| Biomedical Engineering |
| BME 101 | Introduction to Biomedical Engineering | 3 |
| BME 210 | Biomedical Computer Simulation Methods | 3 |
| BME 302L | Medical Electronics | 4 |
| BME 402 | Control and Communication in the Nervous System | 3 |
| BME 403 | Physiological Systems | 3 |
| BME 405L | Senior Projects: Measurements and Instrumentation | 4 |
| BME 410 | Introduction to Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering | 3 |
| BME 414 | Rehabilitation Engineering | 3 |
| BME 423 | Statistical Methods in Biomedical Engineering | 3 |
| Biology |
| BISC 120L** | General Biology: Organismal Biology and Evolution | 4 |
| BISC 220L | General Biology: Cell Biology and Physiology | 4 |
| BISC 320L | Molecular Biology | 4 |
| Chemistry |
| CHEM 322aLbL | Organic Chemistry | 4-4 |
| Electrical Engineering |
| EE 150L | Engineering Computa-tional Methods | 3 |
| EE 200L | Foundations of Electrical Engineering Systems | 4 |
| EE 202L | Linear Circuits | 4 |
| Major Electives | Units |
|---|
| Technical electives | 9 |
| Total units: | | 128 |
Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering (Biochemical Engineering)
The requirement for the degree is 132 units. A grade point average of C (2.0) is required in all course work taken at USC as well as all courses taken within the Department of Biomedical Engineering. See general education and additional
common requirements for undergraduate degrees.
| composition/writing requirement | Units |
|---|
| WRIT 140* | Writing and Critical Reasoning | 4 |
| WRIT 340 | Advanced Writing | 3 |
| General education (see here) | Units |
|---|
| General education* + | 20 |
| Pre-major requirements | Units |
|---|
| Math Requirement |
| MATH 125 | Calculus I | 4 |
| MATH 126 | Calculus II | 4 |
| MATH 226 | Calculus III | 4 |
| MATH 245 | Mathematics of Physics and Engineering I | 4 |
| Physics Requirement |
| PHYS 151L** | Fundamentals of Physics I: Mechanics and Thermodynamics | 4 |
| PHYS 152L | Fundamentals of Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism | 4 |
| Chemistry Elective |
| CHEM 105aL** | General Chemistry, or |
| CHEM 115aL** | Advanced General Chemistry | 4 |
| CHEM 105bL | General Chemistry, or |
| CHEM 115bL | Advanced General Chemistry | 4 |
| major requirements | Units |
|---|
| Biomedical Engineering |
| BME 101 | Introduction to Biomedical Engineering | 3 |
| BME 210 | Biomedical Computer Simulation Methods | 3 |
| BME 402 | Control and Communication in the Nervous System | 3 |
| BME 403 | Physiological Systems | 3 |
| BME 405L | Senior Projects: Measurements and Instrumentation | 4 |
| BME 410 | Introduction to Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering | 3 |
| BME 416 | Development and Regulation of Medical Products | 3 |
| BME 423 | Statistical Methods in Biomedical Engineering | 3 |
| Biology |
| BISC 120L** | General Biology: Organismal Biology and Evolution | 4 |
| BISC 220L | General Biology: Cell Biology and Physiology | 4 |
| BISC 320L | Molecular Biology | 4 |
| BISC 330L | Biochemistry | 4 |
| Chemistry |
| CHEM 322aLbL | Organic Chemistry | 4-4 |
| Chemical Engineering |
| CHE 330 | Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics | 3 |
| CHE 350 | Introduction to Separation Processes | 3 |
| CHE 460L | Chemical Process Dynamics and Control | 3 |
| CHE 489 | Biochemical Engineering | 3 |
| Electrical Engineering |
| EE 150L | Engineering Computa-tional Methods | 3 |
| EE 200L | Foundations of Electrical Engineering Systems | 4 |
| Materials Science |
| MASC 310 | Materials Behavior and Processing | 3 |
| Major electives | Units |
|---|
| Technical elective | 2 |
| Total units: | | 132 |
Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering (Electrical Engineering)
The requirement for the degree is 133 units. A grade point average of C (2.0) is required in all course work taken at USC, as well as all courses taken within the Department of Biomedical Engineering. See
common requirements for undergraduate degrees section.
