	Undergraduate Programs
	"Sensing and Actuating Life"

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Biomedical Engineering?

Please refer to What is Biomedical Engineering?

What is Biomedical Engineering like at Carnegie Mellon?

The Department of Biomedical Engineering emphasizes close collaborations with partner departments for both research and education by leveraging on the strengths of Carnegie Mellon in the core engineering and basic sciences. 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. The courses are primarily drawn from the Carnegie Institute of Technology and the Mellon College of Science.

What is the undergraduate Biomedical Engineering program like at Carnegie Mellon?

The Biomedical Engineering 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. Biomedical Engineering 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 the Biomedical Engineering Department.

What are the tracks in Biomedical Engineering?

While different traditional engineering disciplines may contribute similarly to Biomedical Engineering, it would be impractical to provide training in all the aspects. The BSIP (Biomedical Signal and Image Processing), BMEC (Biomechanics), BMTE (Biomaterials & Tissue Engineering), and CMBT (Cellular & Molecular Biotechnology) 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 Biomedical Engineering track (GBME) to provide less specialized training in biomedical engineering, and a Self-Designed Biomedical Engineering (SBME) track to pursue specific interests not covered by any of the pre-defined tracks. [Top]

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

First, many of Biomedical Engineering 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 Biomedical Engineering courses. Third, students may consult the sample schedule described in each track, and seek additional advice from faculty advisors. The Biomedical Engineering Department works diligently to reconcile scheduling conflicts that may arise between required Biomedical Engineering courses and required courses for partnering CIT majors. Students are encouraged to bring such conflicts to the attention of the their Biomedical Engineering advisors without delay. [Top]

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:

Engineering Field	Single Major	Additional Major in BME
Chemical Eng. in CMBT Track	386	408
Chemical Eng. in BMTE Track	386	401
Civil Eng. in BMEC Track	375	388
Electrical & Computer Eng. in BIMG Track	357	384
Materials Science Eng. in BMTE Track	382	403
Mechanical Eng. in CMBT Track	375 – 390	401
Mechanical Eng. in BMEC Track	375 – 390	401
Any Engineering Major in GBME Track	Variable

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

Due to its interdisciplinary nature, the field of Biomedical Engineering requires knowledge in a wide variety of engineering principles. The goal of the Biomedical Engineering 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. [Top]

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. [Top]

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, Biomedical Engineering 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 Biomedical Engineering as one of the majors may contact the Associate Department Head, Prof. Conrad Zapanta. [Top]

When does a student declare the track?

Biomedical Engineering majors generally spend their sophomore year taking core courses. Many students will start their track courses in the fall of their junior year, while some may start in the following 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 Biomedical Engineering major in the freshman year, and should make a decision on the track during pre-registration in the spring semester of their sophomore year and no later than the fall semester of their junior year. Students taking the SBME track should submit the proposal to the Biomedical Engineering 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. [Top]

Is the Biomedical Engineering minor only available to engineering undergraduates?

No. A Minor in Biomedical Engineering is available to all undergraduate students of Carnegie Mellon University. Requirements for a minor may be found on this page. Please note that the requirements for Biomedical Minor are different between CIT and non-CIT majors.[Top]

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

CIT’s general education requirements are described on this page. [Top]

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. [Top]

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. [Top]

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 Biomedical Engineering Department requires that students achieve a QPA of 2.00 or higher in all required Biomedical Engineering courses, thus a student may repeat a course with a below C grade in order to meet the Biomedical Engineering QPA requirement. The highest grade obtained will be used to calculate the QPA of Biomedical Engineering courses. [Top]

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. [Top]

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 Biomedical Engineering Department requires a QPA of 2.00 or higher for all the required BME courses. [Top]

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 Biomedical Engineering QPA and class ranking. However, the college's 2.00 QPA requirement at graduation is based on courses taken after the freshmen year. [Top]

How can I be certain that I am completing all my degree requirements?

In general students should read and understand the requirements for their major(s) and minor(s) as described in the Undergraduate Catalog and create an academic plan that will allow them to graduate on time. The On-Line Academic Audit on the Hub website is a helpful tool, but students should meet with their departmental academic advisor to make sure they are on track. Biomedical Engineering students should visit the strategy page on this web site and use the posted course planning spreadsheet.

Can I transfer course credit earned from other institutions?

There is no comprehensive list of qualified universities or courses that CIT will accept for transfer. Each course is evaluated on an individual basis. Engineering courses are typically NOT transferable unless taken from an approved program such as ITESM or EPFL, though all such courses must be approved by the CIT engineering department in question.

College courses and AP credit completed while in high school CANNOT be transferred after the first year at Carnegie Mellon (barring SAMS and APEA programs).

Students planning on taking courses at another university to transfer into Carnegie Mellon need to complete a Transfer Course Credit Approval Form. They should complete this form PRIOR to taking a course at another institution and will need to complete one form for each class that they wish to take. They must also submit a detailed description (preferably an official catalog description) and/or syllabus from the course.

The University Office of Undergraduate Studies will determine, upon consultation with the corresponding department at Carnegie Mellon, whether the request is approved. Courses taken during a period of suspension from Carnegie Mellon University cannot be transferred. Upon completion of the course(s) the student MUST have an official transcript sent from that institution to:

Carnegie Mellon University
CIT Dean's Office
Attn:: Kurt Larsen
Scaife Hall 110
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

A grade of "TR" will appear for earned transfer credit (similar to AP for Advanced Placement). These credits can work toward degree requirements but do not influence the overall QPA. [Top]

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

The minimal grade to allow the transfer is determined on a case-by-case basis. The University Office of Undergraduate Studies will set a minimum grade requirement for the transfer course depending on the type of course and school that is requested. [Top]

How many units will I receive for a transfer course?

The number of units that will 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. While many institutions use credits, they will be converted to units. Typically three (3) units are roughly equivalent to one (1) standard credit hour. [Top]

How many courses can I transfer from other schools?

There is currently no restriction on the number of courses that students may transfer from other universities. There is, however, a residency requirement which states that a student MUST complete at least 180 units and four semesters of coursework at Carnegie Mellon. [Top]

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. [Top]

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. [Top]

(updated 07/09/2011)

Undergraduate Programs

"Sensing and Actuating Life"