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