The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Bioengineering: Biotechnology prepares students for a variety of careers in the biotechnology industry and for further education in graduate school. The curriculum has a strong engineering foundation with emphasis on biochemical process applications. It addresses the bioengineering topics of biochemistry and metabolism, kinetics, biotransport, biosystems, bioreactors, bioseparations, tissue engineering, and the complementary field of cellular physiology. Education in these areas allows application of bioengineering and physicochemical principles to cellular and molecular biology, with the consequent development of molecules, cells, and tissues that benefit human health.
Students who apply and are unable to transition into the impacted Bioengineering: Biotechnology major will be notified of their status in a timely manner by the Bioengineering Student Affairs Office.
Bioengineering: Biotechnology SUMMARY
CURRICULUM
Flowchart
Flowchart for the Bioengineering: Biotechnology major are provided here, downloadable in PDF format.
Bioengineering: Biotechnology Flowchart (updated 4/8/2024)
Current undergraduate students are encouraged to be aware of their own progress toward graduation. To achieve this, students should keep up-to-date a flowchart that is marked for each course with the year/quarter it is completed and the grade received.
Freshmen
If you have satisfied one or more courses by Advanced Placement ("AP) from high school, enroll in the next course in the series (e.g., if "AP" credit exempts you from MATH 20A, enroll in MATH 20B).
Freshmen and Transfer Students
Go to https://catalog.ucsd.edu/courses/BENG.html to read the Bioengineering (BENG) departmental course descriptions in the UCSD General Catalog. Additionally, visit similar sites to review the course descriptions for courses required in your major that are offered by other departments.
If, after reviewing your major's requirements, you have questions and wish to contact Bioengineering Student Affairs academic advisors, do so preferably via the Virtual Advising Center (VAC) or via email request be-uginfo@bioeng.ucsd.edu.
COURSES
- Freshman Year
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- BENG 1: Introduction to Bioengineering (2 units)
- CHEM 6A: General Chemistry I
- CHEM 6B: General Chemistry II
- CHEM 6C: General Chemistry III
- CHEM 7L: General Chemistry Laboratory
- MATH 20A: Calculus for Science and Engineering
- MATH 20B: Calculus for Science and Engineering
- MATH 20C: Calculus and Analytic Geometry for Science and Engineering OR MATH 31BH:Honors Multivariable Calculus
- PHYS 2A: Physics-Mechanics
- PHYS 2B: Physics-Electricity and Magnetism
- HSS: Humanities/Social Science College General Ed. Courses
- Sophomore Year
-
- BENG 100: Introduction to Probability and Statistics for Bioengineers
- BILD 1: The Cell
- CHEM 40A: Organic Chemistry I
- CHEM 40B: Organic Chemistry II
- MAE 08: MATLAB Programming for Engineering Analysis
- MATH 18: Linear Algebra OR MATH 31AH: Honors Linear Algebra
- MATH 20D: Introduction to Differential Equations (MUST TAKE MATH 20D BEFORE BENG 130!)
- MATH 20E: Vector Calculus OR MATH 31CH:Honors Vector Calculus
- PHYS 2C: Physics-Fluids, Waves, Thermodynamics, and Optics
- PHYS 2CL: Physics Laboratory-Electricity and Magnetism (2 units) HSS: Humanities/Social Science College General Ed. Courses
- Junior Year
-
- BENG 103B: Bioengineering Mass Transfer
- BENG 123: Dynamic Simulation in Bioengineering
- BENG 130: Biotechnology Thermodynamics and Kinetics
- BENG 160: Chemical and Molecular Bioengineering Techniques
- BENG 168: Biomolecular Engineering
- BENG 186A: Principles of Biomaterials Design
- BENG 187A: Bioengineering Design Project: Planning (1 unit)
- BENG 191: Senior Seminar I: Professional Issues in Bioengineering (2 units --- recommended, not required)
- BICD 100: Genetics
- CENG 101A: Introductory Fluid Mechanics
- MAE 170: Experimental Techniques
- HSS: Humanities/Social Science College General Ed. Courses
- Senior Year
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- BENG 125: Modeling and Computation in Bioengineering
- BENG 161A: Bioreactor Engineering
- BENG 161B. Biochemical Engineering
- BENG 162: Biotechnology Laboratory
- BENG 166A: Cell and Tissue Engineering
- BENG 187B: Bioengineering Design Project: Development (1 unit)
- BENG 187C: Bioengineering Design Project: Implementation (1 unit)
- BENG 187D: Bioengineering Design Project: Presentation (1 unit)
- BENG XXXA: Design Elective Course "A" (3 units)
- BENG XXXB: Design Elective Course "B" (3 units)
- BENG 191: Senior Seminar I: Professional Issues in Bioengineering (2 units, if not taken in junior year --- recommended, not required)
- TE: Technical Elective Courses (8 units of which 4 units must be engineering-related)
- HSS: Humanities/Social Science College General Ed. Courses