Undergraduate & Graduate Equivalencies
The Fifth-Year Combined BS/MS program in Biomedical Engineering offers two options: a thesis option and a coursework-only option. Students who choose this program are required to create a plan of study before starting their graduate degree. During their senior year of undergraduate studies, students begin their first year of the Fifth-Year Combined BS/MS program. To fulfill the requirements of their master's degree, students are allowed to double-count up to 12 credits from their undergraduate coursework. It is important to note that only courses at the 500-level or above can be counted towards the master's degree. Therefore, creating a well-prepared plan of study is crucial for a successful academic journey.
For more information on requirements for the Fifth-Year Combined BS/MS programs, please click here.
Many students inquire about which courses can be counted towards both the BME master's and undergraduate degrees. We understand the confusion surrounding this matter and aim to provide clarification below.
Course Equivalencies
The table below shows the course equivalencies for our undergraduate and graduate programs. Each technical elective course listed is worth 3-credits, life science electives may vary, and every class is typically offered during either the Fall or Spring semester. If you want to find out the historical pattern of when these courses have been offered in the past, please use the Look Up Classes feature. By checking past terms, you can see what courses have been available in the BME program over the years. However, please note that we cannot guarantee that these courses will be taught in any specific semester in the future. The official course catalog for each semester is released prior to that semester, and that's when we will know which courses will be offered.
| BME | BME Competency Credits | Graduate Requirement |
| EPH | Ethics/Policy Elective | Undergrad Requirement |
| LSE | Life Science Elective | Undergrad Requirement |
| LE | Life Science | Graduate Requirement |
| PDR | Professional Development/Regulatory | Graduate Requirement |
| TE | Technical Elective | Undergrad Requirement |
| TE (QB) | Technical Elective (Quantitative Breadth) | Undergrad Requirement |
| TE (QB+DS) | Technical Elective (QB Data Science) | Undergrad Requirement |
| COURSE | COURSE TITLE | UNDERGRAD CREDIT | GRADUATE CREDIT |
|---|---|---|---|
| BME 501 | Multivariate Analyses in Biostatistics | TE (QB+DS) | BME or Quantitative |
| BME 511 | Biomedical Signal Processing | TE (QB+DS) | BME or Quantitative |
| BME 521 | Biosensors: Fundamentals and Applications | TE | BME |
| BME 528 | Measurement and Stimulation of the Nervous System | TE | BME |
| BME 551 | Tissue Engineering | TE | BME or LSE |
| BME 555 | Magnetic Resonance Imaging Theory | TE | BME |
| BME 556 | Introduction to Clinical Medicine for Engineering Solutions | TE | LSE |
| BME 561 | Preclinical and Clinical Study Design | TE (Regulatory) | Professional Development/Regulatory |
| BME 562 | Regulatory Issues Surrounding Approval of Biomedical Devices | TE (Regulatory) | Professional Development/Regulatory |
| BME 563 | Quality Systems for Regulatory Compliance | TE (Regulatory) | Professional Development/Regulatory |
| BME 564 | Ethical Engineering of Medical Technologies | EPH (but not a Gen Ed.) | Professional Development/Regulatory |
| BME 581 | Bio-Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (BioMEMS) & Biomedical Microsystems | TE | BME |
| BME 595 | Regenerative Biol/Tiss Repair | TE | BME or LSE |
| BME 595 | Cell & Tissue Mechanics/Molecular & Cell Biomechanics | TE |
BME (possibly LSE upon request) |
| BME 595 | Electromechanical Robotic Sys | TE | LS |
| BME 595 | Neural Mech Health & Disease | TE | BME |
| BME 595 | Med Img & Diagnostic Tech | TE | BME |
| BME 595 | Biophotonics | TE | BME |
| BME 595 | Bioelectronics | TE | BME |
| BME 595 | Polymeric Biomaterials | TE | BME or LS |
| BME 595 | Biophotonics: Fundamentals | TE | BME |
| BME 595 | Point of Care Diagnostics | TE | BME |
| BME 595 | Implantable Medical Devices | TE | BME |
| BME 595 | Wearable Sensors in Healthcare | TE | BME |
| BME 595 | Principles of Tissue Engr |
TE (Cannot count as a BME tech elective if BME 551 has already been taken) |
BME or LS |
| BCHM 536 | Biological and Structural Aspects of Drug Design and Action | LSE | LS |
| BCHM 561 | General Biochemistry I | LSE | LS |
| BCHM 562 | General Biochemistry II | LSE | LS |
| BIOL 511 | Introduction to X-Ray Crystallography | LSE | LS |
| BIOL 516 | Molecular Biology of Cancer | LSE | LS |
| BIOL 517 | Molecular Biology: Proteins (2 cr) | LSE | LS |
| BIOL 533 | Medical Microbiologymory | LSE | LS |
| BIOL 537 | Immunobiology | LSE | LS |
| BIOL 538 | Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Neurobiology | LSE | LS |
| BIOL 559 | Endocrinology | LSE | LS |
| BIOL 562 | Neural Systems | LSE | LS |
| BIOL 595 | Methods & Measurements in Biophysical Chemistry | LSE | LS |
| BIOL 595 | Neurobiology of Learning and Me | LSE | LS |
| BIOL 595 | Quantitative Physiology | LSE | LS |
| BMS 510 | Human Anatomy for BioMed Scientists/Engrs. | LSE | LS |
| BMS 525 | Principles of Neuroanatomy (2 cr) | LSE | LS |
| BMS 534 | Systemic Mammalian Physiology (4 cr) | LSE | LS |
| CHM 579 | Computational Chemistry | LSE | LS |
| HK 590 | Neuroscience of Mvmnt Disordrs | LSE | LS |
| HSCI 534 | Applied Health Physics | LSE | LS |
| HSCI 540 | Radiation Biology | LSE | LS |
| HSCI 547 | Fundamentals of Epidemiology | LSE | LS |
| HSCI 560 | Toxicology | LSE | LS |
| HSCI 575 | Introduction to Environmental Health | LSE | LS |
| IPPH 583 | Advanced Biopharmaceutics | LSE | LS |
| MCMP 570 | Basic Principles of Chemical Action on Biological Systems | LSE | LS |
| SLHS 501 | Neural Bases of Speech and Hearing | LSE | LS |
| SLHS 561 | Medical Audiology | LSE | LS |
Don’t see the class you need?
If you do not see the course(s) you need in the table above, please see the undergraduate elective requirement course lists, and the graduate program requirements. By cross-referencing these two online resources, it will help you build your plan of study. If there is a course you want to count for both degrees, you will need to check with your primary undergraduate advisor for undergraduate credits, and the graduate advising team to make sure the course will count toward your master’s progress – your may contact weldonbmegrad@purdue.edu for those inquiries.