Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering

Become an Engineer With Purpose by Pursuing Marymount’s Biomedical Engineering Program

Build upper-limb exoskeletons and body-powered prosthetics. Design custom electronic wearables. Develop computer-based tracking systems for clinical practices.

At Marymount University, our Biomedical Engineering bachelor’s degree brings together engineering and medicine to improve health care in the Washington, DC, area and around the globe. Our hands-on courses for Biomedical Engineering students are taught by expert professionals, feature small classes with personalized attention, and offer various opportunities to conduct groundbreaking—and life-changing—undergraduate research.

When you graduate from our on-campus Biomedical Engineering bachelor’s degree, you’ll have the knowledge and know-how of various design and implementation technologies to succeed in an ever-growing field of jobs for biomedical engineers.

Biomedical Engineering Program Highlights

At Marymount, courses for Biomedical Engineering majors equip you with the knowledge and confidence to use technology and medicine to improve human health and well-being. You’ll build a firm foundation in computer, electrical, and mechanical engineering as you:

• Learn from faculty members with diverse expertise

Our faculty members are expert educators and leaders in research, including designing 3D printable prosthetic limbs and assistive devices that are built for the low-resource regions of the world. They will be there to work with you in the classroom, collaborate with you in their game-changing research, and prepare you to succeed in jobs for biomedical engineers.

• Access top-notch technologies and laboratories

In your courses for Biomedical Engineering majors, you will utilize traditional and additive manufacturing technologies and basic electronics throughout their studies. Gain hands-on experience with resin 3D printers and 3D bioprinters as you utilize our digital fabrication, electronics, and virtual reality design and testing labs. With access to these cutting-edge tools, our Biomedical Engineering bachelor’s degree students have created custom electronic wearables, body-powered prosthetics, and more.

• Pursue hands-on capstone projects

As part of your Biomedical Engineering program requirements, you will complete freshman and senior capstone projects. While your freshman capstone project will introduce you to the full engineering design process—from ideation through development and testing—your senior capstone project will allow you to demonstrate growth as an engineer as you work with a clinical or industry partner on a cutting-edge venture.

• Thrive in small classes

Unlike other Biomedical Engineering bachelor’s degree programs, at Marymount you’ll benefit from small courses for Biomedical Engineering. In fact, our student-to-faculty ratio is 10:1. That means you’ll have robust personal attention throughout your studies and as you prepare for jobs for biomedical engineers.

What Can You Do With a Biomedical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree?

More than 2 billion individuals will need at least one assistive product in their lives, according to the World Health Organization. Because more than 90% of these individuals will lack access to such assistive technologies, Marymount puts a unique emphasis on low-cost assistive tools to meet this global need.

Jobs for biomedical engineers continue to see growth, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expecting a 5% increase in career opportunities over the next decade.

Jobs for Biomedical Engineers

Biomedical Engineering program graduates can expect to find employment in:

• Biomaterials
• Biomedical device design
• Data science
• Heath care
• Prosthetics and orthotics
• Wearable technology

Additionally, salary outlooks for jobs for biomedical engineers remain strong. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay for biomedical engineers is $91,410—significantly higher than salaries for many other occupations. That means, as a Marymount graduate, you’ll be entering a growing, rewarding, and purposeful career path.

What You Will Study in Our Biomedical Engineering Program

At Marymount, our 120-credit-hour Biomedical Engineering bachelor’s degree starts with a core liberal arts curriculum. You’ll then complete 10 foundational courses for Biomedical Engineering studies and six additional electives. You can expect to take coursework in:

• Biomechanics, which studies the forces, stresses, and strains in the human body during normal function.
• Intermediate Engineering Design–Biomedical Applications, which involves applying engineering principles and materials to medicine and health care.
• Medical Wearable Development, which covers microcomputer applications—both hardware and software—as applied to biomedical science and biomedical engineering.
• Details on the curriculum can be found here.

Student Learning Outcomes and Program Educational Objectives

In obtaining a degree in engineering from Marymount University, students will develop:

1. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
2. an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
3. an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
4. an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
5. an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
6. an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
7. an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Our program educational objectives are for students to use these abilities to G.I.V.E. back to their worldwide community by:

• Gaining foundational knowledge in physical, health and/or life sciences.
• Innovating technological solutions that address the barriers that limit participation in society.
• Valuing research opportunities towards further graduate study in science, engineering and/or healthcare.
• Extending skills to professional practice in industry, research and government agencies.

Future Outlook for Engineering Students

Engineering in general is a rapidly growing field, particularly in the DC/MD/VA region.  Anticipated job growth and salaries in the area of mechanical and biomedical engineering are promising.  Mechanical engineers in the region can anticipate 4% job growth while biomedical engineers are anticipated to experience 5 % job growth from 2019-2029, according to the bureau of labor and statistics (Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers : Occupational Outlook Handbook).  Additionally, mechanical and biomedical engineers command competitive salaries in the area with 2019 median pay for a mechanical engineer in the region being $117,570 annually and biomedical engineer salaries equating to $91,410 per year.  This is significantly higher than the total median across all occupations tracked by BLS ($39,810).  Bioengineering, in particular, is a particularly high area for employment, with the metropolitan DC/VA/MD/WV region being the third highest area of employment in the United States for bioengineers, with a mean annual wage locally of $114,360 and the tenth highest region of employment for mechanical engineers, with a mean annual wage of $11,750.  In addition, the state of Maryland is the state with the fifth highest concentration of jobs for bio/biomedical engineers in the nation with a location quotient equal to 2.36 (where a quotient of greater than 1 indicates a higher share of employment than average).  Students with either a mechanical or a biomedical engineering degree will be able to pursue advanced degrees or employment in a diverse range of high-growth industries such as healthcare, biomedical device design, wearable technology, prosthetics/orthotics, biomaterials, computational modeling, data sciences, etc. 

Laptop Suggestions

Engineering requires extensive work with advanced modeling and simulation software. All required software will be available for students to use in the engineering classrooms. Most modern computers should suffice, but for the most optimized experience the program recommends purchasing a laptop that meets or exceeds the specifications below.

If you have additional questions, please reach out to Dr Eric Bubar (eric.bubar@marymount.edu)

Biomedical Engineering Faculty

Our Biomedical Engineering program faculty members are leaders in teaching and research, and they also are thought leaders in the field through their service to various professional organizations.

View our faculty here

Programs Related to Biomedical Engineering

Bachelor of Science in Biology
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
Bachelor of Science in Mathematics
Dual Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Liberal Studies