| composition/writing requirement | Units |
|---|
| WRIT 140* | Writing and Critical Reasoning | 4 |
| WRIT 340 | Advanced Writing | 3 |
| General education (see here) | Units |
|---|
| General education* + | 20 |
| Pre-major requirements | Units |
|---|
| Math Requirement |
| MATH 125 | Calculus I | 4 |
| MATH 126 | Calculus II | 4 |
| MATH 226 | Calculus III | 4 |
| MATH 245 | Mathematics of Physics and Engineering I | 4 |
| MATH 445 | Mathematics of Physics and Engineering II | 4 |
| Physics Requirement |
| PHYS 151L** | Fundamentals of Physics I: Mechanics and Thermodynamics | 4 |
| PHYS 152L | Fundamentals of Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism | 4 |
| PHYS 153L | Fundamentals of Physics III: Optics and Modern Physics | 4 |
| Chemistry Elective |
| CHEM 105aL** | General Chemistry, or |
| CHEM 115aL** | Advanced General Chemistry | 4 |
| CHEM 105bL | General Chemistry, or |
| CHEM 115bL | Advanced General Chemistry | 4 |
| major requirements | Units |
|---|
| Biomedical Engineering |
| BME 101 | Introduction to Biomedical Engineering | 3 |
| BME 210 | Biomedical Computer Simulation Methods | 3 |
| BME 402 | Control and Communication in the Nervous System | 3 |
| BME 403 | Physiological Systems | 3 |
| BME 405L | Senior Projects: Measurements and Instrumentation | 4 |
| BME 423 | Statistical Methods in Biomedical Engineering | 3 |
| BME 425 | Basics of Biomedical Imaging | 3 |
| Biology |
| BISC 220L | General Biology: Cell Biology and Physiology | 4 |
| BISC 320L | Molecular Biology | 4 |
| Chemistry |
| CHEM 322aL | Organic Chemistry | 4 |
| Electrical Engineering |
| EE 150L | Engineering Computational Methods | 3 |
| EE 101 | Introduction to Digital Logic | 3 |
| EE 200L | Foundations of Electrical Engineering Systems | 4 |
| EE 201L | Introduction to Digital Circuits | 4 |
| EE 202L | Linear Circuits | 4 |
| EE 338 | Physical Electronics | 3 |
| EE 348L | Electronic Circuits I | 4 |
| EE 357 | Basic Organization of Computer Systems | 3 |
| Major electives | Units |
|---|
| Technical electives | 4 |
| Total units | | 133 |
Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering (Mechanical Engineering)
The requirement for the degree is 132 units. A cumulative GPA 2.0 (C average) is required for all courses taken at USC, as well as all courses taken within the Biomedical Engineering department. See
common requirements for undergraduate degrees section.
| composition/writing requirement | Units |
|---|
| WRIT 140* | Writing and Critical Reasoning | 4 |
| WRIT 340 | Advanced Writing | 3 |
| General education (see here) | Units |
|---|
| General education* + | 20 |
| Pre-major requirements | Units |
|---|
| Math Requirement |
| MATH 125 | Calculus I | 4 |
| MATH 126 | Calculus II | 4 |
| MATH 226 | Calculus III | 4 |
| MATH 245 | Mathematics of Physics and Engineering I | 4 |
| Physics Requirement |
| PHYS 151L** | Fundamentals of Physics I: Mechanics and Thermodynamics | 4 |
| PHYS 152L | Fundamentals of Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism | 4 |
| PHYS 153L | Fundamentals of Physics III: Optics and Modern Physics | 4 |
| Chemistry Elective |
| CHEM 105aL** | General Chemistry, or |
| CHEM 115aL** | Advanced General Chemistry | 4 |
| CHEM 105bL | General Chemistry, or |
| CHEM 115bL | Advanced General Chemistry | 4 |
| Major requirements | Units |
|---|
| Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering |
| AME 201 | Statics | 3 |
| AME 204 | Strength of Materials | 3 |
| AME 301 | Dynamics | 3 |
| AME 302 | Design of Dynamic Systems | 3 |
| AME 308 | Computer-Aided Analysis for Aero-Mechanical Design | 3 |
| AME 309 | Dynamics of Fluids | 4 |
| Biomedical Engineering |
| BME 101 | Introduction to Biomedical Engineering | 3 |
| BME 210 | Biomedical Computer Simulation Methods | 3 |
| BME 402 | Control and Communication in the Nervous System | 3 |
| BME 403 | Physiological Systems | 3 |
| BME 404 | Biomechanics | 3 |
| BME 405L | Senior Projects: Measurements and Instrumentation | 4 |
| BME 423 | Statistical Methods in Biomedical Engineering | 3 |
| Biology |
| BISC 220L | General Biology: Cell Biology and Physiology | 4 |
| BISC 320L | Molecular Biology | 4 |
| Chemistry |
| CHEM 322aL | Organic Chemistry | 4 |
| Electric Engineering |
| EE 150L | Engineering Computational Methods | 3 |
| EE 200L | Foundations of Electrical Engineering Systems | 4 |
| Materials Science |
| MASC 310 | Materials Behavior and Processing | 3 |
| Major Electives | Units |
|---|
| Technical electives | 6 |
| Total units: | | 132 |
Minor in Craniofacial and Dental Technology
For a complete listing, see the
School of Dentistry.
