Core Curriculum

The Bioengineering graduate curriculum is a unique set of classes designed to ground students in the fundamentals of bioengineering as an academic discipline. These core courses provide foundational knowledge used in the qualifying exam.

The core curriculum consists of four graduate core courses taken during the first two semesters. Two courses, BIOE 504 Analytical Methods for Biological Systems Modeling and BIOE 505 Computational Bioengineering are required. BIOE 504 and 505 are intensive courses that require excellent quantitative and mathematical skills, including differential equations. During the spring semester, students take two approved graduate core electives to complete training in graduate bioengineering fundamentals. There are several core electives to choose from (see below for course options).

In addition to classes, graduate students attend seminars presented by bioengineering researchers from around the world. Students prepare for the seminar by reading the presenter's most recent journal articles and participating in a small group discussions lead by the presenter.

Bioengineering Core Courses

Fall Semester

BIOE 500 Bioengineering Seminar Series - 1 credit hour
BIOE 501 Seminar Discussion - 1 credit hour
BIOE 502 Bioengineering Professionalism - 2 credit hours
BIOE 504 Analytical Methods in Bioengineering - 4 credit hours
BIOE 505 Computational Bioengineering - 4 credit hours
Total 12 credit hours

Spring Semester

Core electives (8 credit hours)
- BIOE 598 (all sections) - 4 credit hours per section
- BIOE 507 Advanced Bioinstrumentation - 4 credit hours
BIOE 500 Bioengineering Seminar Series - 1 credit hour
BIOE 599 Bioengineering Research - 3 credit hours
Total 12 credit hours

Bioengineering Technical Electives

The following classes are eligible as bioengineering electives for graduate students; however, students should consult with their research advisor regarding the appropriateness of particular classes. If there is a specific class that is not on the list but a student would like to propose as an elective, please email the bioengineering graduate programs at bioe-gradprograms@illinois.edu for review and approval before taking the class.

Students can take elective classes outside of their research track, but at least 12 hours must be engineering graduate-level courses. Information on course descriptions and terms offered is online in the UI Course Explorer. Please note that not all classes are offered each term, and some may require approval by the department or instructor offering that class. Students would need to secure those approvals directly.

Bioimaging at Multi-Scale

BIOE 414/415 Biomedical Instrumentation/Lab
BIOE 467 Biophotonics
BIOE 483 Biomedical Computed Imaging Systems
BIOE 485 Computational Mathematics for Machine Learning and Imaging
BIOE 580 Foundations of Imaging Science
BIOE 598 Current Topics in Biomedical Imaging
BIOP 475 Intro to Biophysics
ECE 417 Multimedia Signal Processing
ECE 455 Optical Electronics
ECE 459 Communications Systems
ECE 460 Optical Imaging
ECE 472 Biomedical Ultrasound Imaging
ECE 473 Fundamentals of Engineering Acoustics
ECE 498 Special Topics in ECE (Approval based on topic applicability to BIOE)
ECE 534 Random Processes
ECE 544 Topics in Signal Processing
ECE 545 Advanced Physical Acoustics
ECE 551 Digital Signal Processing II
ECE 558 Digital Imaging
ECE 561 Detection & Estimation Theory
ECE 564 Modern Light Microscopy
ECE 570 Nonlinear Optics
NE 420/ECE 421 Neural Interface Engineering
PHYS 498 EBP Experimental Biophysics
PSYC 466 Image and Neural Analytics Lab (formerly Image and Neuroimage Analysis)

Bio-Micro/Nanotechnology

ABE 446 Biological Nanoengineering
BIOE 416 Biosensors
BIOE 598-DP Imaging & Therapeutic Probes
CHBE 457 Microelectronics Processing
CHBE 472 Techniques in Biomolecular Engineering
CHBE 473 Biomolecular Engineering
CHEM 524 Electrochemical Methods
CHEM 588 Physical Methods in Materials Chemistry
ECE 444 IC Device Theory & Fabrication
ECE 473 Fundamentals of Engineering Acoustics
ECE 482 Digital IC Design
ECE 483 Analog IC Design
ECE 598 Advanced Biosensors
ME 487 MEMS-NEMS Theory & Fabrication
MSE 450 Polymer Science & Engineering
MSE 457 Polymer Chemistry
MSE 470 Design & Use of Biomaterials
MSE 487 Materials for Nanotechnology
PHYS 550 Biomolecular Physics

