There has been considerable growth of the North American and global biomedical and biotechnology sectors in recent years. The aging population is putting increasing pressure on health care services, demanding improvements in health care efficiency, as well as novel engineered medical devices and procedures. The Mechanical Engineering Biomedical Option gives students a solid start in this fascinating field.
Whether you want to work in industry, go on to graduate school in biomedical engineering, or head off to medical school, the Mechanical Engineering Biomedical Option can open doors for you. In the option, a sound foundation in mechanical engineering is complemented with training and practical experience in biomedical and biomechanical engineering.
The specialized skills, explicit training, and documented interest provided by the program will make students more competitive when applying to biomedical engineering graduate programs, or when entering the work force. The explicit concentration in biomedical engineering may also help those who wish to enter medicine.
Mechanical Engineering Biomedical Option versus the Electrical Engineering Biomedical Option
The Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering Biomedical options have similar academic structures and goals within their respective programs. Both options aim to add a concentration in Biomedical Engineering without eroding the strong foundation in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering inherent to each department’s general program.
Course Structure
The main difference in the options is that the Electrical Engineering Option aims to provide a concentration of study in electrical and electronic applications in Biomedical Engineering while the Mechanical option focuses on biomedical engineering applications in mechanical engineering. The options have similar academic structures, but still have a few differences in how they modify their general programs’ curriculum.
Mechanical Engineering Biomedical Option
The Mechanical Engineering Biomedical Option subtracts three courses from the third and fourth year curricula and adds four core courses as well as providing biomedical engineering focus to the design project courses in third and fourth years.
The Mechanical Engineering Biomedical Option requires the students to take biomedical courses for three out of four of their required fourth year technical electives.
Electrical Engineering Biomedical Option
The Electrical Engineering Biomedical Option adds biomedical content to the existing project and laboratory courses in year two, deletes three courses and three electives, and adds six new courses in biomedical engineering plus a biomedical engineering focus to the design project courses in years three and four.
Electrical option students have no particular biomedical engineering requirement associated with their remaining technical electives.
What You’ll Learn
The most substantial differences between the two options mirror the differences between the fields of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering themselves.
Electrical Engineering Biomedical students study electrical and electronic devices and circuits, electromagnets and microcomputers as they are used in medical devices such as physiological monitoring devices (ECG, EEG, respirators, blood pressure), electrode designs, and signal analysis such as frequency domain analysis, filter design, and sampling theory as it relates to biomedical devices and problems. Electrical Engineering Biomedical option students also learn about the design, optimization and use of medical imaging devices such as ultrasound, x-ray, computed tomography (CAT scan) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines. Electrical engineers are also central in the design and certification of implantable electronic and electrical devices such as pacemakers, external prosthetic devices such as powered hand, arm and lower leg devices, and micro-electro-mechanical (MEMS) devices such as for bio-sensing and bio-nanotechnology.
Mechanical Engineering Biomedical students learn how the principles of solid mechanics, fluid dynamics, dynamics and kinematics and mechanical design are applied in the design of implantable and external biomedical devices and in the study of biological tissues. Mechanical Engineering Biomedical Option students learn about the mechanical properties (strength, stiffness, viscoelastic response etc.) of biological tissues such as bone, ligaments, tendons, muscle and intervertebral discs in the spine. General mechanical engineering techniques that apply to the study of solid mechanics are brought to bear on this study of biological materials. Mechanical Engineering students also study how orthopaedic implants such as total hip or knee replacements or bone fracture fixation pins are designed and how they are attached to and incorporated into the human skeleton. In the fluid realm Mechanical Engineers study the function of the heart and circulatory system, the joints and joint lubrication and the lungs and respiration. Safety devices such as helmets, seat belts, ski bindings and airbags are also devices that are primarily mechanical in operation and that can be studied in the Mechanical Engineering Biomedical Option course.
Both options include material on human anatomy and physiology, the regulation of medical devices in Canada, ethics and working in multi-disciplinary environments.
Please note that this is not intended to be a comprehensive list of material covered by each option. Both options are very broad and there are many areas of overlap. For further information please contact the director of the Biomedical Option in either department.
Requirements for Medical School
It should be noted that the Biomedical Engineering Option in Mechanical Engineering does not fulfill all the academic requirements needed for admission to most medical schools. Students who are interested in applying to medical schools with a background in engineering should look into the Pre-Med Alternative Path . Note that the Pre-Med Alternative Path may be combined with the Mechanical Engineering Biomedical Option if you desire.
