BME Frequently Asked Questions

Biomedical engineering (BME) is the application of engineering principles and methods to solve problems related to the human body. Biomedical engineers work at the interface between engineering and the life sciences, applying knowledge from both areas of study to define and solve problems in biology and medicine. Students choose the biomedical engineering field to be of service to people, for the excitement of working with living systems, and to apply advanced technology to the complex problems of medical care.  BME graduates may:

• Perform research and development in medical product companies
• Undertake research in laboratories of educational and medical institutions
• Evaluate the safety of medical products at government agencies
• Enter medical school to become practicing physicians
• Attend graduate school in biomedical engineering to prepare for high-level research and teaching positions

Well-trained biomedical engineers have skills that are invaluable to many potential employers, including and not limited to:

• Hospitals
• Rehabilitation centers
• Educational and research institutions
• Biotechnology industry
• Pharmaceutical industry
• Medical instrumentation industry
• Prosthetics and implants industry
• Environmental and public health sector
• Government regulatory agencies

Yes!  Although not a required part of the curriculum, we encourage undergraduates to obtain relevant practical experience by participating in research projects in the labs of the faculty and by completing industry internships. Contact individual faculty members for possible research openings in their lab. Be persistent; you may not be able to find an opening right away but most students interested in gaining research experience eventually find an opportunity. Note that there are faculty members in other departments on campus doing BME-related research, and there is a network of faculty members in the program’s New York Center for Biomedical Engineering (NYCBE) that may have research openings for undergraduate students. See the Department’s research brochure and website for more info on research areas and potential labs to work in.

The research in the CCNY BME Department is focused in 4 major areas:

• Cardiovascular Engineering
• Musculoskeletal Biomechanics
• Neural Engineering
• Nanotechnology and Biomaterials

The Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) works to promote the increase of biomedical engineering knowledge and its utilization by introducing students to the profession of biomedical engineering and the roles and obligations of the professional biomedical engineer. It provides an environment for social interaction and exchange of ideas between all levels of undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty. The CCNY BMES student chapter has regular meetings and trips to local research hospitals or industry. Look for fliers announcing club-hour meetings and add your name to their e-mail list.

https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/bme/bmes-student-chapter 

LinkTree

bmes@gtest.ccny.cuny.edu

BMES LinkedIn Group

The BME Department holds a Town Hall Meeting every year, where students are asked to give feedback on the program to the faculty. The Department also holds a weekly BME seminar on Wednesdays at 3pm in ST-402, along with other special seminars.

Every spring a BME Day is held in conjunction with the annual visit by the Department’s Advisory Board; at this event student research posters and senior design projects are presented in the lobby of Steinman Hall.

The BMES student club  (LinkedIn link) (LinkTree) and the national BMES (http://www.bmes.org) are also good networking sources.

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8416802/ Reach out to our LinkedIn group here

Upon entry into the major as a freshman, each BME student is matched with a faculty advisor in the Department whose primary purpose is to: (a) help the student in selecting appropriate courses, (b) advise the student about course-load issues, (c) provide direction in the selection of specializations and technical electives, (d) offer professional development regarding career objectives, and (e) monitor student progress. All students are required to meet once each semester with their faculty advisor. Students are assigned to a faculty advisor by their last name. 

BME faculty advisors include:

• Prof. Dmochowski           
• Prof. Parra
• Prof. Bikson                     
• Prof. Schaffler
• Prof. Cardoso                   
• Prof. S. Fritton                      
• Prof. Fu
• Prof. Nicoll                       
• Prof. Wang   
• Prof. Williams                   
• Prof. Carriero
• Dr. Payton  (General Advisor)

Listing and assignments are subject to change.

