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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 Communi- cation 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 |
Computer Science | ||
| CSCI 101L | Fundamentals of Computer Programming | 3 |
Electrical Engineering | ||
| EE 202L | Linear Circuits | 4 |
| EE 301 | Introduction to Linear Systems | 3 |
| Major Electives | units | |
|---|---|---|
| Technical electives | 10 | |
| Total units: | 128 | |
*WRIT 140 is taken concurrently with GE Category VI.
**Satisfies GE Category III requirement.
+ The university allows engineering majors to replace the GE Category IV with a second course in Categories I, II or VI.
**Satisfies GE Category III requirement.
+ The university allows engineering majors to replace the GE Category IV with a second course in Categories I, II or VI.
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 Communi- cation 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 | 4 |
| CHE 350 | Introduction to Separation Processes | 3 |
| CHE 460L | Chemical Process Dynamics and Control | 4 |
| CHE 489 | Biochemical Engineering | 3 |
Computer Science | ||
| CSCI 101L | Fundamentals of Computer Programming | 3 |
Electrical Engineering | ||
| EE 202L | Linear Circuits | 4 |
Materials Science | ||
| MASC 310 | Materials Behavior and Processing | 3 |
| Total units: | 132 | |
*GE Category VI is taken concurrently with WRIT 140.
**Satisfies GE Category III requirement.
+ The university allows engineering majors to replace the GE Category IV with a second course in Categories I, II or VI.
**Satisfies GE Category III requirement.
+ The university allows engineering majors to replace the GE Category IV with a second course in Categories I, II or VI.
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 Communi- cation 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 |
Computer Science | ||
| CSCI 101L | Fundamentals of Computer Programming | 3 |
Electrical Engineering | ||
| EE 101 | Introduction to Digital Logic | 3 |
| EE 201L | Introduction to Digital Circuits | 2 |
| EE 202L | Linear Circuits | 4 |
| EE 301 | Introduction to Linear Systems | 3 |
| EE 338 | Physical Electronics | 3 |
| EE 348L | Electronic Circuits I | 4 |
| EE 357 | Basic Organization of Computer Systems | 3 |
| EE 454L | Introduction to Systems Design Using Microprocessors, or | |
| EE 478L | Digital Electronic Circuit Design | 4 |
| Major electives | units | |
|---|---|---|
| Technical elective | 3 | |
| Total units | 133 | |
*WRIT 140 is taken concurrently with GE Category VI.
**Satisfies GE Category III requirement.
+ The university allows engineering majors to replace the GE Category IV with a second course in Categories I, II or VI.
**Satisfies GE Category III requirement.
+ The university allows engineering majors to replace the GE Category IV with a second course in Categories I, II or VI.
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 Requirements | ||
| 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 Communi- cation 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 |
Computer Science | ||
| CSCI 101L | Fundamentals of Computer Programming | 4 |
Electric Engineering | ||
| EE 202L | Linear Circuits | 4 |
Materials Science | ||
| MASC 310 | Materials Behavior and Processing | 3 |
| Major Electives | units | |
|---|---|---|
| Technical electives | 6 | |
| Total units: | 132 | |
* WRIT 140 is taken concurrently with GE Category VI.
** Satisfies GE Category III requirement.
+ The university allows engineering majors to replace the GE Category IV with a second course in Categories I, II or VI.
** Satisfies GE Category III requirement.
+ The university allows engineering majors to replace the GE Category IV with a second course in Categories I, II or VI.
Minor in Engineering Technology Commercialization
See listing under USC Stevens Institute for Technology Commercialization Educational Programs.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 | ||
*Students who have taken an advanced undergraduate or master’s level course in system and signal analysis may substitute BME 523 for BME 513 with departmental approval.
Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering (Medical Imaging and Imaging Informatics)
The entrance requirements are identical to those for admission to the existing program for the Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering. 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. The course of study requires successful completion of 31 units of course work and has been designed to be completed in three semesters of full-time study.| Required courses | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| BME 501 | Advanced Topics in Biomedical Systems | 4 |
| BME 502 | Advanced Studies of the Nervous System | 4 |
| BME 513 | Signal and Systems Analysis | 3 |
| BME 620L | Applied Electrophysiology | 4 |
| 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 513 | Regulation of Medical Devices and Diagnostics | 3 |
| MPTX 515 | Quality Systems and Standards, or | |
| ISE 527 | Quality Management for Engineers | 3 |
| Elective | 4 | |
| 31 | ||
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.