Abhijit Patwardhan, Ph.D.
Professor and Interim Department Chair
F. Joseph Halcomb III, M.D. Department of Biomedical Engineering
abhijit@uky.eduThis program begins with the First-Year Engineering experience, which grounds students in foundational engineering courses. After earning Engineering Standing, students begin taking required biomedical engineering (BME) courses. The program culminates in a unique two-semester interdisciplinary Capstone Senior Design project that challenges students to creatively engineer a solution to a healthcare issue posed by collaborating industrial or healthcare partners. BME and product design courses jointly created and taught by BME and College of Design faculty build “Design Thinking” into students’ approach to solving healthcare problems and form the backbone of the BME major.
I would encourage any student who is interested in BME to visit research labs. Get involved in cutting-edge research projects. It is always good to keep your mind open to learn new knowledge.
Assistant Professor, F. Joseph Halcomb III, M.D. Department of Biomedical Engineering
Most BME programs teach students how to solve problems, but they don’t teach how to interact with people in ways that allow for a deeper understanding of the problem. Design Thinking emphasizes the people who will use what our students develop. College of Design faculty members’ knowledge of user experience, user interface and more will help BME students empathize, detect and meet unarticulated needs.
Our Design Thinking experiences balance left-brain technology-oriented learning with right-brain creative-oriented learning to build crucial skills such as: 1) communicating empathetically with all stakeholders in a design cycle; 2) framing healthcare challenges as engineering problems; and 3) designing, prototyping, building, testing, refining and implementing solutions that solve contemporary healthcare challenges problems and meet all user needs.
The Pigman College of Engineering offers multiple pathways to undergraduate admission -- both as an incoming freshman or transfer student.
Admission requirements for incoming freshmen can be accessed here.
Admission requirements for transfer students can be accessed here.
Engineering Standing
All incoming freshmen and transfer students admitted to the Pigman College of Engineering have their major listed as "Pre-Aerospace Engineering", "Pre-Biomedical Engineering", etc. on their admission letter and in our academic system, myUK. Engineering Standing will be achieved, and the pre- designation will be dropped from the major name, once the student achieves a minimum cumulative GPA and a minimum GPA in select courses. You may view the select courses in the University Bulletin.
The smartest, most talented engineers around the world are devoting themselves to tackling immense global challenges. As a student in the UK Pigman College of Engineering, you get to join them!
In 2008, the National Academy of Engineering identified 14 “Grand Challenges for Engineering in the 21st Century”—opportunities to greatly increase humanity’s sustainability, health, security and joy of living. Themes include making solar energy economical, enhancing virtual reality, reverse-engineering the brain, securing cyberspace, providing access to clean water and more.
These ambitious goals demand engineers roll up their sleeves and get to work, which is why we put them front and center during your first year as an engineering student. We have designed the First-Year Engineering (FYE) program to inspire you. We want you to discover your passion. We want you to explore where you might make your unique contribution. We want you to get your hands dirty and make stuff that might, one day, lead to a breakthrough.
Why wait until you’re taking upper-level classes to figure out what interests you? Through real engineering classes taught by top faculty and exposure to engineering’s greatest challenges, the FYE program gets you into the game from day one.
The following curriculum meets the requirements for a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering, provided the student satisfies the graduation requirements of the Pigman College of Engineering
2022-23 Major Sheet 2022-23 Curriculum 2021-22 Curriculum 2020-21 CurriculumThe Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) is a professional student organization committed to nurturing student education and involvement in the biomedical engineering field. It is a student chapter of the national Biomedical Engineering Society. In 1990, students in the UK Biomedical Engineering program formed a local chapter of the BMES. In the time since its inception, the UK BMES student chapter has been awarded the national society’s Meritorious Achievement Award four times. BMES is a member organization of the Pigman College of Engineering’s Engineering Student Council and takes part in the college’s annual Engineers Day. The chapter organizes several events aimed at getting students involved in the biomedical engineering field too. These have included trips to medical device companies, hosting professional guest speakers, collaborative educational meetings, and more. BMES also takes part in community outreach and service by participating in activities including demonstrations at schools, judging science fairs, tutoring, and building with Habitat for Humanity.
The biomedical engineering program offers numerous opportunities to obtain hands-on experience through summer internships and co-operative education programs with biomedical companies that have operations throughout the U.S. These experiences often lead to full-time engineering professional positions upon graduation. For those interested in research, the program offers numerous undergraduate research opportunities in each of the specialized areas of biomedical engineering.
The Engineering Career and Co-op Center is a valuable resource for assisting you with developing job and co-op search skills; participating in education-abroad programs and participating in research endeavors and career network development so you can secure a rewarding career in your chosen field of study.
Biomedical engineers combine engineering principles with medical sciences to design and create equipment, devices, computer systems, and software.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics | Click the link for more info.
Median Salary
$88,550
per year in 2021
Number of Jobs
19,800
in 2021
10 Year Job Outlook
700
new jobs (average)
Most biomedical engineers work in manufacturing, universities, hospitals, and research facilities of companies and educational and medical institutions. They usually work full time.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Read MoreSource: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Abhijit Patwardhan, Ph.D.
Professor and Interim Department Chair
F. Joseph Halcomb III, M.D. Department of Biomedical Engineering
abhijit@uky.eduPigman College of Engineering
522 Robotics and Manufacturing Building
Lexington, KY 40506-0108
(859) 257-8101
