Engineering Your BIOE Minor

Bioengineering resides at the interface of engineering and the natural sciences, and a thorough knowledge of both is essential for innovation and problem solving in the discipline. A bioengineering minor is a great way to complement your primary major.  Given the alignment of the minor with majors within the natural sciences (Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Human Physiology and Physics), the minor was designed to complement those majors. 
  
The links to the left provide specific guidance on how to navigate the bioengineering minor along with your major.

 

Course of Study

The program begins with a core sequence: a three-quarter set of courses that builds an engineering foundation through an experiential design- and problem-solving approach. Upper-division coursework offers a chance to take specialized bioengineering courses tailored around Knight Campus research areas and can also include electives from students’ home departments.

All courses must be completed with a C- or better.

 

BIOE Minor Requirements: 24 credits 
 

BIOE 251* (Fall term, 4 credits): This is the first in a three-course series that introduces students to foundational principles in bioengineering. Topics include units, dimensional analysis, energy balances, conservation of mass, energy, and momentum, and introductory biomechanics.

BIOE 252* (Winter term, 4 credits): This is the second in a three-course series that introduces students to foundational principles in bioengineering. Topics include linear circuits, Fourier transforms, fluid pressure, the Bernoulli Equation, conservation principles in fluid control volumes, and laminar fluid flow.

BIOE 253* (Spring term, 4 credits): This is the third in a three-course series that introduces students to foundational principles in bioengineering. In this course, students will apply the engineering concepts acquired in the first two Fundamentals of Bioengineering courses to solve complex, real-world bioengineering problems.

Upper Division Electives: 12 credits (at least 4 elective credits must be from BIOE subject-code)                                                                                                                     

*Students must have completed MATH 252Z: Integral Calculus prior to BIOE 251, 252 & 253. PHYS 201 or 251 is recommended for BIOE 251, but not required. 

Upper Division Elective Coursework (2025-2026)

To complete the bioengineering minor, you must complete 12 credits from this list.  At least four must be from the BIOE subject-code.  Courses used to complete a student’s major core requirements may not be applied towards the bioengineering minor elective requirement.  Please refer to the key information for your major if you have any questions.

Bioengineering:

  • BIOE 410: Biomaterials (winter term, 4 credits) - This course will introduce design principles for biomaterials, including considerations for protein and cell delivery, cell-instructive biomaterials, drug delivery systems, material-tissue interactions (e.g. host immune response), and material characterization. This course will mainly focus on polymeric biomaterials. A special emphasis will be placed on chemical modifications to tune material degradation, cross-linking, protein release, cell-material interactions, and stimuli-responsiveness. Prerequisites: general chemistry, organic chemistry, general biology – Instructor approval required.
     
  • BIOE 399: 3D Printing and Design (Spring Term, 4 credits) - This course will introduce you to additive manufacturing, a way of making things that is commonly referred to as 3D printing. We will embark on an in-depth understanding on how extrusion-based 3D printers work and operate under different circumstances. There will also be an extensive undertaking of understanding computer-aided design (CAD) software, and we will learn how to make digital objects from scratch. The technology primarily covered in the course is fused deposition modeling, the most common form of 3D printing. Principles of rheology will be taught, and the working principles of each part of extrusion-based 3D printing will be discussed in detail. Converging and influencing technologies/trends such as machine vision, internet of things, open-source software and hardware will be covered. No prerequisites.
     
  • BIOE 410: Design and Fabrication of Biomaterial Interfaces (fall term, 4 credits) - This course introduces students to the design and fabrication of electrical and mechanical microdevices. The course will introduce students to fundamental microfabrication principles, including lithography, think-film deposition, etching, and characterization. This course provides a framework for understanding processes in manufacturing semiconductor devices, integrated circuits, and micro-photonic and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) components.
     
  • BIOE 410: Synthetic Biology (spring term, 4 credits) - This course will focus on the application of engineering principles to design and build biological systems with predictable behaviors. It will teach students to design, build, and model simple biological circuits and systems. It will cover topics including basic biological components and their standardization, methods for analysis, modeling tools, engineering principles in biology, DNA assembly, genome engineering, and ethics. Examples of practical applications in multiple areas will be explored. Students will discuss relevant literature and develop their own synthetic biology idea into a project. Prerequisites: BI 214 or equiv. Instructor approval required.
     
