Biomedical Engineering Program

The BS program in Biomedical Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET: http://www.abet.org.

Program Educational Objectives

The Biomedical Engineering Department at Columbia University is dedicated to preparing our graduating students for the following:

  1. Professional employment in areas such as the medical device industry, engineering consulting, biomechanics, biomedical imaging, and biotechnology
  2. Graduate studies in biomedical engineering or related fields
  3. Attendance at medical or dental school
     

Student Outcomes

We strive to ensure that our students successfully attain the following:

  1. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
  2. an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
  3. an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
  4. an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
  5. an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
  6. an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
  7. an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

 

Undergraduate Enrollment and Graduation Data

Graduates of our program go on to graduate studies, medical school, and employment. Students have gone onto sectors including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, diagnostics, governmental oversight organizations (FDA, NIH, OSHA, etc.), and even finance. Through the program, students can meet entrance requirements for graduate training in the various allied health professions. For instance, no more than three additional courses are required to satisfy entrance requirements for most U.S. medical schools, and can be chosen to also fulfill elective requirements for graduation.

A statistical breakdown of each class is available below (numbers as of Spring 2023):

  2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Sophomores 46 33 31 42 44 43
Juniors 49 49 40 42 51 49
Seniors 44 48 52 41 50 61
  2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Graduates 43 47 52 38 45 52
Percent Graduated 97% 98% 100% 92% 90% 85%