Undergraduate Program
Biomedical engineers create new methods to explore life and treat disease. Students choose to become biomedical engineers because it is complex, challenging, and rewarding in ways that few fields can equal.
It is not too much to say that modern medicine was invented by biomedical engineers. Virtually every piece of equipment that physicians use to diagnose and treat disease was invented by a biomedical engineer. In each case, biomedical engineers combined their knowledge of human physiology and tools the engineering disciplines to solve a clinical problem.
Thanks to advances in computation and data science, biomedical engineers have taken on the most ambitious challenges. Now, they are using machine learning and modeling to develop smart devices, to accelerate the pace of medical discovery and to lay the foundations for precision medicine and even to engineer new tissue and organs.
Our Undergraduate Programs
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B.S. in Biomedical Engineering
Explore the BME bachelor of science curriculum and electives.
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Biomedical Engineering Minor
The 18-credit BME Minor can be combined with any Engineering School or College of Arts and Sciences Major.
Resources for Current Students
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Student Support
As an undergraduate student at UVA Engineering, you have access to an array of student support services including peer-to-peer tutoring, professional academic coaching, access to mental health support, and dedicated advising.
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Academic Advising
Every student has an advisor in the Engineering School. While there are many resources for support at the University, we encourage students to advocate for themselves to the best of their ability and seek out support early and often.
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Student Life
Discover more about student life at UVA and in Charlottesville.
Get in Touch
Karen Sleezer
Why BME at UVA?
Biology First
BME at UVA builds its engineering curriculum on a solid base of biological knowledge. As part of our “biology-first” approach, BME students take a two-semester physiology sequence and a cell and molecular biology course early in the curriculum. Our graduates leave UVA with a fundamental understanding of the biological origins of disease that sets them apart from their peers.
Emphasis on Data Sciences and Modeling
Advances in data science and systems modeling have already produced dramatic advances in research, drug development and treatment. Much more is yet to come. BME at UVA is known throughout the world for being at the forefront of this revolution. As a result, our students have an unprecedented opportunity to master new computational approaches and work with the faculty who are creating them.
Work in the Lab
In our labs, you will find BME students helping to identify biomarkers for cancer, contributing to models for building human tissue and applying computational approaches to advancing the treatment of disease in scores of ways.
Co-Location is a Critical Differentiator
The UVA Biomedical Engineering program starts with an advantage that most programs cannot hope to equal: co-location with the UVA School of Medicine, the UVA School of Nursing and the UVA Medical Center. Proximity has a pervasive impact on every aspect of our students’ education, especially outside the classroom.
High-Touch Immersion in Design and Discovery
Engineers learn by doing. That is one reason why BME at UVA emphasizes research experiences and design from the first year of the program. By the time our students graduate, they have hands-on experience identifying a clinical problem and working in teams to create a workable solution.
Ideas Lab
One of the highlights is the year-long Ideas Lab, where students practice design thinking approaches and master computational and experimental approaches for measuring and analyzing real medical data at multiple scales.
Undergraduate Research
Undergraduate researchers are mentored by faculty and work closely with the lab’s graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. They are valued lab members, attending lab meetings and participating in journal clubs. They co-author publications, present at national meetings, and fund their own research through competitive awards.
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Accreditation
The UVA Biomedical Engineering undergraduate program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, the national independent organization for accrediting academic programs in engineering and applied science. Our program is designed to meet ABET's requirements for program educational objectives and student outcomes. Program enrollment and graduation information is maintained by the UVA School of Engineering and Applied Science.
- Define and apply mathematical, computational, and engineering foundations.
- Integrate physical and life science, mathematical, computational, and engineering principles toward BME-specific applications.
- Define and perform the engineering design process
- Define and perform fundamental steps in the research process
- Analyze, visualize, and interpret data
- Measure and perturb biological and biomedical systems
- Develop strategies to continuously acquire contemporary concepts and skills
- Function on a team where members together provide leadership, create a collaborative & inclusive environment, and effect goals, tasks, and objectives
- Communicate science and engineering concepts and results to a variety of audiences
- Recognize ethical principles in biomedical applications
- Identify relevant aspects of the governmental regulatory process
- Demonstrate awareness of inclusivity, equity, and empathy in research and design
- Graduates draw upon their biomedical engineering foundations to perform experimental measurement, quantitative analysis, and engineering design.
- Graduates use tools and methods at the current state-of-the-art in biomedical engineering.
- Graduates apply problem solving abilities and multidisciplinary perspectives to understand and advance scientific discoveries and technological innovations.
- Graduates act to improve human health.
- Graduates exhibit intellectual curiosity, creativity, leadership and continuous personal growth.
Upcoming Events
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Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PMLocation: MR5 1041
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Time: 11:30 AM - 12:30 PMLocation: Old Cabell Hall -
Time: 9:00 AM - 7:00 PMLocation: UVA Link Lab
The information contained on this website is for informational purposes only. The Undergraduate Record and Graduate Record represent the official repository for academic program requirements. These publications may be found here.