Frequently Asked Questions

What is Biomedical Engineering?

Please refer to What is BME?

What is Biomedical Engineering like at Carnegie Mellon?

Leveraging on the strengths of Carnegie Mellon in the core engineering and basic sciences, the Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) emphasizes close collaborations with partner departments for both research and education.  The research emphasizes a balance between applications and basic principles and covers a wide range of topics including mechanics from subcellular structures to organs, processing and analysis of biomedical images, development of materials for tissue regeneration, design of biosensors, and optimization of artificial hearts.

What is the undergraduate BME program like at Carnegie Mellon?

The BME Department collaborates closely with traditional engineering departments, including Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering, in developing its undergraduate curriculum.   BME is offered as an additional major B.S. degree in combination with any of these fields. The B.S. program leverages elective slots in the traditional engineering majors so that it can be completed with a modest increase in the total number of course units required to graduate.  While the policy of additional major may evolve, the close collaboration with traditional engineering departments will remain a major feature of this Department.

What are the tracks in BME?

While different traditional engineering disciplines may contribute similarly to BME, it would be impractical to provide training in all the aspects.  The BIMG, BMEC, BMTE, and CMBT tracks parallel closely the disciplines of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or Civil & Environmental Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering, and Chemical Engineering, respectively.  These tracks define the emphasis of training in relation to tradition engineering disciplines.  However students may choose any track irrespective of their other major.  There is also a more general GBME track to provide less specialized training in BME, and a self-designed SBME track to pursue specific interests not covered by any of the pre-defined tracks.

How can a student fulfill the course requirements for BME and still complete a traditional engineering major?

First, many of BME electives are also required by the partner department and may be counted in both departments.  Second, "free electives" allowed by partner departments may be used for BME courses. Third, students may consult the sample schedule described in each track, and seek additional advices from faculty advisors.  The BME Department works diligently to reconcile scheduling conflicts that may arise between required BME courses and required courses for partnering CIT majors. Students are encouraged to bring such conflicts to the attention of the their BME advisors without delay.

Do I need to overload to take additional courses to complete the major?

No. In most cases the number of courses is the same as for a single major engineering degree, but it may involve a few more units.  Here is a comparison in course units:

Why not a 'stand-alone' degree in Biomedical Engineering?

Due to its interdisciplinary nature, the field of BME requires knowledge in a wide variety of engineering principles.  The goal of the BME Department is to educate students to be equally conversant with both traditional engineering disciplines and aspects of life sciences and medicine.  The Department capitalizes on the tremendous strength of the Carnegie Institute of Technology in traditional engineering education, and to enrich it with in-depth training in the life sciences and clinical applications.

Why not a double major degree in Biomedical Engineering and a basic science discipline?

A successful double major program demands frequent coordination between the departments, which is conducted through various committees and department head meetings within the Cargenie Institute of Technology.  While not impossible, such close coordination across colleges is more difficult.

When do students declare their major(s)?

Freshmen are asked to declare their major(s) in the spring semester of the freshman year.  Under the present system, BME must be declared together with a major in Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering.  Students planning to declare BME as one of the majors may contact the Associate Department Head, Prof. Conrad Zapanta.

When does a student declare the track?

BME majors generally spend their sophomore year taking core courses. Many students will start their track courses in the junior Fall, while some will start in the junior spring, depending on their other CIT major and the track they choose. Therefore, they should start considering the track choice as soon as they declare the BME major in the freshman year, and should make a decision on the track during pre-registration in the spring semester of the sophomore year. Students taking the SBME track should submit the proposal to the BME Undergraduate Affairs Committee at least three weeks prior to pre-registration during the Sophomore spring semester. Track declaration is handled by the Associate Head Prof. Conrad Zapanta.

Is the BME minor only available to engineering undergraduates?

No.  A Minor in BME is available to all undergraduate students of Carnegie Mellon University.   Requirements for a minor may be found on this page.

What courses do I need to take in order to satisfy Carnegie Institute of Technology's general education requirement?

Must all courses within the Depth Sequence of general education be taken within the same department?