  • BIOE 410: Biodesign (fall term, 4 credits) - The focus of this course is to provide bioengineering students who have no extensive knowledge in electronics and computer programming background the necessary skills to develop devices with embedded systems. This course provides basic knowledge on computer programming languages, microcontrollers, digital circuits, and control systems. Students will also have the opportunity to design and develop a microcontroller-based system using a microcontroller development kit for a specific application.
     
  • BIOE 410: Introduction to Microfluidics and Medical Microdevices (spring term, 4 credits) - This course introduces students to the design and fabrication of electrical and mechanical microdevices. The course will introduce students to fundamental microfabrication principles, including lithography, thin-film deposition, etching, and characterization. This course provides a framework for understanding processes used in the manufacturing of semiconductor devices, integrated circuits, and micro-photonic and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) components.
     
  • BIOE 410: Immunoengineering (every other spring term, 4 credits – offered 2026, not offered in 2027) - The overall objective of this course is to teach students the integration and application of engineering principles, analyses, and methods for the quantitative study of the immune system in health and disease, and strategies for therapeutic modulation of immune responses. The course is aimed at integrating students’ training in immunology and engineering fundamentals to the understanding and control of immune responses. This course will establish concepts necessary for developing new engineered therapies or improve existing therapies by controlling immune cells. The topics covered in this course span from biophysical mechanics of immune cells, fluid transport, the interplay of soft/hard tissue mechanics with the immune system, host response to bioprosthetic and mechanical implants, smart material design to program immune system or evade the immune response, cell engineering, and developing micro-nano scale technologies for detection and/or manipulation of the immune system. The application area embraces a comprehensive list including infections, autoimmune disorders, cancer, allergies, implants, musculoskeletal and cardiovascular disorders, aging, obesity, brain, stem cells, etc. Instructor approval required.

Biology:

  • BI 320* Molecular Genetics. 4 Credits. Prereq: BI 214 or BI 282H.
  • BI 322 Cell Biology. 4 Credits. Prereq: BI 214 or BI 282H; CH 331 recommended.
  • BI 326 Immunology and Infectious Disease. 4 Credits.
  • BI 328 Developmental Biology. 4 Credits. Prereq: BI 214 or BI 282H.
  • BI 330 Microbiology. 3 Credits. Prereq: BI 214 or BI 282H.
  • BI 331 Microbiology Laboratory. 3 Credits. Prereq: BI 214 of BI 282H; pre- or coreq: BI 330.
  • BI 353 Sensory Physiology. 4 Credits. Prereq: BI 214 or BI 282H.
  • BI 358 Investigations in Medical Physiology.  4 Credits. Prereq: one from BI 214, BI 283H, HPHY 324.
  • BI 360 Neurobiology 4 Credits. Prereq: BI 214 or BI 282H.
  • BI 423 Human Molecular Genetics. 4 Credits. Prereq: BI 320.
  • BI 424 Advanced Molecular Genetics. 4 Credits. Prereq: BI 320.
  • BI 426 Genetics of Cancer. 4 Credits. Prereq: BI 214 or BI 282H; one from BI 320, BI 322
  • BI 427 Molecular Genetics of Human Disease. 4 Credits. Prereq: BI 320.
  • BI 428 Developmental Genetics. 4 Credits. Prereq: BI 320, BI 328.
  • BI 461 Systems Neuroscience. 4 Credits. Prereq: BI 353 or BI 360 or equivalent.
  • BI 466 Developmental Neurobiology. 4 Credits. Prereq: BI 320, BI 328
  • BI 485 Techniques in Computational Neuroscience. 4 Credits. Prereq: BI 360 or BI 461; MATH 247 or MATH 252 or higher.