To ensure that all biomedical engineering students are advised by a BME faculty advisor, an "Advising STOP or HOLD” will be placed on each student’s CUNYfirst record. To have the STOP or HOLD removed, follow the steps below:

1. Contact faculty advisor via email or visit during office hours to make an appointment for a mutually convenient time. Before meeting with your advisor (in-person or by ZOOM), fill out the “BME Course and Advising Form” found in the Advising Packet sent to your CCNY email address.  If meeting by ZOOM, make a PDF of your advising form and send to your advisor prior to meeting.  Your advisor will check over the form and sign it.

2. Email signed PDF to bme@ccny.cuny.edu . The "Stop or Hold" will be removed within 24-48 hours. 

What are the requirements to change your major to BME?

It is highly recommended that all interested students meet the following requirements:

• Have a Cumulative G.P.A of 3.0 and
• Completed Math 21200: Calculus-II and Physics 20700: University Physics I with a grade of “B” or higher.

If you meet these requirements, follow:

• https://central.ccny.cuny.edu/ideclare/index.php     

Yes!  To take a graduate course, an undergraduate student must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75.

There are three options for taking graduate courses as an undergraduate student:

• As an Engineering or Technical Elective (credits will apply only to undergraduate degree program)
• As a course substitution (has to be approved by BME Chair)
• Graduate School Credit  

Be sure to fill in all required information (Name, ID. Phone, Email, Current GPA, Semester, Grad Course Name and Number).  You must also select the purpose of taking the courses. ****NOTE: If you have already fulfilled both Engineering and Tech Electives but would like to take a grad course for personal development select “Graduate Credit.”  Before you select the purpose, review your CUNYfirst transcript to ensure that you are selecting the purpose that meets your objective.

Steps to Taking a Grad Course (Undergrads)

1. Once form is completed, send to bme@ccny.cuny.edu for approval by Dr. Payton.

2. After first level approval, the form is sent to BME Chair, Assistant Dean, and Associate Dean.

3. When all required signatures are secured, you may register for the approved course.  (May take 2 weeks or longer -- in general graduate students are enrolled in a graduate course before undergrads are.)

The form is found here.

Required forms used for registration and advising are available are sent to you, via CCNY email address, each semester.  

• BME Independent Study Form (Registration process for BME 59003, 59002, 59001, and 59100)   
• Graduate Course Permission Form (including Process)
• Appeals Letter Template 
• Accelerated Masters 4+1 Requirements, Process, and Application

While the BME program does not offer tracks, it does provide both breadth and depth in a variety of BME topics. The breakdown below demonstrates the breadth of BME topics covered in required courses, along with how elective courses can be chosen to gain depth in a particular area.

Note that you must satisfy the elective course pre-requisites, so plan your electives carefully.

Students must complete at least 3 credits of Engineering Electives chosen from the following list:

• BME 59003, 59002, 59001
• BME Independent Study
• BME 51000 Microfluidic Devices in Biotechnology
• BME I3000 Neural Engineering and Applied Bioelectricity
• BME I4200 Organ Transport and Pharmacokinetics
• BME I5000 Biomedical Imaging and Image Processing
• BME I5100 Biomedical Signal Processing
• ENGR I4200 Continuum Mechanics
• ENGR I1100 Engineering Analysis
• CHE 33000 ChE Thermodynamics II
• CHE 34200 Transport Phenomena II
• CSC 10200 Introduction to Computing
• EE 33000 Electromagnetics
• ME 14500 Computer-Aided Drafting
• ME 24700 Engineering Mechanics II
• ME 32200 Computer Methods in Engineering
• ME 37100 Computer-Aided Design

Students must complete at least 6 credits of Technical Electives chosen from the following partial list:

• BME 50400 Cell and Tissue Engineering
• BME I9300 Scientific Ethics
• BME I9500 Entrepreneurship and Financial Economics
• BME G6000 Advanced Biomaterials
• BME I7000 Lab in Cellular and Molecular Engineering
• BME I8000 Bone Physiology and Biomechanics
• BME I9000 Skeletal Soft Tissue Physiology and Biomechanics
• BIO 10200 Foundations of Biology II
• BIO 20600 Intro to Genetics
• BIO 35000 Microbiology
• BIO 37500 Developmental Biology
• BIO 36400 Intro to Neurobiology
• BIO 48300 Laboratory in Biotechnology
• BIO 41000 Cell Dev-Senescence Virology
• BIO 42000 Cancer Biology
• CHE 49808 Nanomaterials
• CHE 51200 Pharmaceutical Applications of Chem. Engineering
• CHEM 24300 Quantitative Analysis
• CHEM 26100 Organic Chemistry I
• CHEM 26200 Organic Chemistry Laboratory I
• CHEM 26300 Organic Chemistry II
• CHEM 33000 Physical Chemistry I
• CHEM 33200 Physical Chemistry II
• CHEM 45902 Biochemistry I
• CSC 10400 Discrete Math Structures
• MATH 32800 Methods of Numerical Analysis
• MATH 37500 Elements of Probability Theory
• MATH 37600 Mathematical Statistics
• MATH 37700 Applied Statistics and Probability
• MATH 39500 Complex Variables for Sci and Engr
• PHYS 31500 Medical Physics
• PHYS 32100 Modern Physics for Engineers
• PHYS 32300 Quant Mechanics App Physics
• PHYS 42200 Biophysics
• SCI 28000 Bioinformatics

Biomechanics/Biotransport

Required Courses 

• ME 24600 Engineering Mechanics
• ME 33000 Mechanics of Materials CHE 34100 Transport Phenomena BME 50100 Cell and Tissue Mechanics BME 50200 Cell and Tissue Transport

Related Elective Courses 

• ME 14500 Computer-Aided Drafting
• ME 24700 Engineering Mechanics II
• ME 32200 Computer Methods in Engineering
• ME 37100 Computer-Aided Design
• BME I8000 Bone Physiology and Biomechanics
• BME I9000 Skeletal Soft Tissue Physiology and Biomechanics CHE 34200 Transport Phenomena II
• CHE 51200 Pharmaceutical Applications of Chem. Engineering BME I4200 Organ Transport and Pharmacokinetics

Biomedical Imaging/Signal Processing/Neural Engineering

Required Courses 

• BME 20500 Bioelectrical Circuits with Laboratory
• BME 40500 Biomedical Transducers and Instrumentation
• BME 50500 Image and Signal Processing in Biomedicine
• BME 51500 Dynamical Systems and Modeling

Related Elective Courses 

• BME I3000 Neural Engineering and Applied Bioelectricity
• BME I5000 Biomedical Imaging
• BME I5100 Biomedical Signal Processing
• EE 33000 Electromagnetics
• PHYS 31500 Medical Physics

Biomaterials/Molecular Engineering/Nanotechnology

Required Courses 

• CHEM 21000 Applied Chemistry for Biomedical Engineers
• BIO 22900 Cell and Molecular Biology
• BME 31000 Experimental Methods in BME
• BME 50300 Cell and Tissue - Biomaterial Interactions

Related Elective Courses 

• BME 50400 Cell and Tissue Engineering
• BME 51000 Microfluidic Devices in Biotechnology
• BME G6000 Advanced Biomaterials
• BME I7000 Lab in Cellular and Molecular Engineering
• BIO 48300 Laboratory in Biotechnology
• CHE 49808 Nanomaterials
• PHYS 42200 Biophysics

Independent Study courses include:

• BME 59003: Biomedical Engineering Independent Study (3 Credits) – Engineering elective
• BME 59002: Biomedical Engineering Independent Study (2 Credits) – Engineering elective
• BME 59001: Biomedical Engineering Independent Study (1 Credits) – Engineering elective
• BME 59100: Special Project in Biomedical Engineering (1 Credit) – For qualifying transfer students (replaces ENGR 10100)

Steps to complete Independent Study Form

STEP 1. Identify the course you would like to take and discuss with your BME advisor as well as the BME faculty member who has agreed to oversee the coursework and/or assignment(s).  