Minor in Engineering Technology Commercialization
See listing in the
Special Educational Opportunities section.
Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering
The Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering is awarded in strict conformity with the general requirements of the Viterbi School of Engineering. At least 28 approved units must be satisfactorily completed, of which at least 19 units must be at the 500 level or above. Four of these units may be thesis BME 594abz.
The master's program provides students with a broad background, linking physiology with engineering science, necessary for entering interdisciplinary careers in medical technology or pursuing further graduate studies in a related field.
| Required courses | Units |
|---|
| BME 501 | Advanced Topics in Biomedical Systems | 4 |
| BME 502 | Advanced Studies of the Nervous System | 4 |
| BME 511 | Physiological Control Systems | 3 |
| BME 513* | Signal and Systems Analysis | 3 |
| BME 533 | Seminar in Bioengineering | 1 |
| BME 594abz | Master's Thesis (2-2-0), or |
| Technical Elective (4) | 4 |
| Electives | Technical | 9 |
| | 28 |
Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering (Medical Imaging and Imaging Informatics)
Completion of the Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering (Medical Imaging and Imaging Informatics) requires that at least 29 approved units must be satisfactorily completed of which at least 19 units must be at the 500 level or above.
| Required courses | Units |
|---|
| BME 501 | Advanced Topics in Biomedical Systems | 4 |
| BME 513 | Signal and Systems Analysis | 3 |
| BME 525 | Advanced Biomedical Imaging | 4 |
| BME 527 | Integration of Medical Imaging Systems | 3 |
| BME 528 | Medical Imaging Informatics | 3 |
| BME 535 | Ultrasonic Imaging | 3 |
| EE 569 | Introduction to Digital Image Processing | 3 |
| Electives | Technical | 6 |
| 29 |
Master of Science in Medical Device and Diagnostic Engineering
This program is designed to provide the knowledge and skills needed for the development of medical devices and diagnostic techniques, including aspects of medical product regulation and product development. The course of study requires successful completion of 28 units of course work and has been designed to be completed in three semesters of full-time study. Students in the program will complete a 19-unit core as well as selecting a 6-unit specialization (or "track") and one elective from a list provided by the department.
| Required courses | Units |
|---|
| BME 501 | Advanced Topics in Biomedical Systems, or |
| BME 502 | Advanced Studies of the Nervous System | 4 |
| BME 513 | Signal and Systems Analysis | 3 |
| BME 650 | Biomedical Measurement and Instrumentation | 3 |
| MPTX 511 | Introduction to Medical Product Regulation, or |
| BME 416 | Development and Regulation of Medical Products | 3 |
| MPTX 515 | Quality Systems and Standards, or |
| ISE 527 | Quality Management for Engineers | 3 |
| ISE 545 | Technology Development and Implementation | 3 |
| Technical elective | 3 |
| Complete 6 units from one track from the following lists: | 6 |
| Regulation Track |
| MPTX 513 | Regulation of Medical Devices and Diagnostics | 3 |
| RSCI 527 | Medical Product Safety | 3 |
| Medical Technology and Device Science Track |
| BME 535 | Ultrasonic Imaging | 3 |
| BME 551 | Introduction to Bio-MEMS and Nanotechnology | 3 |
| BME 552 | Neural Implant Engineering | 3 |
| BME 620L | Applied Electrophysiology | 4 |
| Product Development Track |
| ISE 515 | Engineering Project Management | 3 |
| ISE 555 | Invention and Technology Development | 3 |
| 28 |
Technical Elective (one course)
Applicable courses include: AME 503, BME 511, BME 535, BME 551, ISE 507, ISE 508, ISE 544, MPTX 517, RSCI 528 and courses listed in alternate tracks to that chosen. Other courses may be applicable; please see an advisor for approval.
