Duke BME students make presentations at the annual design showcase

Curriculum & Advising

Duke Biomedical Engineering (BME) students learn the classical engineering disciplines, as well as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology. They also gain broad exposure to Duke's excellent offerings in the social sciences and humanities.

In addition to engineering courses, our curriculum includes:

  • Five social science and humanities courses
  • One undergraduate writing course
  • Two introductory courses each in physics and chemistry
  • Two life-science courses
  • Five mathematics courses
  • One computational methods course

To add depth, focus and career preparation to their studies, Duke BME undergraduates may also pursue elective-course sequences, double-majors, second majors, minors and certificates. Learn more »


Undergraduate Handbook

Please refer to the latest version of Undergraduate Program Handbook for course planning. This resource is updated yearly.

Download Handbook


Graduation Checklists

Major or Double Major

Class of 2025

Class of 2022 to Class of 2024
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BME/CSDownload »Download »
BME/ECEDownload »Download »
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Double Majors, Minors and Specializations

To add depth, focus and career preparation to their Duke BME degrees, our students may also pursue:

Elective-Course Sequences

Students may choose an elective-course sequence to learn specific knowledge in:

  • Biomedical imaging and instrumentation
  • Biomolecular and tissue engineering
  • Biomechanics
  • Electrobiology

Double Major

Duke BME students may declare a double major in Biomedical Engineering plus:

Second Major or a Minor

With advance preparation, students may also undertake a second major or a minor in any fields offered by Duke. To do it, they can use unrestricted electives to take specific courses in these fields.

Certificates

Duke offers a range of certificate programs for undergraduates. Click below to browse certificate program lists within the:


Advising

Due to the high student/faculty ratio in the BME program, the BME faculty does not directly advise first-year students.

First-year students having questions about BME program that cannot be answered by their advisers can make an appointment with a BME Advising Consultant. A consultant can answer questions about BME requirements and help students plan their course sequence. However, the consultant does not replace a designated adviser. Students still must meet with their advisers to receive registration clearance.

For declared BME majors, faculty adviser assignment is based upon the major interests (e.g., BME/ECE dual major) expressed by the student and the need to balance the number of advisees per faculty member. An advisers' primary role is to help students identify course work for each upcoming semester. They are also available to discuss overall career directions, research opportunities, and other concerns.

Other helpful resources for students are the Director of Undergraduate Studies and the Department Chair.