2. INTRODUCTION We analyzed biomedical engineering and bioengineering undergraduate curricula in the US at the level of courses. We were interested in the following questions: How much do biomedical engineering programs have in common? What courses are required? What domains are covered? How many credit hours are required in each domain? Does a “core” undergraduate curriculum already exist? How much room is devoted to specialization? Are accredited and non-accredited (often newer) programs different? METHODS Data were curricula of BME programs posted on university websites as being the most current information Counted required courses in engineering and biology Did not consider math, basic chemistry, physics, humanities and social science Counted identifiable courses, so might be undercounting e.g. statistics may be taught in a lab course Converted all curricula to semester credit hour system Average curriculum = 128 credit hrs 71 programs had curricula that could be characterized 40 of 42 accredited programs 31 of 38 non-accredited programs Courses required at ~75% of accredited BME programs. Bars show fraction of programs requiring course (gray) and fraction requiring that the course be taken from BE/BME department (yellow) Additional courses required at accredited BME programs “Other” includes courses in Ethics, Engineering Economics, Technical Communication, etc. Accredited Programs (ABET data) Total Programs (Date of initiation from Whitaker) Course TitleAccredited % Non- Accredited % Delta (A – N) Mechanics93%71%22% Thermodynamic s 63%45%17% Materials78%61%16% Circuit Analysis83%71%12% Modeling40%29%11% Physiology98%87%10% Imaging15%6%9% Transport Phenomena 70%68%2% Instrumentation75%74%1% Course TitleAccredited % Non- Accredited % Delta (A – N) Signals & Systems 73%74%- 2% Statistics78%81%- 3% Biology non-Physiology 88%97%- 9% Computing78%90%- 13% Organic Chemistry 28%52%- 24% Courses required at accredited BME programs less frequently than at non-accredited BME programs Credit hours required at accredited BME programs (mean and SD) Credit hours required at non-accredited programs (Mean and SD) Accredited programs Non-accredited programs Mean (SD) credit hrs 12.9  7.312.8  6.7 25 th percentile88 Median credit hrs12 75 th percentile1618 Option Participants choosing option Students should follow a BME track emphasizing depth in a traditional engineering field 23 (29%) Students should follow a BME track emphasizing depth in a traditional engineering field (as above) or in an emerging area (e.g., cellular engineering, systems biology, tissue engineering). 26 (33%) Students should take advanced bioengineering, guided by recommended sequences, but not formalized as tracks. 17 (22%) Students should be free to choose advanced courses from bioengineering, other branches of engineering, and biology. 12 (15%) SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS There is a de facto core already, which most schools approach, but few if any match exactly. Courses in design, physiology, additional biology, mechanics, circuits, instrumentation, computing, statistics, and materials are all required by at least 75% of BE/BME accredited programs. BME has a broad core; and this matches what both industry and academia want based on survey data (not shown). Accredited and non-accredited programs have similar but not identical curricula. Beyond the core there is room for specialization. Industry should be educated about the existence of this core. Data on the BME Core Curriculum 1 Robert A. Linsenmeier and 1,2 David W. Gatchell 1 Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 2 Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL Third Biomedical Engineering Education Summit Meeting, St. Charles, IL June, 2008 Supported by NSF EEC 9876363 Required courses at accredited programs Differences between accredited and non-accredited programs Courses required at accredited BME programs more frequently than at non-accredited BME programs Specializations or Tracks beyond the core Faculty and industry responses to survey (Delphi study – round 2) Credit hours reserved for tracks or specialization courses Number of programs over time Percentage of programs offering different kinds of tracks