Welcome to
Biomedical Engineering

"Senior Design was the most important snapshot of what I could do with my degree. Working with a team is key, which is the foundation for this course. Identifying who has what skills, how we could leverage different team members’ abilities, determining how to split a workload—we had a job to accomplish, and it felt like we were running a business." —Patrick Sullivan, B.S. 2014

Our undergraduate curriculum prepares students to think like engineers through hands-on, practical learning experiences. These opportunities culminate with capstone (or senior) design—a year-long course where students engineer and design product prototypes based on actual biomedical engineering problems, working under the guidance of faculty and industry mentors. The capstone design component of the undergraduate curriculum is consistently mentioned among alumni as one of the premier factors that prepares them for their careers.

Submit a project idea or email our capstone design team for more information.

All undergraduate students in the Department of Biomedical Engineering are required to have a laptop. Some courses may require that you bring your laptop to every class or lab.

It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that his or her laptop meets the following requirements. Many options are available to meet these requirements, and we strongly recommend you read all information on this page to ensure your laptop is compliant. Download a printable PDF of the requirements.

Hardware Requirements

Operating System Requirements

Students are required to install specific software packages on their laptops for certain classes. Where possible, the university and BME try to provide students with the opportunity to obtain Mac OS/X versions of required software packages. However, some of the software packages used in our program are only available on the Microsoft Windows Platform. Due to this need, all students are required to have Windows.

Mac OS/X and Linux

Students with Mac OS/X and/or Linux operating systems will need to obtain and install an additional copy of Windows for their system. BME recommends that students use virtualization environments that permit both operating systems to run simultaneously.

Virtualization Tools

Virtualization software operates two distinct computer environments on the same laptop. The original Mac OS/X still continues to be the primary operating system, while Windows can be installed and run as a guest operating system inside a "virtual machine." Bear in mind that the "host" computer is now running two operating systems simultaneously, which will reduce the processing capability of botht he host and the guest OS.

Two recommended options for **non M1 Macs** are:

• Virtual Box product from Oracle Corporation
• Parallels (the current version supports M1 ARM processors for Mac)

Students must have a Windows license in order to run Windows in a virtualization environment. Installation ISO's and 64-bit Windows licenses are available through ENGR Direct for free.

Minimum Software Requirements

Software used in classes, such as LabVIEW and Multisim, is provided to engineering students at no cost by the Cockrell School of Engineering. 

Encryption

It is highly recommended that your laptop be encrypted using your operating system’s native encryption utility (e.g. BitLocker, FileVault 2, etc.) The encryption method chosen may depend on the hardware and operating system supported by the encryption utility. Laptops are highly vulnerable assets that contain a huge amount of personal information that is easily accessible by thieves unless encryption is enabled.

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid should contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid to have their aid adjusted to include the cost of a laptop. 

Biomedical Engineering students are strongly encouraged to seek out internships at medical device or biotechnology companies. Some examples of companies our graduates hold positions in include:

• Accenture
• Boston Scientific
• DJO Surgical
• Epic
• Fitbit
• GE Healthcare
• Genetech
• Hospira
• Johnson & Johnson
• Medtronic 
• Merck
• National Instruments
• OsteoMed
• Pfizer
• Proctor & Gamble
• Siemens
• Smith & Nephew
• Smiths Medical
• St. Jude Medical
• Stryker
• Zimmer

Career Assistance and Networking

Texas BME students are recruited and hired by top engineering companies from around the world. Our department sponsors an internship workshop each semester for students and our online alumni network allows students to connect with Texas BME graduates for networking and career development opportunities.

Engineering Career Assistance Center (ECAC)

In the Engineering Career Assistance Center (ECAC), students are guided through the recruitment process with career counseling and workshops to help develop resumes, interviewing and job-search skills. Throughout the year, ECAC hosts employers and recruiters for student interviews, career fairs and information sessions. During their academic careers at UT, students have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience through externships, co-ops and internship positions to help prepare them for full-time employment after graduation.

The bachelor of science in biomedical engineering (BSBME) is an undergraduate degree that integrates engineering tools with biological sciences. Graduates from this degree become engineers who have the foundational training to develop solutions to the most complex problems we face in medicine.

Interdisciplinary Training

The best solutions to medical problems are produced by teams with diverse technical perspectives. Biomedical engineering is an interdisciplinary field that takes aspects of chemical, mechanical, and electrical engineering and combines them with human physiology to solve problems in health care. We offer a foundational interdisciplinary undergraduate curriculum covering engineering and science fundamentals, biomaterials, physiology, instrumentation, biomechanics, engineering design, and more. 

Students take an engineering design lab from Year 1 to 4 to apply what they are learning in classes in a hands-on environment. The BME building has three design labs just for BME students. Students also also have access to the 23,000-square-foot National Instruments Student Project Center.

The program also provides students the opportunity to take electives in one of four academic tracks:

• Track 1: Biomedical Imaging and Instrumentation
• Track 2: Cellular and Biomolecular Engineering
• Track 3: Computational Biomedical Engineering
• Track 4: Molecular, Cellular and Tissue Biomechanics

The Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering requires 133 semester credit hours (SCH) for completion. Many students can claim credit by exam for some BSBME degree requirements through college credit for AP and entrance exam scores. 

SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT VIA NAVIGATE

Our mission is to provide comprehensive academic advising and effective student success programming to support a rewarding and successful college experience for all BME students. We do this through personalized academic advising, professional and personal development support, student success programming and career transition workshops.

New Students

New incoming students are provided instructions for attending registration advising during new student orientation. Please register for UT Orientation after accepting your offer of admission. All undergraduate students majoring in biomedical engineering are required to have a laptop. Ensure your laptop is compliant. 

Current Students

All current BME students must receive academic advising every semester. During registration periods—typically in March and October—we communicate required advising procedures to students by email and in the BME Student Canvas site. Current students can also find useful information via ENGR Direct. 

Contact Us

Chase Dawkins, Academic Advising Coordinator

BME Building, Room 3.308
Phone: (512) 471-4254
Open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.- Noon, 1 p.m.- 5 p.m.
Closed on holidays
Peer Advising Walk-ins: Anytime during normal business hours

Freshman Admissions

Freshman applicants seeking admission to any department in the Cockrell School of Engineering must meet the calculus readiness requirement by the official admissions application deadline. Admission to all majors in the Cockrell School of Engineering is competitive and automatic admission for eligible Texas applicants is restricted. Applicants can apply for engineering scholarships.

For questions related to Freshman Admissions, please contact the Office of Admissions. The Office of Admissions makes all undergraduate admissions decisions for Biomedical Engineering.

Campus Visits

The BME Academic Advising Office participates in Prospective Freshmen Sessions organized by the Office of Admissions. If you are interested in learning more about BME at UT Austin, we strongly suggest that you attend one of these very informative sessions. Sign up online.

If you are unable to attend a session, BME Peer Advisors in BME 3.308 can also talk with prospective students and their families about what it is like to be a UT Austin BME student. We also provide visitors with a packet of information during normal business hours.

 External Transfer

Students currently enrolled at another college or university that want to apply for admission to the BME major at The University of Texas at Austin must apply for external transfer. For questions related to External Transfer Admissions, please contact the  Office of Admissions.

Internal Transfer (Change of Major) to BME

Students currently enrolled at The University of Texas at Austin in another major who wish to change their major to biomedical engineering should follow the Internal Transfer Application Instructions provided by the Cockrell School of Engineering. 

Undergraduate Laptop Requirement

All undergraduate students majoring in biomedical engineering are required to have a laptop. Ensure your laptop is compliant. 

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