The ENGMEDIC program was created in 1990 by the Department of Biomedical Engineering in the College of Engineering and the School of Medicine. It is an early selection program designed for biomedical engineering students who are interested in becoming physicians. A small number of highly qualified students, who have completed two years of the pre-medical option of the undergraduate biomedical engineering curriculum, are admitted to the program each year. It offers an integrated curriculum composed of undergraduate and medical-school related courses, enabling those preselected students to enhance their transition to the curriculum at the School of Medicine. The ENGMEDIC program thus introduces certain of the preclinical subjects into the last two years of undergraduate study. The program utilizes a series of instructional modules which include biochemistry, immunology, microbiology, socio-medical sciences, cellular organization of tissues, human physiology, public health, and humanities.

The ENGMEDIC program is not designed to accelerate either the undergraduate degree or medical training, but rather to effect a better transition from undergraduate engineering to graduate medical study. The B.S. in Biomedical Engineering is normally earned after four years of undergraduate study, and the M.D. after an additional four years of study at the School of Medicine.

Tuition for the first two years of ENGMEDIC (i.e., the third and fourth years of study in the College of Engineering) is the same as that charged to other College of Engineering students. Tuition for the remaining years of ENGMEDIC (i.e., all post-baccalaureate study at the School of Medicine) is the same as that charged to students enrolled in the regular curriculum of the School of Medicine.

The ENGMEDIC program accepts a small number of highly qualified students who have completed two years of the pre-medical option of the undergraduate biomedical engineering curriculum. Students apply to the program in the spring semester of the sophomore year. Applications are available on-line. Applications must be submitted to the Undergraduate Programs Office by March 9, 2012.

To be considered for admission, students must have completed or be taking the following courses:

CAS MA 225 Multivariate Calculus
CAS MA 226 Differential Equations
CAS PY 212 Physics II
CAS BE 209 Principles of Molecular Cell Biology
CAS CH 203 Organic Chemistry I
CAS CH 204 Organic Chemistry II
ENG EK 301 Engineering Mechanics
ENG EK 307 Electric Circuit Theory
ENG BE 200 Introduction to Probabilistic Systems
ENG EK 102 Introduction to Linear Algebra
or CAS MA 142 Introduction to Linear Algebra

Applications are evaluated by the ENGMEDIC Joint Admissions Committee composed of representatives from the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the School of Medicine. After an initial review, the most competitive applicants will be contacted for personal interviews with two members of the Admissions Committee. Interviews will take place during April and early May. Admission decisions will be made by June 15th.

Admission to the program is based on the student’s academic record, interviews, letters of recommendations (one of which must be from a College of Engineering faculty member), and a statement of interest in pursuing the dual professions of engineering and medicine. Involvements in college and community activities, as well as less tangible qualities of personality, character, and maturity, are also considered in the assessment process.

At the end of each curricular year, or as necessary, the ENGMEDIC Program and Promotions Committee will request a report from the Office of Judicial Affairs and Student Safety Programs to determine if ENGMEDIC students have violated University policies, as well as from the Dean’s Office of the students’ college to determine whether students have engaged in academic misconduct. The content of these reports will be considered in all promotions decisions, including the decision of promotion to the School of Medicine. Any student who has violated University policies or engaged in academic misconduct will have the opportunity to submit a written explanation to the ENGMEDIC Program and Promotions Committee.

In addition, medical students may, in accordance with federal and state law, or institutional policy, be asked to consent to a criminal background check. For students in the ENGMEDIC Program, this may occur at the time of promotion to the School of Medicine and/or at other times in the course of the medical school curriculum. The results of this criminal background check will be considered in promotion decisions.

ENGMEDIC students must demonstrate their ability to master engineering concepts and the modules of instruction, and must exhibit a high degree of maturity, integrity, and emotional stability to be promoted to the medical phase of the program. The ENGMEDIC Program and Promotions Committee reviews each student’s academic progress each semester.

Students are expected to obtain a GPA of at least 3.20 each semester after entering the program. They must also obtain a 3.00 cumulative average in science/engineering courses taken after entry into the program. In addition to maintaining a cumulative average of 3.20 or higher, students must also earn grades of B or better in the following courses: BE 401, BE 402, BE 420/BE 436, BE 491, BE 492, and EK 424. Students in the ENGMEDIC program are subject to the rules and regulations of the College of Engineering until they receive their B.S. degrees. Students are expected to take a full-time course load each semester.

Students must take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), usually in the spring of the third year of undergraduate study. ENGMEDIC students are expected to earn a combined score equal to or greater than 30 on the three numerically scored sub-sections of the MCAT before being promoted to the School of Medicine. The writing sample component of the MCAT must also be completed. The academic record of each student is reviewed by the ENGMEDIC Program and Promotions Committee before the student can begin the School of Medicine curriculum. Formal admission to the School of Medicine is granted upon satisfactory completion of the first two years of the ENGMEDIC program. (Please note that the School of Medicine does not accept AP credits to fulfill its admissions requirements. If you have questions regarding AP credits and medical school requirements, please consult the Pre-professional Advising Office in CAS B-2.)

A student who for any reason (academic, motivational, ethical, or emotional) is found to be ill-suited to continue the ENGMEDIC program will be terminated from the program but can remain in the College of Engineering without loss of credit. Such students may apply for entry to the School of Medicine or any other medical school by the conventional premedical route. Students may voluntarily leave the program at any point and continue working towards a B.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering.

