Bioengineering Undergraduate Major (BA, BS, HBA, HBS)

Bioengineering is an interdisciplinary field that applies engineering principles and quantitative methods to the development of new and novel biologicals, materials, devices, and processes. In practice, bioengineers address issues surrounding the broad areas of bioprocess, biomedical, and bioenvironmental technology. The Bioengineering undergraduate program (initiated in 1996 as biological engineering) provides a solid background in biology (anatomy and physiology, biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology), chemistry, physics and math, in addition to the engineering sciences. Upper-level course work in bioengineering includes analysis and design of processes involving suspension and immobilized microbial cultures and the recovery of therapeutic products from bioreactors, as well as selection courses in mammalian cell culture and tissue engineering, biomedical materials engineering and cellular engineering. All students complete coursework in drug and medical device regulation as well as a capstone-design experience. Bioengineering graduates are prepared to contribute to the rapidly growing bioscience-based industries, and are able to formulate and solve problems relevant to the design of devices and systems to improve human health. Program Educational Objectives Alumni of the Bioengineering program will be work-ready engineers, problem solvers, responsible professionals, and interdisciplinary collaborators. Specifically, within a few years after graduation, they will have: obtained employment in the bioprocess and biotechnology industries and/or entered graduate studies in bioengineering, chemical, environmental, or biomedical engineering and/or gained admission to professional schools including health-professional programs and law programs; Created value through solving problems at the interface of engineering and biology, whether in a manufacturing, research, or clinical environment; pursued professional development in order to fulfill their professional and ethical responsibilities, and they will have recognized and responded to evolving contemporary questions at the interface of biosciences, technology, and society; and Created value through effectively communicating with a diverse set of professionals, and facilitating meaningful collaboration between bio scientists and other engineers Student Outcomes The graduates of the OSU Bioengineering Program must demonstrate that they have: An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering; An ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data; an ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety manufacturability, and sustainability An ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams; An ability to identify, formulates, and solves engineering problems; An understanding of professional and ethical responsibility; An ability to communicate effectively; The broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context; Recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning; Knowledge of contemporary issues; an ability to apply advanced mathematics, science, and engineering to solve problems at the interface of engineering and biology, including those associated with the interaction between living and nonliving materials and systems; An ability to design experiments, make measurements on and interpret data from living system