STEP 2. Once you have an understanding of the coursework and/or assignments required for the course, complete the “Request for Independent Study” form with the BME faculty member who agreed to supervise the coursework and/or assignments.  Once complete, the faculty member will sign and forward to appropriate office for registration. 

The form is found here.

The General Education Curriculum, also called Core Curriculum, is an educational experience shared by all City College students regardless of their major. It is comprised of introductory coursework designed to give students the fundamental skills and background they need to pursue advanced work at the major or upper-level elective work and to instill a habit of mind that sees all areas of knowledge as interrelated. Students are able to choose from a selection of courses that build fundamental skills, such as writing, research, critical thinking and quantitative reasoning, while introducing them to different fields of knowledge and inquiry. For students entering fall 2013 or after must follow Pathways requirements.

To obtain approved General Education Courses for GSOE, https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/engineering/gen-ed

There are computational facilities found around the CCNY campus, and the BME department has a gathering space in Room ST-B2 for you to bring your device and work with other BME students. CCNY and CUNY have licenses to many software programs -- check their websites for details on how to obtain access to this software.

The recommendation that any one particular software is a key to employment is misleading. BME graduates have the ability to learn new software without great difficulty because of their previous exposure to multiple software packages. When a potential employer advertises that a certain software experience is required for a job it is a good idea to investigate how the employer introduces new employees to their workplace. The employer may have a specific task in mind for the employee and may not provide an introductory employment period in which the new graduate could learn about the employer and acquire the specialized skills of the job for which they have been selected. It is recommended to highlight on your resume software skills you have developed to demonstrate your versatility in this area.

The BME program follows CUNY’s Policy on Academic Integrity, which can be found on the CUNY website. In BME courses academic dishonesty (e.g., cheating, plagiarism) is not tolerated. In general, BME students are encouraged to discuss course topics and consult classmates to try to understand course concepts. However, on individual assignments and exams students must do their own work; copying from others or allowing   others to copy from you is in violation of CUNY’s Policy on Academic Integrity. Plagiarism is also unacceptable, and some BME courses utilize electronic plagiarism detection software to screen for plagiarism. Academic dishonesty can have serious effects on your GPA and your status as a CCNY student.

The national Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) has established a code of ethics to guide biomedical engineers:
Biomedical Engineering is a learned profession that combines expertise and responsibilities in engineering, science, technology and medicine. Since public health and welfare are paramount considerations in each of these areas, biomedical engineers must uphold those principles of ethical conduct embodied in this Code in professional practice, research, patient care, and training. This Code reflects voluntary standards of professional and personal practice recommended for biomedical engineers.

Biomedical Engineering Professional Obligations

Biomedical engineers in the fulfillment of their professional engineering duties shall:

1. Use their knowledge, skills, and abilities to enhance the safety, health, and welfare of the public.
2. Strive by action, example, and influence to increase the competence, prestige, and honor of the biomedical engineering profession. Biomedical Engineering Health Care Obligations

Biomedical engineers involved in health care activities shall:

1. Regard responsibility toward and rights of patients, including those of confidentiality and privacy, as their primary concern.
2. Consider the larger consequences of their work in regard to cost, availability, and delivery of health care. Biomedical Engineering Research Obligations

Biomedical engineers involved in research shall:

1. Comply fully with legal, ethical, institutional, governmental, and other applicable research guidelines, respecting the rights of and exercising the responsibilities to colleagues, human and animal subjects, and the scientific and general public.
2. Publish and/or present properly credited results of research accurately and clearly.

While many practicing BMEs probably do not encounter the need to become a registered professional engineer (PE), there are some advantages to completing the process. First, successfully completing the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, which is the first step to registration, gives the student a sense of accomplishment. Second, completing the entire process provides the student with a lifelong employment credential that entitles the person to present herself or himself as a “professional engineer” available for employment in the state in which she/he is registered (many states honor professional registration in other states). At the current time, there is not a BME option for the PE exam, although this may change in the future.