Biomedical Engineering, BE

Admission Requirements

Acceptance into the Major

Qualified freshman and transfer students who have indicated their interest in the major on their applications may be admitted directly as a degree major or as a pre-major. Pre-majors are placed into the Area of Interest (AOI) program and to be eligible for the degree, they must be admitted to and declare the major. The requirements and application process for matriculation are detailed below. Students admitted to other programs within the College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS) follow the same admissions process as students in the AOI program. Students in programs outside of CEAS (non-CEAS students) and double major applicants may apply for admission to the degree program following a separate process, outlined below.

Intellectual honesty and academic integrity are cornerstones of academic and scholarly work. The department may table any applications for major/minor admission until academic judiciary matters are resolved. An academic judiciary matter will be identified by a grade of “Q” in the instance of a first offense.

Area of Interest and Other CEAS Students (excluding double major applicants) 

Applications for major admission from AOI and other CEAS students are reviewed twice per year and must be received by January 5 for Spring admission and June 5 for Fall admission. Students who submit their application on time will be admitted if they meet the following requirements:

• Completed AMS 161  and PHY 132 /PHY 134  or equivalents;
• Earn 10 or more credits of mathematics, physics and engineering courses that are taken at Stony Brook and satisfy the major’s requirements;
• Obtain a grade point average of at least 3.0 in major courses with no more than one grade below B-;
• No more than two required courses for the major have been repeated; 
• Completion of course evaluations for all transferred courses that are to be used to meet requirements of the major.

Students must complete these requirements no later than one year after they enroll in the first course that applies towards major entry. Students must apply for admission by the application deadline immediately following completion of the above requirements, but no later than the one year limit. Admission of AOI students and other CEAS students who apply late will follow the process of Non-CEAS Students and Double Major Applicants below.

Non-CEAS Students and Double Major Applicants

Applications for major admission from non-CEAS students and double major applicants are reviewed twice per year and must be received by January 5 for Spring admission and June 5 for Fall admission. Students who do not meet the requirements for AOI admission above will not be considered. Fulfilling the requirements does not guarantee acceptance. Admission is competitive and contingent upon program capacity.

Degree Requirements

The curriculum begins with a focus on basic mathematics and the natural sciences followed by courses that emphasize engineering science and bridging courses that combine engineering science and design. The sequence of courses culminates with a one-year design experience that integrates the science, engineering, and communication knowledge acquired. The technical electives and additional courses are chosen in consultation with a faculty advisor, taking into consideration the particular interest of the student.

Completion of the major requires approximately 128 credits.

BE/MS Degree

BME undergraduate students may be eligible to enroll in the BE/MS degree starting in their senior year and pursue a Bachelor’s Degree along with a MS in Biomedical Engineering. Important features of this accelerated degree program are that students must apply to the program through the BME Graduate Program Director during their junior year.

SBC Courses

This table illustrates major courses that can also be used to fulfill SBC requirements. (See Note 1 & Note 2)

Note 1: Some course information may be subject to change. Please contact your major advisor for additional consultation.

Note 2: For majors that require study in a related area or completion of a minor, visit the respective program’s “Major SBC Courses” page to view expanded SBC options. 

Note 3: Denotes any course in which students can choose from more than one option. These may include, but are not limited to, major electives, concentration/track/specialization courses, or calculus/physics/chemistry sequences.

Note 4: CEAS majors, the Athletic Training major, the Respiratory Care major, and the Clinical Laboratory Sciences major are exempt from the LANG learning objective. Students enrolled in the major in Social Work are exempt from the LANG learning objective, but are required to enroll in and pass with a letter grade of C or higher the first semester of an elementary foreign language course numbered 111, or satisfy through alternate methods.

Note 5: Students are responsible for completing the general education requirements published in the Bulletin that was current as of the first semester of matriculation (or rematriculation). The following student groups must satisfy the DIV learning objective as part of their degree requirements:

• Freshmen who matriculate in the Fall of 2019 or later
• Transfer students who matriculate in the Spring of 2020 or later
• Students who rematriculate in the Fall of 2019 or later

Sample Course Sequence