Bachelor of Science in Bioengineering

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

University of California Berkeley

Program Overview

The Bachelor of Science in Bioengineering at the University of California, Berkeley combines engineering with biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics and computer science, giving students the tools to address challenges in human health, biotechnology and biological systems. It is particularly suited to students interested in areas such as medical devices, biomedical imaging, cell and tissue engineering, computational biology or synthetic biology, with upper-division study allowing students to develop a focused technical skill set.

Curriculum Structure

First Year: Students establish the scientific and mathematical foundation of bioengineering through courses such as BioE 10: Introduction to Biomedicine for Engineers, BioE 26: Introduction to Bioengineering, Math 1A: Calculus and Chem 1A/1AL: General Chemistry and Lab. BioE 10 introduces human physiology and engineering applications in biology and health, while BioE 26 introduces the field and its different specialties.

Second Year: The curriculum develops students' understanding of how biological systems emerge from physical and chemical processes while strengthening their mathematics, physics and computing skills. BioE 11 builds on chemistry and physics to examine biological processes, while students also complete courses such as Math 53, Math 54, Physics 7B, and Engineering 7 or Computer Science 61A.

Third Year: Students move into upper-division bioengineering through at least two BioE Fundamentals courses and technical topics spanning engineering, mathematics, statistics and the biological sciences. They also complete BioE 100 or another course containing substantial ethics content, allowing them to connect technical problem-solving with the broader responsibilities of bioengineering.

Fourth Year: Students specialize through advanced bioengineering coursework, a BioE laboratory course, technical-topic courses and either a design project or research experience. Options include BioE 192: Senior Design Project, BioE 101: Instrumentation in Biology & Medicine, BioE 121L: BioMEMS and Biotechnology Laboratory, BioE 140L: Synthetic Biology Lab and BioE 145: Introduction to Machine Learning for Computational Biology, depending on the student's pathway and course availability.

Focus Areas

Biomedical Devices, Biomedical Imaging, Cell & Tissue Engineering, Computational & Synthetic Biology, with students able to build their four-year plan around a specialized area of bioengineering.

Learning Outcomes

Students develop the ability to understand fundamental engineering principles and the physical, chemical and mathematical basis of biology, appreciate biological systems at different scales, and apply engineering methods to biological and health-related challenges. The curriculum also develops skills in design, research, quantitative analysis, teamwork and problem-solving.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation)

The UC Berkeley Bioengineering B.S. is not ABET accredited. The department explains that its interdisciplinary structure does not follow the narrower standardized course framework typically required for ABET accreditation, and states that its students have not experienced difficulty obtaining employment or graduate-school admission because of this.

Reputation (Employability Rankings)

Berkeley Engineering reports that its 2026 U.S. News undergraduate Bioengineering ranking is No. 8 nationally. The college is also ranked No. 3 overall among U.S. undergraduate engineering programs, reinforcing the strong reputation of the engineering environment in which the Bioengineering major is delivered.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

UC Berkeley's Bioengineering program places a strong emphasis on applying engineering concepts to real biological and medical problems. Students complete laboratory coursework and must undertake a semester of design-focused work through a project-based course, independent research or the BioE 192 Senior Capstone Design Course, where students can progress from identifying clinical needs through prototyping, testing and presenting a solution.

Undergraduate research is strongly encouraged, and the department reports that most BioE seniors have completed extracurricular research by the end of their Berkeley career. Students can work in faculty laboratories, join student research teams, continue projects begun in class, undertake research internships at other institutions or complete research-focused summer internships in industry.