Often this requirement is indeed satisfied by a sequence of courses offered by the same department, but that needs not necessarily be the case.  Related courses that are offered by different departments can be used to satisfy the requirement.  The key criterion is that the courses must fit together in a natural manner and with a common theme in order to form a cohesive sequence. 

I am failing the class that I am taking.  What is the university's policy on dropping or withdrawing from a course?

A student can drop a course on or before the drop deadline for that semester.  The course will be removed entirely from the record.  However, a full-time student must maintain a course load of at least 36 units in order to qualify for the full-time status.  After the drop deadline, but on or before the last day of class prior to the final examination, a student may withdraw from a course. In this case a grade of W will appear on the transcript.

Can I retake a class in order to get a higher grade?

A student is allowed to retake a course for which he/she has already obtained a passing grade.  The grades from both enrollments will appear on the transcript and both will be used in calculating the cumulative Quality Point Average (QPA) and class rank.  The units, however, are counted only once toward degree requirement.  Therefore, if a course is taken more than once, the additional enrollments cannot be used to satisfy another curricular requirement, such as a free elective.  Note also that the BME Department requires that students achieve a QPA of 2.00 or higher in all required BME courses, thus a student may repeat a course with a below C grade in order to meet the BME QPA requirement.   The highest grade obtained will be used to calculate the QPA of BME courses.

What is the minimum QPA requirement in order to maintain good academic standing?

 
A student will be placed on academic probation if the QPA during one semester of the first year is below 1.75, or if the semester QPA beyond the first year falls below 2.00. Students who are repeatedly unable to maintain minimum QPA standards can receive further academic actions leading to probation, suspension, or being dropped from the program.

What is the minimum QPA required in order to graduate?

 
The College of Engineering requires that the cumulative QPA be 2.00 or higher for all courses taken after the first year.  In addition, the BME Department requires a QPA of 2.00 or higher for all the required BME courses.

Do first year grades count towards QPA?

First year grades, including that for 42-101 Introduction to Biomedical Engineering, are included in the calculation of cumulative and BME QPA and class ranking.  However, the college's 2.00 QPA requirement at graduation is based on courses taken after the freshmen year.

Can I transfer course credit earned from other institutions?
 

Transfer requests should be approved before taking the course at another institution.   They are handled by the Office of Undergraduate Studies in the College of Engineering.  The student needs to fill out one copy of the form Non-CMU Transfer Course Credit Request for each course to transfer.  In addition, a written description from the other institution describing the content of the course is required.  A catalog description and syllabus, listing the textbook used and the subject matter covered, is preferred.  The Office of Undergraduate Studies will determine, upon consultation with the corresponding department at Carnegie Mellon, whether to approve the request.

What grade will I need to earn in order to have the course transferred?

The minimal grade to qualify for the transfer is determined on a case-by-case basis by the College of Engineering's Office of Undergraduate Studies, depending in part on whether the school is a two-year or a four-year institution.

How many units will I receive for a transfer course?

 
The number of units for a transferred course to be entered on the Carnegie Mellon transcript is determined on a case-by-case basis by the College of Engineering's Office of Undergraduate Studies.

How many courses can I transfer from other schools?

There is currently no restriction on the number of courses that may be transferred from other universities.  There is, however, a residency requirement, which requires a student to complete at Carnegie Mellon at least half of the units needed for the degree.

From what other schools will Carnegie Mellon accept transfer courses?

There is no master list of acceptable universities from which Carnegie Mellon will accept transfer credit.  Course content, rather than the specific institution, is considered when transferring credit.

I would like to study abroad for a semester or an entire academic year.  Where can I find such opportunities and where can I get further information?

The first step is to contact the Study Abroad Office in the Office of International Education.  They maintain a list of institutions with which Carnegie Mellon has experience in placing exchange students.  The College of Engineering has formal exchange programs with technical universities in Monterrey, Mexico and in Lausanne, Switzerland.  The Study Abroad Office can provide information on those programs, or help construct an exchange program that provides academic credit at Carnegie Mellon.