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Biomedical Engineering, BS

As a biomedical engineer, you can apply engineering tools to solve problems in biology and medicine. This unique engineering discipline allows you to make a difference in society’s health as a professionally trained engineer, but with a specialized focus on the medical and biological applications of classical engineering principles.

Design your academic journey

The major

Your primary field of study, which defines your core technical curriculum and the degree you earn.
All program details

Sample Degree/Major Plan

Fall semester (16 credits)
  • INTEREGR 170 OR Liberal Studies Elective (med) 3
  • MATH 221 – Calculus And Analytic Geometry 1 5
  • Engr Comm 1 3
  • CHEM 109 OR (CHEM 103 AND CHEM 104) 5
Spring semester (16 credits)
  • INTEREGR 170 OR Liberal Studies Elective (Med) 3
  • MATH 222 – Calculus And Analytic Geometry 2 4
  • E M A 201 OR PHYSICS 201 OR PHYSICS 207 3
  • CHEM 343 – Organic Chemistry I 3
  • COMP SCI 200 OR COMP SCI 220 OR COMP SCI 300 3
Fall semester (17 credits)
  • B M E 200 – Biomedical Engineering Design 2
  • MATH 234 – Calculus–functions Of Several Variables 4
  • PHYSICS 202 OR 208 5
  • Science Elective (Med) 3
  • B M E 325 OR STAT 324 OR STAT 431 3
Spring semester (17 credits)
  • B M E 201 – Biomedical Engineering Design And Fundamentals 3
  • MATH 320 OR 319 3
  • E M A 303 – Mechanics Of Materials 3
  • Liberal Studies Elective 3
  • Free-General Elective CreditsMed – Free-General Elective Credits (Med) 2
  • B M E 310 – Bioinstrumentation 3
Fall semester (17 credits)
  • B M E 300 – Biomedical Engineering Design And Leadership 3
  • (ZOOLOGY 101 AND ZOOLOGY 102) OR ZOOLOGY 151 OR (BIOCORE 381 AND BIOCORE 382) 5
  • Liberal Studies Elective 3
  • B M E 315 – Biomechanics 3
  • Area-Required Engineering Technical Elective 3
Spring semester (16 credits)
  • (B M E 301 AND Free General Elective) OR Zoology/Biology/Botany (med) 152 OR (Biocore 383 AND Biocore 384) 5
  • Liberal Studies Elective 3
  • Free-Engineering Technical Elective 2
  • B M E 430 – Biological Interactions With Materials 3
  • Area-Engineering Technical Elective 3
Fall semester (14 credits)
  • B M E 400 – Capstone Design Course In Biomedical Engineering 3
  • ANAT&PHY 335 OR (BIOCORE 485 AND BIOCORE 486) 5
  • Area-Engineering Technical Elective 3
  • Area-Engineering Technical Elective 3
Spring semester (15 credits)
  • B M E 402 – Biomedical Engineering Capstone Design II 3
  • Advanced Biology/Life Science Elective 3
  • Liberal Studies Elective (med) 3
  • Advanced Biomedical Engineering Technical Elective 3
  • Area-Engineering Technical Elective 3

Specializations

A flexible way to build your technical mastery and customize your education without adding a formal credential to your transcript.

Bioinstrumentation and medical devices

Bioinstrumentation and medical devices is the application of electronics, measurement principles, and techniques to develop devices used in diagnosis and treatment of disease. Examples include the electrocardiogram, brain–computer interface, implantable electrodes, sensors, tumor ablation, and other medical devices. Neuroengineering, a subfield, involves using engineering technology to study the function of neural systems and the development of implantable technology for neuroprosthetic and rehabilitation applications.

Biomedical imaging and optics

Biomedical imaging and optics involves the design and enhancement of systems for noninvasive anatomical, cellular, and molecular imaging. In addition to common imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and positron emission tomography (PET), biomedical imaging includes topics such as biophotonics, optics, and multimode imaging, and is now expanding to serve functional and therapeutic purposes as well. Advanced capabilities result when fundamentals of engineering, physics, and computer science are applied in conjunction with the expertise of clinical collaborators.

Biomechanics

Biomechanics applies engineering mechanics for understanding biological processes and for solving medical problems at systemic, organ, tissue, cellular, and molecular levels. This includes the mechanics of connective tissues (ligament tendon, cartilage, and bone) as well as orthopedic devices (fracture fixation hardware and joint prostheses), vascular remodeling, muscle mechanics with injury and healing, human motor control, neuromuscular adaptation (with age, injury, and disease), microfluidics for cellular applications, cellular motility and adhesion, and rehabilitation engineering.

Biomaterials, cellular and tissue engineering

Biomaterials, cellular and tissue engineering involves the characterization and use of structural materials, derived from synthetic or natural sources, to design medical products that safely interact with tissues for therapeutic or diagnostic purposes such as artificial blood vessels, heart valves, orthopedic joints, and drug delivery vehicles. Tissue engineers understand structure–function relationships in normal and pathological tissues to engineer living tissues and/or biological substitutes to restore, maintain, or improve function. At the cellular and molecular level this includes the study or manipulation of biological processes such as the cell’s differentiation, proliferation, growth, migration, apoptosis, and can involve genetic and stem cell engineering.

