Abstract

Undergraduate education in biomedical engineering (BME) and bioengineering (BioE) has been in place for more than 50 years. It has been important in shaping the field as a whole. The early undergraduate programs developed shortly after BME graduate programs, as universities sought to capitalize on the interest of students and the practical advantages of having BME departments that could control their own resources and curriculum. Unlike other engineering fields, BME did not rely initially on a market for graduates in industry, although BME graduates subsequently have found many opportunities. BME undergraduate programs exploded in the 2000s with funding from the Whitaker Foundation and resources from other agencies such as the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. The number of programs appears to be reaching a plateau, with 118 accredited programs in the United States at present. We show that there is a core of material that most undergraduates are expected to know, which is different from the knowledge base of other engineers not only in terms of biology, but in the breadth of engineering. We also review the role of important organizations and conferences in the growth of BME, special features of BME education, first placements of BME graduates, and a few challenges to address in the future.

中文翻译：

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生物医学工程本科教育五十年。

摘要

生物医学工程（BME）和生物工程（BioE）的本科教育已经开展了50多年。对于整个领域的塑造至关重要。早期的本科课程是在BME研究生课程之后不久发展的，因为大学试图利用学生的兴趣和拥有BME部门来控制自己的资源和课程的实际优势。与其他工程领域不同，BME最初并不依赖于工业毕业生的市场，尽管BME毕业生随后发现了很多机会。在惠特克基金会（Whitaker Foundation）和其他机构（例如美国国家生物医学成像与生物工程研究所）的资助下，BME本科课程在2000年代取得了爆炸性的增长。程序数量似乎已达到平稳状态，目前在美国拥有118个获得认可的程序。我们表明，大多数本科生都希望掌握一个核心材料，这与其他工程师的知识库不仅在生物学方面，而且在工程学的广度上也有所不同。我们还将回顾重要组织和会议在BME的发展中的作用，BME教育的特色，BME毕业生的第一职业以及未来需要解决的一些挑战。