Viterbi Integrated Master of Science Program (VIP) for the General Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering
The Viterbi Integrated Master of Science Program (VIP) will allow selected undergraduates from U.S. institutions partnered with the Viterbi School to complete a general Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering with a 6-unit reduction of the total 28 units required.
The VIP Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering is subject to the following requirements: (1) a total of at least 22 units is required; (2) all units must be taken in biomedical engineering; (3) all units must be taken at the 500 or 600 level; (4) minimum grade point average of 3.0 must be earned on all course work applied toward the master's degree in biomedical engineering. This average must also be achieved on all course work attempted at USC beyond the bachelor's degree.
The students will complete 400-level preparatory courses at their undergraduate institution before entering USC. The 400-level courses may be taken toward the undergraduate requirements. They must be acceptable equivalents to at least two of the USC courses listed below:
| BME 402 | Control and Communication in the Nervous System | 3 |
| BME 403 | Physiological Systems | 3 |
| BME 404 | Biomechanics | 3 |
| BME 405L | Senior Projects: Measurements and Instrumentation | 4 |
| BME 410 | Introduction to Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering | 3 |
| BME 423 | Statistical Methods in Biomedical Engineering | 3 |
| BME 425 | Basics of Biomedical Imaging | 3 |
After admission, students will complete the following courses (22 units) within three semesters:
| BME 501 | Advanced Topics in Biomedical Systems | 4 |
| BME 502 | Advanced Studies of the Nervous System | 4 |
| BME 511 | Physiological Control Systems | 3 |
| BME 513 | Signal and Systems Analysis | 3 |
| BME 533 | Seminar in Bioengineering | 1 |
| BME 594abz | Master's Thesis, or | 2-2-0 |
| Technical Elective | 4 |
| Electives | 3 |
Students applying to the VIP must be recommended by a faculty representative at a partner undergraduate institution; complete the regular graduate admission application (with exception of the GRE); and hold junior standing in biomedical engineering with a 3.5 GPA or better on major related course work.
Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering
The objective of the Doctor of Philosophy is to produce independent investigators who can make original scholarly contributions and apply advanced engineering concepts and techniques to the understanding and solution of biomedical problems. This program is intended to prepare the student for a career in academic research and teaching, or as an independent investigator in industrial or government laboratories.
The requirements listed are special to this department and must be read in conjunction with the general requirements of the Graduate School.
This program is designed to be normally completed in four years of full-time work beyond the Bachelor of Science degree (including summers). The first two years are devoted primarily to formal course work and the last two to research. In view of the flexible program, each student is assigned an advisor who will guide him or her in the selection of courses. By the end of the third semester of graduate study the student must have completed the Ph.D. screening examination. Subsequently, he or she is required to make a tentative major field selection (e.g., biomedical imaging, signal processing, neural engineering) and pass a qualifying examination. In accordance with the requirements of the Graduate School, at least 60 units of credit beyond the Bachelor of Science degree are required, with a minimum grade point average of 3.0. Students are required to take BME 533, the graduate biomedical engineering seminar course, for three semesters during their studies.
Requirements for Admission
Bachelor of Science degree in engineering or a natural science, and satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Examinations. Undergraduate work should include a basic course in biology, physics, organic chemistry, biochemistry, differential equations and digital computation. Students lacking any of these will be required to make up the deficiency during the first two years of graduate work.
Students who have completed all requirements for the Master of Science degree offered in this department may apply for admission to the Ph.D. program. In this case, all courses taken in the M.S. program may be applied toward the requirements of the doctoral degree.
Screening Examination Process
By the end of the third semester of graduate study, all students must have completed the screening examination process to determine whether or not they will be allowed to continue in the Doctor of Philosophy program. Those who fail will be dropped from the program, although they may be permitted to complete the additional requirements necessary to obtain the Master of Science degree.
Guidance Committee
During the third semester, the student must make a tentative major field selection as described above and form a guidance committee. The latter administers the qualifying examination.
Qualifying Examination
The qualifying examination will normally be taken during the fourth semester of full-time academic study. The examination requires the preparation of a comprehensive written research proposal that presents a research question, critically reviews the pertinent literature and outlines the proposed experimental, analytical and computational procedures required to answer the question. The proposal must be defended in an oral examination.
Graduate Certificate in Engineering Technology Commercialization
See listing in the
Special Educational Opportunities section.
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