An accelerated engineering master’s program is a great choice if you’d like to earn your master’s degree by adding as little as a single year of study at UW-Madison.
View all accelerated programs

Investing in your future

Value and costs

Based on an average of 12-18 credits per semester for the 2025-26 academic year from bursars office tuition rates workbook.
Tuition is one part of the overall cost of attendance at UW-Madison.  For more information on the cost of attendance, visit the Office of Student Financial Aid.
Wisconsin icon

Wisconsin resident

$7,840

Minnesota icon

Minnesota reciprocity

$10,726

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Non-resident

$24,597

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Non-resident international

$25,097

Scholarships

Our scholarships aren’t just about financial support; they’re about investing in your potential and helping you focus on what matters most: your education and your future as a leader in engineering.
Engineering scholarships
4.4M
scholarships awarded
1,200
undergrad recipients
1,550
scholarships awarded, made possible by the generous support of donors

Outcomes

Here’s what life after graduation could look like for you.
$77,000
FIRST-YEAR MEDIAN SALARY

Key employers

  • Abbott
  • Boston Scientific
  • Epic (Verona, WI)
  • Exact Sciences
  • Medtronic

Common job titles

  • Mechanical Design Engineer
  • Medical Device Engineer
  • Project Manager
  • R&D Engineer
  • Technical Solutions Engineer

Your path to admission

Freshman

Starting college for the first time?

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Transfer student

Coming from another college or university?

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Cross-campus student

Already at UW–Madison?

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Reentry student

Took time off?

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Your built-in network

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As an undergrad, you can help pioneer new knowledge or technologies on your own or as a researcher in a professor’s lab. It’s a great opportunity to apply what you’re learning in class, explore a field or topic that interests you, and gain insight into what it’s like to be a graduate student.

Undergraduate research
undergraduate showing research technique in structures lab.

Explore, get involved, try new things and soak up everything our campus and the surrounding environs have to offer.

Student life

The College of Engineering offers services specifically for engineering students, in addition to the services offered campus-wide.

Student services
Four students pose and smile with Dr. Ebony McGee in the IEDE Student Center
undergraduate showing research technique in structures lab.
Our eight renowned academic departments form the heart and personality of our college.
Biomedical engineering department

Life as a Badger engineer

See what it’s actually like to live, learn and grow here through the stories of the people who know us best.
“The Grainger STAR Scholarship encouraged me to always give it my utmost and strive through a variety of difficulties. At first, it was challenging to adjust to a new educational system but having the support of the STAR community kept me going each day. Using my BME degree, I aspire to be an inventive doctor who designs medical devices. With the guidance I have received, I believe I am one step closer to achieving my goals.”
Ipek Kadioglu biomedical engineering undergraduate from Istanbul, Turkey
Ipek Kadioglu

Why should you choose UW-Madison for engineering? Find out what it’s like to major in biomedical engineering.

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More information

ABET accreditation

The B.S. in Biomedical Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Bioengineering and Biomedical and Similarly Named Engineering Programs.

Program Educational Objectives for the Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering

We recognize that our graduates will choose to use the knowledge and skills that they have acquired during their undergraduate years to pursue a wide variety of career and life goals, and we encourage this diversity of paths. Whatever path graduates choose, be it a job, postgraduate education, or volunteer service, be it in engineering or another field, we have for our graduates the following objectives, that they will:

  1. continue to exhibit strong skills in problem solving, leadership, teamwork and communication;
  2. use these skills to contribute to their communities;
  3. make thoughtful, well-informed career choices;
  4. demonstrate a continuing commitment to and interest in their own and others’ education

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Program website. (In this Guide, the program’s Student Outcomes are available through the “Learning Outcomes” tab.)

Learning Outcomes

  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

Degrees:

  • Conferred, 2024-2025
    Bachelor of Science, Biomedical Engineering: 119
  • Enrolled, Fall 2025
    Bachelor of Science, Biomedical Engineering: 722

Design curriculum

Our undergraduate program was founded with engineering design as the backbone of the curriculum. Every semester BME students solve real-world biomedical engineering projects from a client list composed of university faculty (particularly from medical and life sciences), individuals with specific biomedical challenges, and industry sponsors. Students benefit from the close interactions with faculty and clients and have access to state-of-the-art teaching lab facilities that enables them to become skilled engineers and learn by doing.

Learn more about our design curriculum.

The BME Design program is made possible in part by the generous contribution of Peter Tong and the Tong Family Foundation.

Become a BME Design client and submit an unmet need.

Still exploring?

We have 13 engineering undergrad majors—so you can find the field that’s the best fit for you (even if you decide to switch later).

Compare majors

Select up to three majors to compare.

Questions?

Email questions to our College of Engineering team at FutureEngineers@engr.wisc.edu and someone will get back to you soon.