Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

The College of New Jersey

Program Overview

The B.S. in Biomedical Engineering at The College of New Jersey combines engineering, life sciences, and biomedical design to prepare students to develop medical devices, model physiological systems, and solve healthcare challenges. It is well suited to students interested in medical technology, bioinstrumentation, biomaterials, biomechanics, physiological modeling, or progressing toward graduate study or medical school.

Curriculum Structure

First Year: Students build a strong foundation in mathematics, physics, chemistry, engineering design, and introductory biomedical engineering. Courses include CHE 201 General Chemistry I, MAT 127 Calculus A, PHY 201 General Physics I, ENG 144 Fundamentals of Engineering Design, and BME 145 Introduction to Biomedical Engineering; the spring semester adds CSC 216 Computer Science I for Engineering – C++, Calculus B, Physics II, and Chemistry II.

Second Year: Students begin developing their core engineering and biomedical knowledge through BME 251 Fundamentals of Biomedical Engineering, BME 222 Introduction to Mechanics, and BME 323 Introduction to Biomaterials. They also study ENG 212 Circuit Analysis, ELC 321 Signals and Systems, BIO 201 Foundations of Biological Inquiry, and advanced mathematics, connecting engineering principles with biological systems and medical applications.

Third Year: The curriculum becomes more specialized, with students studying BME 311 Physiological Systems, BME 371 Physiological Systems II & Lab, and BME 343 Biomechanics. BME 313 Instrument/Measurements Laboratory, BME 350 Biofluid Mechanics, and BIO 211 Cell Biology and Biochemistry give students practical and biological perspectives on human systems and biomedical engineering problems.

Fourth Year: Students apply their accumulated knowledge to professional-level biomedical engineering projects through BME 495 Senior Project I and BME 496 Senior Project II, where the senior design experience focuses on developing and testing medical devices. They also study BME 473 Bioinstrumentation & Lab, BME 450 Mass and Heat Biotransport, and BME 480 Physiologic Modeling, while completing biomedical engineering and technical electives.

Focus Areas

Bioinstrumentation, biomaterials, biomechanics, cell and tissue engineering, medical imaging, rehabilitation engineering, quantitative physiological modeling, medical device design, physiological systems, biofluid mechanics, computational engineering, and biomedical product development.

Learning Outcomes

Graduates are expected to identify and solve complex engineering problems using engineering, science, and mathematics; design solutions that consider public health and safety; communicate effectively; work collaboratively in teams; conduct experiments and interpret data; recognize ethical and professional responsibilities; and acquire new knowledge using appropriate learning strategies.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation)

The B.S. in Biomedical Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET under the General Criteria and the Program Criteria for Bioengineering and Biomedical and Similarly Named Engineering Programs.

Reputation (Employability)

TCNJ's School of Engineering reports that its engineering programs rank in the top 20% nationwide among non-doctorate schools in the 2026 U.S. News Best Colleges rankings. For the School of Engineering's 2024 graduate survey, the university reports a median first-year salary of $73,250, with 85% of respondents employed, in the military, or in graduate school; these figures are engineering-wide rather than BME-specific.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

TCNJ's B.S. Biomedical Engineering program is strongly design- and laboratory-oriented, with hands-on work integrated throughout the curriculum. Students use dedicated biomedical laboratories, advanced engineering software, instrumentation, prototyping equipment, and physiological testing systems, while the senior capstone requires teams to design, develop, and test a new or improved medical device using a framework similar to that used by medical-device companies.

Students can also pursue faculty-mentored research for two to four consecutive semesters through the Biomedical Engineering Research Track, including summer research opportunities such as MUSE and REU experiences. TCNJ students have also completed biomedical engineering internships with organizations including NASA, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Becton, Dickinson and Company, gaining experience with MATLAB, Python, data analysis, medical-device development, and research.

Specific practical opportunities include:

Senior Design: BME 495 Senior Project I and BME 496 Senior Project II require students to work through a medical-device design and development process, culminating in the development and testing of a device.
Bioinstrumentation Laboratory: Students use Agilent oscilloscopes, programmable waveform generators, digital multimeters, power supplies, bioamplifiers, and National Instruments data-acquisition boards.
MATLAB and LabVIEW: The Bioinstrumentation Laboratory uses MATLAB and LabVIEW for data acquisition, processing, analysis, and virtual bioinstrumentation development.
Biomechanical Laboratory: Dedicated facilities support biomechanics and experimental analysis, including materials and physiological testing equipment.
Physiological Systems Laboratory: This dedicated laboratory supports practical study and experimental work involving physiological systems.
Prototyping and design: TCNJ's School of Engineering provides an Advanced Prototyping Lab and BME Senior Design Studio, supporting biomedical product development and validation.
Engineering software: Engineering computers provide access to software including SolidWorks, MATLAB, Mathematica, ANSYS, Xilinx Vivado, and SPICE tools.
Faculty-mentored research: Eligible students can spend 6–12 hours per week on research through the BME Research Track, producing research proposals, progress reports, a research thesis, and an oral presentation.
NASA research and internships: BME students have undertaken NASA-related research and internships, including work at NASA's Johnson Space Center involving cardiovascular and vision research and MATLAB-based data analysis.
Medical-device industry experience: A TCNJ BME student completed an R&D Innovation Internship at Becton, Dickinson and Company, developing and prototyping technology for an existing medical device.
Bristol Myers Squibb experience: A BME student intern worked on personalized-medicine technology and used Python for project work and data-science tasks.

Progression & Future Opportunities

TCNJ's B.S. in Biomedical Engineering prepares graduates for engineering careers in industry, healthcare settings, hospitals, medical research facilities, universities, and government regulatory agencies. The university also identifies graduate study and medical school as important progression routes, including a dedicated seven-year B.S./M.D. pathway with New Jersey Medical School.

Typical career roles include Biomedical Engineer, Medical Device Engineer, Bioinstrumentation Engineer, Biomedical Research Engineer:

Career services: Students have access to the TCNJ Career Center, Handshake, recruiting opportunities at TCNJ, an Engineering Alumni Mentoring Program, and the Engineering Professional Development Summit.
Employment outcomes: TCNJ's School of Engineering reports a $73,250 median first-year salary for respondents in its 2024 graduate survey, with 85% employed, in the military, or in graduate school. This is an engineering-wide figure rather than a BME-specific salary.
Industry experience: BME students have completed internships with NASA, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Becton, Dickinson and Company, including work in biomedical research, personalized medicine, medical-device innovation, data analysis, and prototyping.
Industry preparation: The BME curriculum emphasizes medical-device design and Design Control regulations, helping students understand the highly regulated medical-device industry before entering professional roles.
Accreditation value: ABET accreditation provides a recognized quality framework for the engineering curriculum and aligns the degree with professional engineering education standards for biomedical engineering.
Graduate destinations: TCNJ engineering graduates have continued to institutions including Johns Hopkins, Yale, Stanford, Princeton, University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania, Georgia Tech, Cornell, Dartmouth, Purdue, Rutgers, and University of Washington.
Professional development: Engineering graduates are supported through employer recruiting, alumni mentoring, career programming, and Handshake-based internship and employment opportunities.

Further Academic Progression: Students can continue into an M.S. in Biomedical Engineering, including TCNJ's accelerated BSBME/MS pathway, or pursue graduate research at other institutions. The B.S. also provides preparation for medical school, and TCNJ offers a seven-year Biomedical Engineering/Medicine pathway in conjunction with New Jersey Medical School.