Bachelor of Science (Honours) Scheme in Biomedical Engineering

Aims and Characteristics

Biomedical engineering is recognised around the world as one of the fastest growing areas of innovation. It covers a wide spectrum of applications, such as devices used by health professionals in their diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitative practices; implants that are placed in patients for their health maintenance; prostheses, orthoses and assistive devices that are used by people with special needs to facilitate their daily activities; and healthcare products and exercise equipment for general health promotion.

This developing global field requires professionals who understand both the health issues that motivate these technologies and the engineering solutions that they offer. It needs individuals with a solid foundation in both health sciences and engineering technologies.

Our BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Engineering curriculum prepares students for such a challenging career. They have opportunities to take subjects in both life sciences and engineering and to integrate these concepts into interdisciplinary applications to improve human health.

In addition to building foundational knowledge through classes on campus, students engage in practical learning through an industrial internship/clinical attachment (a 280 hour industrial internship for BME stream students and a 560 hour clinical attachment for BME with P&O stream students). These internships/attachments offer good opportunities for students to put what they have learned into practice and accumulate work experience for their future careers. The internships/attachments take place in industry settings and hospitals, and some of our students participate in overseas placements (e.g. in Canada, China, Czech Republic, Japan, Singapore, the UK and the USA).

Exchange opportunities are available with our overseas partner institutes:

• Jonkoping University, Sweden (ju.se/en/study-at-ju/our-programmes/bachelor-programmes/prosthetics-and-orthotics);
• Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Finland (www.metropolia.fi/en/academics/degree-programmes-in-finnish/prosthetics-and-orthotics);
• University of Pennsylvania, USA (www.seas.upenn.edu/be);
• University of Strathclyde, UK (www.strath.ac.uk/engineering/biomedicalengineering/); and
• Washington University in St Louis, USA (bme.wustl.edu).

Students also have opportunities to join the Faculty-level and University-level exchange programmes.