Four modules of instruction must be completed in order to be eligible for promotion to Medical School. Normally, students use GMS PH730/731 and PH 750 and humanities electives to fulfill these modules. However, students who enter Boston University with AP credit or who take courses over the summer may satisfy this requirement in other ways.

Things to bear in mind, when choosing modules:

• Obtaining an average grade of B or higher in the human physiology and biochemistry courses/sequences may provide students with equivalency credit (advanced standing) in the curriculum at the School of Medicine. This will only occur if the equivalent course exists in the medical school curriculum. For the two semester sequence in human physiology (a three component course) students must earn grades no lower than B- in each component of the course and a B average overall. Students who receive advanced standing for a course in the first year of the medical school curriculum are required to master any components of the course that have been introduced since the time of the student’s enrollment in the modular course.
• Newly admitted ENGMEDIC students are strongly encouraged to take a genetics or advanced biology course during the summer between the sophomore and junior years, either at Boston University or at another school. (Students who wish to take a course at another institution must complete a transfer credit approval form in the College of Engineering prior to registering for the course in order to ensure that the credits will transfer upon successful completion of the course.)
• One of the modules must be Biochemistry and Cell Biology (GMS BI 751), Human Physiology (GMS PH 730/731/750), or Cellular Organization of Tissues (GMS AN 722).

The Biomedical Engineering undergraduate program leads to a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). An ENGMEDIC program planning sheet is available which illustrates a course sequence incorporating the ENGMEDIC/MMEDIC modules that will assure that all Biomedical Engineering B.S. requirements are met. There are several ENGMEDIC / MMEDIC modules offered, which may be interesting to ENGMEDIC students, but that do not satisfy either engineering requirements or medical school requirements. ENGMEDIC students with AP credit or who have taken courses during the summer session will find that they have additional flexibility in their programs, and may elect to take additional ENGMEDIC / MMEDIC modules. Course descriptions for the ENGMEDIC / MMEDIC program are also available on this web-site.

1. General Education Requirements

See the College of Engineering Student Handbook (www.bu.edu/eng/ugrad/handbook/) for details of the general education requirements for all engineering students. It is recommended that ENGMEDIC students use the Humanities ENGMEDIC / MMEDIC courses (Medical Ethics, Ethics of Health Care) to satisfy these requirements.

ENGMEDIC/MMEDIC courses CAS PH 251, Medical Ethics, and CAS PH 452, Ethics of Health Care, are humanities courses. If both are taken, they will satisfy the ENG depth requirement in the humanities.

2. Biomedical Engineering Course Requirements:

Professional Electives

In general the Biomedical Engineering curriculum requires two Professional Electives. These are satisfied by Organic Chemistry I and II, which are required for ENGMEDIC applicants.

The following additional courses are required during the junior and senior years for the Biomedical Engineering degree:

ENG BE 401 Signals and Systems in Biomedical Engineering - 4 credits
ENG BE 491 Engineering Physiology Laboratory I - 2 credits
GMS PH 730 Human Physiology A - 4 credits
ENG EK 424 Energy and Thermodynamics - 4 credits
ENG BE 402 Control Systems in Biomedical Engineering - 4 credits
ENG BE 492 Engineering Physiology Laboratory II - 2 credits

ENG BE 436 Fundamental of Fluid Mechanics
or BE 420 Introduction to Solid Biomechanics - 4 credits

Biomedical Elective 1 (GMS PH 730) - 4 credits
Biomedical Elective 2* - 4 credits
Biomedical Elective 3* - 4 credits
Engineering Elective* - 4 credits

ENG BE 465 Senior Project - 2 credits
ENG BE 466 Senior Project - 4 credits
ENG BE 467 Product Design and Innovation in BME - 2 credits

*One of these must be from the design elective list.

Biomedical and Engineering Electives

The Biomedical Engineering curriculum requires three Biomedical Electives and one Engineering Elective. GMS PH 731/750 satisfies one BME elective (see above). The engineering elective or one of the remaining Biomedical Electives must be chosen from the list of acceptable design electives that appears on the back of the junior and senior Biomedical Engineering program planning sheets.

Medical School Requirements for ENGMEDIC Students

All ENGMEDIC students must complete 2 courses in writing. These are typically completed through CAS WR 100 and CAS WR 150. Additionally, ENGMEDIC students must complete 2 humanities courses. These cannot be fulfilled by AP credits; they must be posted on a college or university transcript.

The administration of the ENGMEDIC Program is the joint responsibility of the College of Engineering and the School of Medicine. Associate Dean Eisenberg and Assistant Dean Zamansky are responsible for overseeing the day-to-day administrative tasks associated with advertising and running the program.

ENGMEDIC Joint Admissions Committee

The ENGMEDIC Joint Admissions Committee is composed of faculty appointed by the Deans of the College of Engineering and the School of Medicine. This committee is responsible for reviewing applications, interviewing applicants, and admitting students into the program. Admissions decisions are made by June 15, so that grades from the spring semester are available for consideration in the decision making process.

ENGMEDIC Program and Promotions Committee

The ENGMEDIC Program and Promotions Committee is composed of faculty from both the School of Medicine and the College of Engineering, who serve at the pleasure of their respective Deans. This committee is charged with two tasks: 1) to review the academic component of the ENGMEDIC program periodically for the purposes of improving program quality, and 2) to review the records of ENGMEDIC students to monitor each students program and academic progress.

Note: This information is subject to change