Curriculum: For students who entered UBC in 2020W and Prior
The Biomedical Engineering program offers four streams for students to customize their degree to their interest area. Students take common core courses for their second year which prepare them for specialization in one of four streams of our undergraduate program. In third year, they focus their studies in one of the streams: Cellular Bioengineering, Biomechanics & Biomaterials, Biomedical Systems & Signals, or Biomedical Informatics.
The undergraduate program is fully accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board of the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers.
This curriculum list is unofficial. The official curriculum for a cohort (a group of students starting the same program in the same year) is determined by taking the appropriate UBC Calendar curriculum listing for four sequential years.
Curriculum: For students who entered UBC in 2020W and Prior
Category 1 | ||
2020W | Entered UBC | 1st year student |
2021W | Entered UBC | 2nd year standing |
2022W | Going into Streams | 3rd year standing |
Category 2 | ||
2021W | Entered UBC | 1st year student |
2022W | Entered BMEG | 2nd year standing |
2023W | Going into Specializations | 3rd year standing |
Notes:
The 2022/2023 Academic Calendar contains a note that says “the intake of students into streams was discontinued after the 2021W Year 3 Cohort”. To clarify further, this change from Streams to Specializations applies to students who entered UBC in 2021W and achieve third year standing in 2023W.
Current students with questions about their curriculum should review the Course Planning and Registration Guide or consult an advisor.
Not all courses will be available each year.
Please Note
For the Registration Guide, visit the Undergraduate Advising Canvas course.
Core Courses Breakdown
Year 2
Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
Technical Communication for Biomedical Engineers | 3 | |
Thermodynamics in Biomedical Engineering | 3 | |
Circuits and Electromagnetics with Application to Biomedical Engineering | 4 | |
Biomechanics I | 4 | |
The Fundamental Units of Life: From Cells To Systems | 4 | |
Cellular Physiology and Biophysics | 4 | |
Biomedical Engineering Design I | 4 | |
Transport Phenomena I | 4 | |
Principles of Software Construction OR Software Design for Engineers | 4 | |
Multivariable Calculus | 3 | |
Differential equations | 3 | |
Math 264(2) | Vector Calculus for Electrical Engineering | 1 |
Total | 40 |
(1) Students interested in pursing the Biomedical Informatics or Biomedical Systems and Signals streams should take CPEN 221. (2) Delivered with BMEG 220
Year 3
Introductory Medical Biochemistry | 3 | |
Introduction to Bioinformatics | 4 | |
Biomedical Instrumentation | 3 | |
Human Structure/Function from Cells to Systems | 4 | |
Biomedical Engineering Design II | 3 | |
Transport Phenomena within Cells and Tissues | 3 | |
Organic Chemistry for the Biological Sciences | 3 | |
Organic Chemistry Laboratory | 1 | |
Elementary Statistics | 3 | |
Technical Electives | 9 | |
Complementary Studies Electives | 3 | |
Total | 39 |
Stream Courses
Selecting Your Electives
By the end of their second year, students will be able to start focusing their learning in any of our four broad streams. This offers you the chance to make your undergraduate experience truly tailored to your interests.
Biomedical Informatics
The Bioinformatics stream explores the use of patient health care information to understand disease and pathophysiology, and to improve outcomes.
Biomedical Informatics
Core Stream Courses
*This course is not required if you entered this Stream in 2022W, but it is a valid technical elective. Students who are not required to take BIOC 302 need to take an additional 3 credits of technical elective from the list below to make up a total of 27 credits of all stream courses (core and electives).
