Bachelor's Degree in Biomedical Engineering

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

Kansas State University

Program Overview

Kansas State University’s B.S. in Biomedical Engineering is designed for students who want to combine engineering with medicine and life sciences to create better medical devices, healthcare technologies and data-driven solutions. The program is particularly suited to students interested in medical technology, biomedical computation, biomaterials or a future in medicine, with opportunities to select an emphasis that matches their career goals.

Curriculum structure

Year 1: Students establish their engineering, mathematics and science foundation through the K-State Core alongside introductory biomedical engineering study. The curriculum introduces the field through BME 200 – Introduction to Biomedical Engineering, while mathematics, chemistry, physics and programming build the technical base needed for later biomedical engineering coursework.

Year 2: Students move further into engineering principles and begin developing their chosen biomedical engineering direction through emphasis-area technical electives. Depending on their interests, students can start building toward areas such as sensors and devices, computation, biomaterials or pre-medicine, combining engineering fundamentals with applications in healthcare and the life sciences.

Year 3: The program becomes increasingly specialized, with students developing skills in biomedical systems, computation, instrumentation and other advanced engineering applications. Technical electives allow students to deepen their interests, while areas such as Digital Signal Processing, Theory and Techniques of Bioinstrumentation and Bioinstrumentation Design Laboratory can support students interested in biomedical data, sensing and medical-device development.

Year 4: Students complete advanced biomedical engineering and emphasis-area work while preparing to move into professional engineering, research, medical or graduate pathways. The final stage brings together engineering design, biomedical applications and specialized technical knowledge, giving students a strong foundation for careers involving medical devices, clinical engineering, biomedical data and research.

Focus areas: Sensors and devices, computation, biomaterials, pre-medicine, biomedical instrumentation, medical devices, biomedical data, wearable technologies, biomedical imaging, therapeutic technologies and healthcare applications.

Learning outcomes: Apply engineering principles to medical and life-science challenges, design and evaluate biomedical devices and systems, work with physiological and biomedical data, develop computational and analytical solutions, understand biocompatible materials and medical technologies, and apply engineering knowledge to healthcare and research problems.

Professional alignment (accreditation): The B.S. in Biomedical Engineering at Kansas State University is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET under the General Criteria and Program Criteria for Biomedical Engineering.

Reputation (employability rankings): K-State reports an average starting salary of $76,167 for biomedical engineering graduates. The program also highlights undergraduate research, regional internship opportunities and careers across medical devices, biomedical data, clinical engineering, research and product development.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

K-State gives biomedical engineering students opportunities to move beyond classroom theory and work with technologies that address real healthcare problems. Students can participate in undergraduate research from the beginning of their studies, including projects involving brain-computer interfaces, assistive technologies and image-guided medical intervention, while the department’s biomedical research environment provides access to medical-device design, biomedical computing, wearable sensing and therapeutic-device research. The program also connects students with internship opportunities, particularly with companies in Kansas and neighboring states.

Students can build practical experience through these program-specific opportunities:

Medical Component Design Laboratory: Students can engage with research involving interoperable medical systems, wireless devices, wearable sensors, light-based devices and physiological monitoring technologies for humans and animals.
Biomedical Computing and Devices Lab: Research includes designing and evaluating medical-device prototypes, developing computer models of energy propagation through tissue and creating treatment-planning approaches for patient-specific anatomies.
Biomedical device development: Students can be exposed to antennas, electrodes, transducers and feedback-control approaches used in targeted therapeutic technologies, including systems for thermal treatment.
Biomedical computation: The computation emphasis develops programming and software-architecture skills for processing and acting on physiological data generated by medical devices and healthcare systems.
Biomedical instrumentation: Students interested in sensing can explore medical equipment, wearable fitness technologies and biomedical instrumentation used in clinical and healthcare environments.
Research opportunities: K-State specifically identifies undergraduate biomedical engineering research involving brain-computer interfaces, assistive devices for children with disabilities and image-guided medical intervention.
Internships: The department reports that many companies in Kansas and neighboring states are interested in providing internships to biomedical engineering students at different stages of the program.
Biomedical research facilities: Engineering Hall houses specialized research facilities including the Biomedical Computing and Devices Lab and Medical Component Design Lab, supported by extensive networked computing resources.
Graduate-level research environment: Biomedical research at K-State includes biomedical instrumentation, wearable medical devices, neural engineering, brain-computer interfaces, medical-device modeling, biomedical signal and image processing and AI/ML applications in healthcare.
Study abroad: K-State offers education-abroad opportunities involving more than 85 countries, giving students an option to add international experience to their engineering education.

Progression & Future Opportunities

Graduates of K-State’s B.S. in Biomedical Engineering can move directly into engineering roles across medical devices, healthcare technology, biomedical data, clinical systems and research, or continue into advanced study. The program also provides a strong foundation for students planning medical, dental or veterinary careers, while its ABET accreditation adds professional value to an engineering degree intended for industry and further study.

Typical career roles include Biomedical Engineer, Medical Device Engineer, Clinical Engineer and Research and Development Engineer.

K-State supports students in turning the degree into a professional pathway through:

Career development: The K-State Career Center provides career advising, job-search training, career assessments, an extensive career library and employer connections.
Salary outcome: K-State reports an average starting salary of $76,167 for biomedical engineering graduates, with salary data provided by the K-State Career Center.
Internship opportunities: The biomedical engineering program reports strong regional interest from companies offering internships to students at different stages of the degree, particularly in Kansas and neighboring states.
Research and industry engagement: K-State biomedical research involves medical-device development and research supported by organizations including the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and medical device industry.
Real-world healthcare applications: Research includes wearable sensors, wireless medical devices, image-guided interventions, therapeutic medical devices, biomedical signal processing and healthcare AI/ML, giving students exposure to areas relevant to the modern biomedical technology sector.
Professional accreditation: The B.S. in Biomedical Engineering is ABET-accredited, providing an important professional-quality benchmark for an engineering degree and supporting graduates pursuing engineering careers and further professional development.
Graduate and professional pathways: K-State identifies graduate study and careers in medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine as possible pathways for biomedical engineering graduates.
Research progression: Students interested in advanced biomedical research can continue into graduate-level work in areas such as biomedical instrumentation, neural engineering, brain-computer interfaces, biofabrication, biomedical signal and image processing and AI/ML in healthcare.

Further Academic Progression: Graduates can continue into a master’s or doctoral degree in biomedical engineering, electrical and computer engineering or another related biomedical field, with research options spanning medical devices, neural engineering, biomedical computing, signal and image processing, biofabrication and healthcare AI. Students following the pre-medicine emphasis can also use the undergraduate degree as preparation for medical school, while K-State specifically identifies medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine as further professional pathways.