Molecular, Cellular and Tissue Engineering

BIOE/TAM 461 Cellular Biomechanics
BIOE 473 Biomaterials Laboratory
BIOE 476 Tissue Engineering
BIOE 481 Whole-Body Musculoskeletal Biomechanics
BIOE 482 Musculoskeletal Tissue Mechanics
BIOE 598-GU Stem Cell Bioengineering
BIOE 598-PII Systems Biology and Bioengineering
CHBE 473 Biomolecular Engineering
CHBE 475 Tissue Engineering
CHBE 476 Biotransport
CHBE 594 Chemical Data Science & Engineering
CHEM 488 Surfaces & Colloids
CHEM 584 Intro to Materials Chemistry
CHEM 588 Physical Methods in Materials Chemistry
MCB 401 Cell & Membrane Physiology
MCB 461 Cell & Molecular Neuroscience
ME 483 Mechanobiology
MSE 420 Ceramic Materials & Processing
MSE 450 Intro to Polymer Science & Engineering
MSE 457 Polymer Chemistry
MSE 458 Polymer Physical Science
MSE 473 Biomolecular Materials Science
MSE 470 Design & Use of Biomaterials
TAM 428 Mechanics of Composites
TAM 524 Micromechanics of Materials

Computational Bioengineering

BIOE 540-AGB Algorithmic Genomic Biology
CS 411 Database Systems
CS 412 Introduction to Data Mining
CS 416 Data Visualization
CS 420 Parallel Programming for Science & Engineering
CS 427/428 Software Engineering I & II
CS 446 Machine Learning
CS 450 Numerical Analysis
CS 481 Stochastic Processes & Applications
CS 483 Applied Parallel Programming
CS 498-BL1 Algorithms and Models of Computations
CS 511 Advanced Data Management
CS 512 Data Mining Principles
CS 519 Scientific Visualization
CS 547 Randomized Algorithms
CS 598 Topics in Computer Science
CSE 401 Numerical Analysis
ECE 449 Machine Learning
ECE 490 Introduction to Optimization
ECE 515 Control System Theory & Design
IB 501 Programming for Genomics
INFO 490 Intro to Prog for Data Science
NPRE 461 Probabilistic Risk Assessment
PHYS 550 Biomolecular Physics
STAT 420 Methods of Applied Statistics
STAT 448 Advanced Data Analysis
STAT 525 Computational Statistics
STAT 530 Bioinformatics
STAT 542 Statistical Learning
STAT 571 Multivariate Analysis
STAT 578 Topics in Statistics
STAT 587/EPSY 587 Hierarchical Linear Models

Synthetic Bioengineering

BIOE 430 Intro Synthetic Biology

Biological Science

ANSC 446 Population Genetics
BIOP 401 Intro to Biophysics
BIOP 550 Biomolecular Physics
CHEM 474 Drug Discovery & Development
CHEM 570 Concepts in Chemical Biology
CPSC 564 Molecular Marker Data Analysis
IB 432 Genes and Behavior
IB 473 Plant Genomics
IB 502 Biological Network
MCB 400 Cancer Cell Biology
MCB 401/403 Cell & Membrane Physiology/Lab
MCB 402/404 Systems & Integrative Physiology/Lab
MCB 408 Immunology
MCB 413 Endocrinology
MCB 432 Computing in Molecular Biology
MCB 434/FSHN 471 Food & Industrial Microbiology
MCB 450 Intro Biochemistry
MCB 502 Advanced Molecular Genetics
MCB 529 Special Topics in Cell & Developmental Biology
MCB 530 Reproductive Physiology Seminar
MCB 533 Reproductive Physiology Lab Methods
NE 410 Neural Circuits and Systems
NEUR 413 Psychopharmacology
NEUR 461 Cellular & Molecular Neuroscience
NEUR 462 Integrative Neuroscience
NEUR 520 Advanced Topics in Neuroscience
PATH 527 Parasitology/Epidemiology Seminar

Seminars, Colloquia and Special Topics

BIOP 595 Biophysics Seminars
CB 591 Biosciences Seminar Series
CS 549 Seminar in Cognitive Science
ENG 598 Teaching and Leadership
MCB 436 Global Biosecurity
MCB 585 Current Topics in Microbiology
MIP 595 Seminars in Physiology
MSE 529 Hard Materials Seminar
MSE 559 Soft Materials Seminar
MSE 595 Materials Colloquium
NEUR 520 Advanced Topics in Neuroscience (NSP Seminar Series section only)
NPRE 596 Seminar in Nuclear Science and Engineering
TE 567 Venture Funded Startups
ENG 498 Special Topics