Managing Pre-Med Requirements
Given the strong impact of technology on medicine, education in biomedical engineering provides excellent preparation for a medical career. However, it requires early planning, strong discipline, and hard work for Biomedical Engineering additional major students to meet multiple sets of requirements.
Biomedical Engineering additional major students should work closely with advisors in both departments and the Health Professions Program (HPP) Director to ensure timely progress of multiple sets of requirements. A rough plan for the courses and MCAT examination should be laid down during the freshman year. To gain additional time for the application and to enhance academic credentials, students may consider finishing a Practicum-Option M.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering before entering medical school.
Breakdown of the Requirements for Health Professions Program Relative to Biomedical Engineering (Classes of 2020 and Onward)
Courses Required by Biomedical Engineering and/or Engineering College
03-121 Modern Biology (BME Core)
42-202 Physiology (BME Core)
03-206 Biomedical Engineering Laboratory (BME Core)
42-302 Biomedical Engineering Systems Modeling and Analysis (BME Core)
21-120 Differential & Integral Calculus (CIt Common Requirement)
21-122 Integration and Approximations (CIT Common Requirement)
33-141 Physics I for Engineering Students (CIT Common Requirement)
33-142 Physics II for Engineering Students (CIT Common Requirement
Courses that Meet Engineering College General Education Requirements
76-101 Interpretation and Argument
76-xxx English course of the student's choice, typically 200-level or higher
85-102 Intro to Psychology or 85-241 Social Psychology
Courses Required by a Traditional Engineering Department but not by Biomedical Engineering
03-232 Biochemistry (Chemical Engineering)09-105 Introduction to Modern Chemistry (Chemical Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering)
09-106 Modern Chemistry II (Chemical Engineering)
09-221 Lab I: Introduction to Chemical Analysis (Chemical Engineering) I
Courses that Do Not Meet Any Engineering Requirements
09-207 Techniques in Quantitative Analysis (Chemical Engineering)09-208 Techniques for Organic Synthesis and Analysis
09-217 Organic Chemistry I (option for Chemical Engineering)
09-218 Organic Chemistry II
33-100 Basic Experimental Physics
36-XXX Statistics (required for some engineering departments)
Advice
Based on the analysis above, the most streamlined path to meet HPP requirements is to be a Chemical Engineering with the Biomedical Engineering additional major. It is more difficult to meet HPP requirements for students with a primary major in other traditional engineering disciplines, requiring up to eleven extra courses.