(1) CPSC will accept APSC 160 and CPEN 221 to exempt CPSC 110
Stream Electives
Choose 13 (if taking CPSC 121) or 14 credits (if taking MATH 220) from electives*
Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
New Venture Design | 6 | |
Linear Systems in Optics | 3 | |
Modern Biomedical Optical Imaging | 3 | |
Clinical Informatics | 3 | |
Genome Informatics | 3 | |
Biomedical Robotics | 3 | |
Synthetic Biology Bootcamp | 3 | |
IMMUNOENGINEERNG | 3 | |
BMEG 400K | Wearables | 3 |
EXP MICROFLUIDIC | 3 | |
BMEG 400Q | Medical Image Processing with Introduction to Machine Learning Methods | 3 |
Medical Imaging | 3 | |
Introduction to Academic Research | 3/6 | |
Bioprocess Engineering I | 3 | |
Software Engineering | 4 | |
Software Project Management | 4 | |
Human Computer Interfaces in Engineering Design | 4 | |
Numerical Computation for Algebraic Problems | 3 | |
Introduction to relational databases | 3 | |
Intermediate Algorithm Design and Analysis | 3 | |
Introduction to Artificial intelligence | 3 | |
Introduction to Human Computer Interaction Methods | 3 | |
Computer Vision | 3 | |
Algorithms for Bioinformatics | 3 | |
Signals and Systems | 4 | |
Stochastic Signals and Systems | 4 | |
Computer Communications | 4 | |
Sensors and Actuators in Microsystems | 3 | |
Methods for Statistical Learning | 3 | |
Total | 13 or 14 |
*A minimum of 7 credits must be taken from APSC 486; BMEG 421 (formerly BMEG 400B); BMEG 422 (formerly BMEG 400C); BMEG 423 (formerly BMEG 400D); BMEG 424 (formerly BMEG 400E); BMEG 425 (formerly BMEG 400F); BMEG 400H; BMEG 400M;BMEG 400K; BMEG 400Q; BMEG 420; BMEG490A/490B; CHBE 381; CPEN 321; CPEN 421; CPEN 441; ELEC 221; ELEC 331; ELEC 462
Note: CPSC courses are typically in high demand campus-wide, and there are no reserved seats for technical electives. SBME students will have to register in the general seat pool; this pool can fill up quickly, as these seats are available to students in other departments as well.
Biomechanics & Biomaterials
The Biomaterials & Biomechanics stream focuses on the application of principles of classical mechanics to problems in biological systems and views the body as an engineered structure.
Choose 17 credits from electives
Biomechanics & Biomaterials
Core Stream Courses
(1) not required for students who started their stream in September 2019. Those students take 18 credits of stream electives.
Stream Electives
Choose 17 credits from electives
Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
New Venture Design | 6 | |
General Biochemistry | 3 | |
Biomedical Materials and Drug Delivery | 3 | |
Microfluidics | 3 | |
IMMUNOENGINEERNG | 3 | |
BMEG 400k | Wearables | 3 |
EXP MICROFLUIDIC | 3 | |
BMEG 400Q | Medical Image Processing with Introduction to Machine Learning Methods | 3 |
Linear Systems in Optics | 3 | |
Modern Biomedical Optical Imaging | 3 | |
Biomedical Robotics | 3 | |
Synthetic Biology Bootcamp | 3 | |
Medical Imaging | 3 | |
BMEG 470 (Previously BMEG 370) | Cellular Responses to Forces and Biomaterials | 3 |
Introduction to Academic Research | 3/6 | |
CPEN 312(1) | Digital Systems and Microcomputers | 3 |
Mechanics of Materials | 3 | |
Fluid Dynamics | 3 | |
Engineering Dynamics | 3 | |
MECH 433(2) | Biofluids | 3 |
Fundamentals of Injury Biomechanics | 3 | |
MECH 462 (3) | Finite Element Analysis | 3 |
Mechanical Vibrations | 3 | |
Dynamic System Modeling | 3 | |
Biomaterials | 3 | |
Total | 17 |
(1) BMEG students may take CPEN 312 with BMEG 220 and CPEN 221. Please note students may be required to learn diodes and transistors (BJTs and MOSEFTs) content through self-study outside of class. Contact registration@ece.ubc.ca for registration.
(2) BMEG students may take MECH 433 without MECH 380. Please contact course instructors for registration.
(3) BMEG students do not need to take MECH 375 as a pre-requisite course for MECH 462. Please contact course instructors for registration.
Biomedical Systems & Signals
Biomedical System and Signals stream provides an understanding of the fundamental processes that produce and transform signals in biological systems, and the method by which these signals are transformed to general information.