*Biochemistry students may not count BI 320 as an elective for the bioengineering minor

Chemistry and Biochemistry:

  • CH 360 Physiological Biochemistry. 4 Credits. Prereq: CH 336 or 343; BI 214 or 282H recommended.
  • CH 461* Biochemistry. 4 credits. Prepreq: CH 336 or 343.
  • CH 462* Biochemistry. 4 credits. Prereq: CH 461.
  • CH 463* Biochemistry. 4 credits. Prereq: CH 461/561; or CH 360 with a grade of B- or better.
  • CH 464  RNA Biochemistry. Preqreq CH 463.
  • CH 465  Physical Biochemistry. 4 credits. Prereq: CH 461.
  • CH 466  Structural Biochemistry. 4 credits. Prereq: CH 461.
  • CH 467* Biochemistry Laboratory. 4 credits. Co-req: CH 461.

*Biochemistry majors may not count CH 461, CH 462, CH 463, CH 467 as an elective for the bioengineering minor

Physics:

  • PHYS 351* Foundations of Physics II. 4 Credits. Prereq: MATH 253, PHYS 253; coreq: MATH 256 or 281.
  • PHYS 352* Thermal Physics and Statistical Mechanics I. 4 Credits. Prereq: PHYS 351; coreq: MATH 281.
  • PHYS 353* Thermal Physics and Statistical Mechanics II. 4 Credits. Prereq: PHYS 352; coreq: MATH 282.
  • PHYS 362  Biological Physics. 4 Credits. Prereq: PHYS 351 or 353.
  • PHYS 411  Mechanics, Electricity, and Magnetism. 4 Credits. Prereq: MATH 282.
  • PHYS 412  Mechanics, Electricity, and Magnetism. 4 Credits. Prereq: MATH 281.
  • PHYS 413  Mechanics, Electricity, and Magnetism. 4 Credits. Prereq: PHYS 412.
  • PHYS 421M  Partial Differential Equations: Fourier Analysis I. 4 Credits. Prereq: MATH 253; one from MATH 256, MATH 281.
  • PHYS 431  Analog Electronics. 4 Credits. Prereq: PHYS 203 or equivalent; knowledge of complex numbers; MATH 253 (Not offered 2025-2026).
  • PHYS 432  Digital Electronics. 4 Credits. Prereq: PHYS 203 or equivalent; MATH 253.
  • PHYS 481  Design of Experiments. 4 Credits.

*Physics majors may not count PHYS 351, 352, 353 as an elective for the bioengineering minor

Human Physiology:

  • HPHY 321* Human Anatomy I. 5 Credits. Prereq: HPHY 211; BI 211 or BI 281H; BI 212 or BI 282H; CH 221 or CH 224H; CH 222 or CH 225H; CH 223 or CH 226H; MATH 246 or MATH 251. Must be passed with grades of C or better.
  • HPHY 322* Human Physiology I. 5 Credits. HPHY 212; BI 211 or BI 281H; BI 212 or BI 282H; CH 221 or CH 224H; CH 222 or CH 225H; CH 223 or CH 226H; MATH 246 or MATH 251. Must be passed with grades of C or better.
  • HPHY 323* Human Anatomy II. 5 Credits. Prereq: HPHY 321. Must be passed with grades of C or better
  • HPHY 324*  Human Physiology II. 5 Credits. Prereq: HPHY 212, HPHY 321, HPHY 322. Must be passed with grades of C or better.
  • HPHY 325* Human Anatomy and Physiology III. 5 Credits. Prereq: HPHY 323, HPHY 324. Must be passed with a grade of C or better.
  • HPHY 362  Tissue Injury and Repair. 4 Credits. Prereq: HPHY 323, HPHY 324. Must be passed with grades of C or better.
  • HPHY 381  Biomechanics. 4 Credits. Prereq: HPHY 323, PHYS 201. Must be passed with grades of C or better.
  • HPHY 432  Neural Development. 4 Credits. Prereq: HPHY 323, HPHY 324. Must be passed with grades of C or better.
  • HPHY 436  Clinical Neuroscience. 4 Credits. Prereq: HPHY 323 and 324 with a C or better.

*Human Physiology majors may not count HPHY 321, 322, 323, 324, 325 as an elective for the bioengineering minor.