The Biomedical Engineering Minor is open to undergraduate students who are interested in an exciting, multidisciplinary field that lies at the interface of medicine, biology and engineering.  Students rostered outside of the College of Engineering and Applied Science may earn the minor as long as the meet the requirements below.

Biomedical engineers use engineering principles to analyze and solve problems in biology and medicine, providing an overall enhancement to healthcare. At the same time, biomedical engineers employ concepts learned from biology and medicine to generate new engineering designs.

Current research in biomedical engineering focuses on innovative areas such as biomechanics and mechanobiology; medical devices; imaging and diagnostics; and therpeutics.

Course Requirements

Completion of 18 credit hours (typically 6 courses) is required for the minor, distributed as follows:

  • BMEN 2000 Biomedical Engineering Gateway (3 credit hours):
    • This course cannot apply towards your major degree requirements
    • Starting in Fall 2023, this course will require a prerequisite course of Biology (CHEN 2810, EBIO 1210, or MCDB 1150) and  a prerequisite of Chemistry (CHEN 1201, CHEN 1211, CHEM 1113 or MCEN 1024).
    • This course utilizes Matlab.  Prior experience using Matlab is ideal. Students without Matlab experience may need to spend additional time learning Matlab to complete certain assignments.  Resources will be made available.
  • 15 elective credit hours (typically 5 courses)*

Requirements for the minor are met by completing the required gateway course and 15 elective credit hours identified below.  Here are additional guidelines regarding the requirements:

  • At least 12 credit hours must be upper-division (3000 or higher level)
  • 6 credit hours must be taken in engineering courses (including Computer Science). Here is a link to submit enrollment requests for department restricted courses. 
  • Up to 9 credit hours can be taken outside of engineering (i.e. IPHY, MCDB, PHIL)
  • Relevant Independent Study coursework can be petitioned
  • 5000-level courses are allowed where undergraduate students are eligible to enroll
  • Prior coursework may be transferred from other institutions with approval.
  • At least 9 credit hours need to be taken on the CU-Boulder campus- at least 6 credit hours of which must be at the upper-division level. 

Starting in Spring 2024 – newly matriculated students in the minor will need to select one of the focused technical electives below with the added condition that the course prefix cannot match your major.  Existing students in the minor program may choose this option.

  • BMEN 2010 – Biomaterials 
  • BMEN 4117 – Anatomy & Physiology for BME 
  • CHEN 2810 – Biology for Engineers
  • CHEN 4802 – Tissue Engineering & Medical Devices 
  • ECEN 4933 – Engineering Genetic Circuits
  • IPHY 3410 – Human Anatomy
  • IPHY 3430 – Human Physiology 
  • MCDB 1150 – Introduction to Cellular & Molecular Biology
  • MCDB 2150 – Principles of Genetics
  • PHIL 1160 – Introduction to Medical Ethics
  • PHIL 3160 – Bioethics
 Elective Courses for Biomedical Engineering Minor

Typical Timeline for Student Earning the Minor

Semester Task
Sophomore Fall Admission to Biomedical Engineering Minor
Sophomore Spring Biomedical Engineering Gateway Course
Junior-Senior years Technical Elective Courses

Selected admitted students are invited to participate in the minor.  Otherwise, admission to the minor is by application. Students must have a minimum CU cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 to apply. Students can apply at any time and will be notified of their admission status on a rolling basis.

Grade Requirements

A grade point average (GPA) of 2.000 or better is required in the courses that are used to satisfy the requirements for this minor. Each individual course that is counted towards these degree requirements must be passed with a D- or better. Note, however, that a C- or better is required in all prerequisite courses to move on to a subsequent course.

Completing the Biomedical Engineering Minor

The College of Engineering and Applied Science requires confirmation of Biomedical Engineering Minor completion. Please email biomed-minor@colorado.edu for final approval.

Questions or Degree Audit Updates?

Please email biomed-minor@colorado.edu.