Biomedical Systems & Signals
Core Stream Courses
Stream Electives
Choose 20 credits from electives*
Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
New Venture Design | 6 | |
General Biochemistry | 3 | |
BMEG 400K | Wearables | 3 |
BMEG 400Q | Medical Image Processing with Introduction to Machine Learning Methods | 3 |
Linear Systems in Optics | 3 | |
Modern Biomedical Optical Imaging | 3 | |
Clinical Informatics | 3 | |
Genome Informatics | 3 | |
Biomedical Robotics | 3 | |
Synthetic Biology Bootcamp | 3 | |
IMMUNOENGINEERNG | 3 | |
EXP MICROFLUIDIC | 3 | |
Medical Imaging | 3 | |
Introduction to Academic Research | 3/6 | |
Bioprocess Engineering I | 3 | |
CPEN 312(1) | Digital Systems and Microcomputers | 3 |
Models of Computation | 4 | |
Basic Algorithms and Data Structures | 4 | |
Applied Machine Learning | 3 | |
Machine Learning and Data Mining | 3 | |
Stochastic Signals and Systems | 4 | |
Computer Communications | 4 | |
Digital Signal and Image Processing OR Biosignals and Systems | 3 | |
Introduction to Robotics | 3 | |
Sensors and Actuators in Microsystems | 3 | |
Micro/Nanofabrication and Instrumentation Laboratory | 3 | |
Nanotechnology and Nature | 3 | |
Microsystems Design | 3 | |
Biological Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems | 3 | |
Mathematical Proof | 3 | |
MECH 464(2) | Industrial Robotics | 3 |
Total | 20 |
* A minimum of 13 credits must be taken from APSC 486; BMEG 421 (formerly BMEG 400B); BMEG 422 (formerly BMEG 400C); BMEG 423 (formerly BMEG 400D), BMEG 424 (formerly BMEG 400E), BMEG 425 (formerly BMEG 400F); BMEG 400H; BMEG 400M; BMEG 400K; BMEG 400Q; BMEG 420; BMEG 490A/490B; CHBE 381; CPEN 312; ELEC 321; ELEC 331; ELEC 421; ELEC 422; ELEC 442; ELEC 462; ELEC 463; ELEC 464; ELEC 465; ELEC 473; MECH 464.
(1) BMEG students may take CPEN 312 with BMEG 220 and CPEN 221. Please note students may be required to learn diodes and transistors (BJTs and MOSEFTs) content through self-study outside of class. Contact registration@ece.ubc.ca for registration.
(2) MECH 464 will accept BMEG 320 as pre-requisite for this course.
Note: CPSC courses are typically in high demand campus-wide, and there are no reserved seats for technical electives. SBME students will have to register in the general seat pool; this pool can fill up quickly, as these seats are available to students in other departments as well.
Cellular Bioengineering
Cellular Bioengineering stream applies the engineering principles of design, analysis, and methodology to cellular and molecular biology for the development cell-based therapeutics in regenerative medicine and drug delivery.
Cellular Bioengineering
Core Stream Courses
(1) CHBE 381 will accept BMEG 245 instead of BIOL 112. Please contact us for registration requests.
Stream Electives
Choose 15 credits from electives*
Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
New Venture Design | 6 | |
Biomedical Materials and Drug Delivery | 3 | |
Microfludics | 3 | |
BMEG 400K | Wearables | 3 |
BMEG 400Q | Medical Image Processing with Introduction to Machine Learning Methods | 3 |
Linear Systems in Optics | 3 | |
Modern Biomedical Optical Imaging | 3 | |
Clinical Informatics | 3 | |
Genome Informatics | 3 | |
Biomedical Robotics’ | 3 | |
Synthetic Biology Bootcamp | 3 | |
IMMUNOENGINEERNG | 3 | |
EXP MICROFLUIDIC | 3 | |
Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine | 3 | |
Introduction to Academic Research | 3/6 | |
CAPS 421(2) | Advanced cellular & molecular physiology | 3 |
Bioprocess Engineering II | 4 | |
Introduction to Chemical Analysis | 4 | |
MICB 202(3) | Introductory Medical Microbiology and Immunology | 3 |
MICB 212(4) | Introductory Immunology and Virology | 3 |
Immunology | 3 | |
Molecular Virology | 3 | |
PHYS 305 (5) | Introduction to Biophysics | 3 |
Total | 15 |
* A minimum of 9 credits must be taken from APSC 486; BMEG 372; BMEG 373; BMEG 421 (formerly BMEG 400B); BMEG 422 (formerly BMEG 400C); BMEG 423 (formerly BMEG 400D); BMEG 424 (formerly BMEG 400E); BMEG 425 (formerly BMEG 400F); BMEG 400H; BMEG 400J; BMEG 400K; BMEG 400Q; BMEG 474; BMEG 490A/490B; CHBE 481.
(1) Credit will only be given to either BMEG 490A or BMEG 490B, not both.
(2) CAPS 421 will accept all of BMEG 245, BMEG 250, BMEG 350 as pre-requisites for this course. Please contact course instructors for registration.
(3) MICB 202 will accept all of BMEG 245 and BMEG 250 as pre-requisites for this course. Please contact us for registration requests.
(4) MICB 212 will be accepted as an equivalent of MICB 202 during years that MICB 202 is not offered. Three (3) credits for either MICB 202 OR MICB 212 will count towards the total elective credits for the Cellular Bioengineering stream.
(5) PHYS 305 will accept BMEG 210 as pre-requisite for this course. Please contact ugcoord@phas.ubc.ca for registration.