B.S. in Biomedical Engineering

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

University of Houston

Program Overview

The B.S. in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Houston combines engineering, biology, chemistry, physics and quantitative problem-solving to prepare students to develop technologies for healthcare and medicine. It suits students interested in medical devices, biomedical imaging, neural engineering, biotechnology or medicine, with four tracks allowing students to tailor their studies toward Bionanoscience, Neural, Cognitive & Rehabilitation, Biomedical Imaging or Pre-medical applications.

Curriculum Structure

First Year: Students establish their scientific and engineering foundation through ENGI 1100 – Intro to Engineering, BIOL 1306/1106 – Biology for Science Majors I, CHEM 1311/1111 – Fundamentals of Chemistry, MATH 2413 – Calculus I and ENGI 1331 – Computing & Problem Solving. They continue with Biology II, Chemistry II, Calculus II and University Physics I, developing the core knowledge needed for biomedical engineering.

Second Year: Students begin their specialist engineering education with BIOE 2100 – Intro Biomedical Engineering, BIOE 2331 – Biomedical Processes and ECE 2201 – Circuit Analysis I. Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Engineering Math, Calculus III and University Physics II strengthen their understanding of biological systems while building the mathematical and engineering skills needed for biomedical applications.

Third Year: The curriculum moves into more advanced biomedical engineering concepts through BIOE 3341 – Biothermodynamics, BIOE 3340/3140 – Quantitative Physiology and BIOE 4302 – Numerical Analysis, alongside Engineering Statistics I and a BIOE track elective. Students begin connecting engineering mathematics and computation with physiological systems and biomedical problems.

Fourth Year: Students bring their knowledge together through BIOE 4335 – Capstone Design I, BIOE 4315/4115 – Bioinstrumentation, BIOE 4336 – Capstone Design II and BIOE 4350/4150 – Genomics/Proteomics Engineering. They also complete track electives, allowing their final year to focus more deeply on imaging, neural and rehabilitation engineering, bionanoscience or the pre-medical pathway.

Focus areas

Bionanoscience, Neural Cognitive and Rehabilitation Engineering, Biomedical Imaging, Pre-medical studies.

Learning outcomes

Students develop the ability to apply engineering principles to biomedical problems, conduct experiments, analyze and interpret data, work effectively in teams, communicate professionally, use engineering judgment and acquire new knowledge throughout their careers.

Professional alignment (accreditation)

The University of Houston B.S. in Biomedical Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET under the criteria for Bioengineering, Biomedical and Similarly Named Engineering Programs. This provides an established quality framework for the engineering education and supports graduates pursuing professional engineering and biomedical engineering careers.

Reputation (employability rankings)

The University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering was ranked #75 in Biomedical Engineering in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Engineering Schools rankings. The department also reports that more than half of its undergraduate upperclassmen participate in research, while the College's 2026 Biomedical Engineering graduates had an average starting salary of $81,750 based on voluntarily reported outcomes.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The University of Houston gives Biomedical Engineering students substantial opportunities to apply engineering concepts to real biomedical problems through research, laboratory work and senior design. The department is located close to the Texas Medical Center and houses modern research facilities in the Science and Engineering Research Center and Health and Biomedical Buildings, while more than half of undergraduate upperclassmen participate in research.

Students can develop practical skills through these program-specific opportunities:

Senior Capstone Design: BIOE 4335 and BIOE 4336 – Capstone Design I and II form the senior design experience, culminating the technical skills developed throughout the BME degree. Previous projects have included brain-computer interface visualization, targeted cancer hyperthermia and deep-learning-based embryo organ segmentation.
Undergraduate research: Students can undertake faculty-supervised research through the Senior Honors Thesis Program, the Provost's Undergraduate Research Scholarship Program, Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) and NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates.
Biomedical research laboratories: Students can access research environments working in neural interfaces, bioelectronics, medical imaging, tissue engineering, biosensors, microfluidics, gene therapy and biomedical optics.
Biomedical imaging: The department's Biomedical Optics Laboratory works with Optical Coherence Tomography and Optical Elastography, while other research focuses on PET, SPECT and digital tomosynthesis imaging.
Neural engineering: Research opportunities include brain-machine interfaces, neural recording and stimulation, neuroprosthetics, rehabilitation robotics and brain imaging.
Bioelectronics and microdevices: Students can encounter wireless battery-free bioelectronics, biohybrid robotics, biomedical devices, biomaterials, microfluidic systems and point-of-care diagnostic technologies.
Cullen Honors Program: High-achieving BME students can participate in honors courses, faculty mentorship, hands-on project-based learning, professional development, networking and industry connections.
Data and computational skills: University resources include the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Data Science Institute, which provides training, workshops and resources in data science and computational skills.
Healthcare environment: The program's location near the Texas Medical Center, described by UH as the world's largest medical center, provides a strong surrounding environment for healthcare, clinical and biomedical exposure.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The B.S. in Biomedical Engineering prepares graduates for employment across biomedical engineering, medical technology, healthcare and research, while also providing a strong foundation for medical, dental and graduate education. The University of Houston states that graduates pursue careers in a wide variety of biomedical engineering fields and that many continue into research, medicine, business, law and other areas.

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

Career support: The Cullen College's Engineering Career Center connects engineering students with internships and full-time positions and provides career-related support.
Starting salary: The College of Engineering reports an average starting salary of $81,750 for Biomedical Engineering B.S. graduates in 2026, based on voluntarily reported graduate outcomes; the reported knowledge rate was 73% across 970 reported outcomes from 1,331 College of Engineering May 2026 graduates.
Research progression: Students can use faculty research, the Senior Honors Thesis Program, SURF and other undergraduate research opportunities to build credentials for graduate school and research careers.
Healthcare connections: The department works with the University of Houston's Health Research Institute, Medical School, Colleges of Pharmacy and Optometry, and maintains relationships with hospitals and educational institutions within the Texas Medical Center and other biomedical centers.
Industry preparation: The program's capstone and engineering curriculum develop technical, teamwork, communication and professional skills, while the Cullen College Career Center supports connections to internships and full-time employment.
Professional value: The program's ABET accreditation provides long-term recognition of the engineering education and supports graduates seeking biomedical engineering employment or further professional education.
Graduate outcomes: UH reports that past BME graduates have continued their education at distinguished graduate, medical and dental schools, and the department's educational objectives explicitly include advanced study in biomedical engineering or other disciplines.

Further Academic Progression: Graduates can continue into master's or doctoral study in biomedical engineering and related fields. The University of Houston also offers an Accelerated Master's Program, where approved undergraduate courses can count toward both the bachelor's and master's degrees, creating a structured pathway into graduate-level biomedical engineering study.