Students can gain practical experience through:

Senior Capstone Design — BioE 192: Students work on real biomedical problems identified through partnerships with clinicians, then move through needs finding, prototyping, testing, engineering design reviews and final presentation.
Bioengineering laboratories: Students can choose courses such as BioE 101 Instrumentation in Biology and Medicine, BioE 115 Tissue Engineering Lab, BioE 121L BioMEMS and Bionanotechnology Laboratory, BioE 140L Synthetic Biology Lab, BioE 163L Molecular and Cellular Biophotonics Laboratory and BioE 168L Practical Light Microscopy.
Computational biology: BioE 145 Introduction to Machine Learning for Computational Biology gives students project-oriented exposure to computational approaches, while the department's computational and synthetic biology work includes genomic-data analysis and modeling.
Undergraduate research: Students can join Berkeley faculty laboratories, participate in research-placement programs or use opportunities such as URAP, the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarships, Berkeley Discovery Opportunities and Engineering Beehive.
Student research teams: Students can gain team-based experience through projects such as iGEM and CalSol, with research teams supervised by faculty or staff researchers.
Design and prototyping: Bioengineering students use an iterative process involving problem definition, literature research, prototyping, testing, data analysis and troubleshooting to turn biological or clinical needs into engineering solutions.
Stanley Hall: The home of Berkeley Bioengineering also houses faculty research laboratories and specialized facilities including the Biomolecular Nanotechnology Center, tissue-engineering facilities, specialized optics and a regional NMR facility.
Cross-campus research environment: Berkeley Bioengineering collaborates with UCSF and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, while the wider Berkeley Engineering environment provides access to specialized research facilities and libraries.
Innovation and entrepreneurship: Students can access makerspaces, innovation contests, entrepreneurship and business courses, startup incubators and campus-based venture-capital resources through Berkeley's innovation ecosystem.

Progression & Future Opportunities

A Berkeley Bioengineering degree prepares graduates for careers across biotechnology, medical technology, research, healthcare, data science and engineering, while also providing a strong foundation for graduate or medical school. The department's recent graduate outcomes include positions with companies such as Genentech, 10x Genomics, Novo Nordisk, Neuralink, Abbott, Illumina, Merck and Roche, as well as progression to leading graduate and medical schools.

Typical career roles: Biomedical Engineer, Clinical Engineer, Research Associate, Product Manager

Key progression and career opportunities include:

Career support: Bioengineering students receive advising on career pathways, graduate school, research interests and skill development from departmental and faculty advisers. The department also provides dedicated career resources and information for employers interested in hiring BioE graduates.
Graduate outcomes: Over the past five years, an average of 46% of Berkeley Bioengineering graduates were already employed within a few months of bachelor's graduation, while 27% were accepted to graduate or medical school. Among graduates not immediately entering graduate or medical school, an average of 40% planned to do so within five years.
Industry employers: Recent BioE graduates have joined 10x Genomics, Genentech, Novo Nordisk, Neuralink, Apple, Google, Abbott, Illumina, Merck, Roche, BioMarin Pharmaceuticals, Cepheid, Ginkgo Bioworks, Cellares and other organizations.
Career breadth: The department identifies opportunities in R&D, project management, quality control, regulatory affairs, business development and administration, alongside technical fields such as device design, bioinformatics, computational modeling, machine learning, imaging and genetic engineering.
Industry connections: Berkeley Bioengineering connects students with the wider Bay Area biotechnology industry and collaborates with institutions including UC San Francisco and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Long-term professional value: Although the B.S. is not ABET accredited, Berkeley Bioengineering reports that its graduates have successfully entered employment and graduate programs without ABET accreditation being a barrier.
Graduate-school progression: Recent graduates have continued to institutions including UC Berkeley, UC San Francisco, Stanford, MIT, Harvard, Duke, Johns Hopkins, UCLA, Cornell, Caltech and other leading graduate schools. Medical-school destinations listed by the department include UCSF, UC Davis, USC, UC Irvine and others.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the B.S., students can continue into graduate study in bioengineering and related fields, medical school or other professional pathways. Berkeley also provides pathways connected with advanced study in areas such as bioengineering, engineering, translational medicine, design and related biological sciences, while students interested in research can build on their undergraduate laboratory experience through master's or doctoral programs.