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 in Bioengineering 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 five core electives from which to choose (listed below).

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 small group discussions.

Bioengineering Core Courses

Fall Semester

  • BIOE 500 Bioengineering Seminar - 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 - students choose two from this list)
    • BIOE 507 Advanced Bioinstrumentation - 4 credit hours
    • BIOE 598 (all sections) - 4 credit hours per section
  • BIOE 500 Bioengineering Seminar Series - 1 credit hour
  • BIOE 599 Bioengineering Thesis Research - 3 credit hours
  • Total 12 credit hours

Bioengineering Technical Electives

The following classes are likely eligible as Bioengineering technical electives for graduate students; however, this is an abbreviated listing. Students should consult with their research advisor and the Graduate Programs Coordinator regarding the appropriateness of particular classes. Information on course descriptions and terms offered is online in the UI Course Explorer.

Bioimaging at Multi-Scale

  • BIOE 414/415 Biomedical Instrumentation/Lab
  • BIOE 467 Biophotonics
  • 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 534 Random Processes
  • ECE 545 Advanced Physical Acoustics
  • ECE 551 Digital Signal Processing II
  • ECE 558 Digital Imaging
  • ECE 561 Detection & Estimation Theory
  • ECE 473 Fundamentals of Engineering Acoustics
  • ECE 564 Modern Light Microscopy
  • ECE 570 Nonlinear Optics
  • 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
  • ME 487 MEMS-NEMS Theory & Fabrication
  • MSE 450 Polymer Science & Engineering
  • MSE 457 Polymer Chemistry
  • MSE 470 Design & Use of Biomaterials
  • 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
  • CHEM 488 Surfaces & Colloids
  • CHEM 584 Intro to Materials Chemistry
  • CHEM 588 Physical Methods in Materials Chemistry
  • MCB 401 Cellular 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 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 515 Control System Theory & Design
  • PHYS 550 Biomolecular Physics
  • STAT 420 Methods of Applied Statistics
  • STAT 525 Computational Statistics
  • STAT 530 Bioinformatics
  • STAT 542 Statistical Learning
  • STAT 571 Multivariate Analysis
  • STAT 578 Topics in Statistics

Synthetic Bioengineering

  • BIOE 598-TL Intro to Synthetic Bioengineering

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
  • MCB 400 Cancer Cell Biology
  • MCB 401 Cellular Physiology 
  • MCB 402 Systems & Integrative Physiology
  • MCB 403 Cell & Membrane Physiology Lab
  • MCB 404 Systems & Integrative Physiology Lab
  • MCB 406 Gene Expressions
  • MCB 408 Immunology
  • MCB 413 Endocrinology
  • MCB 432 Computing in Molecular Biology
  • MCB 450 Intro Biochemistry
  • MCB 502 Advanced Molecular and Cell Biology
  • MCB 529 Special Topics in Cell & Developmental Biology
  • MCB 530 Reproductive Physiology Seminar
  • MCB 533 Reproductive Physiology Lab Methods
  • NEUR 413 Psychopharmacology
  • NEUR 461 Cellular & Molecular Neuroscience
  • NEUR 462 Integrative Neuroscience
  • NEUR 520 Advanced Topics in Neuroscience
  • PATH 527 Parasitology/Epidemiology Sem