Transfer to Biomedical Engineering
Your BME Journey Doesn’t Start Over Here. It Moves Forward.
Already building your foundation at a community college? Take the next step at the Richard and Loan Hill Department of Biomedical Engineering at UIC, where engineering meets medicine, surgery, research, and industry in the heart of Chicago.
At UIC, you won't simply complete another engineering degree. You will learn to apply engineering to real problems in healthcare, work alongside researchers and clinicians, explore medical technology, and prepare for careers across biomedical engineering, healthcare, industry, research, and medicine.
Your community college experience is your foundation. UIC BME is where you build what's next.
Why UIC BME
1. Why transfer to Biomedical Engineering at UIC?
UIC BME is uniquely positioned within both the College of Engineering and the College of Medicine.
You study engineering in a university surrounded by physicians, surgeons, researchers, health professionals, and healthcare innovation.
2. Learn Where Medicine Happens
BME’s connections with the College of Medicine and UI Health create opportunities to bring clinical problems into engineering education.
You can learn:
What does the clinician need?
What does the patient need?
What can an engineer build?
3. Design for Real Problems
UIC BME emphasizes engineering design, clinical problem solving, biomedical instrumentation, medical technology, and senior design.
You’ll move beyond using engineering to solve healthcare problems.
4. Research as an Undergraduate
You don’t have to wait until graduate school to become a researcher.
Through opportunities such as BME 398 – Undergraduate Research, students can work directly with faculty on biomedical engineering research. BME 398 may be repeated and requires faculty/instructor approval.
Research can lead to:
- Graduate school
- Medical school
- Industry research and development (R&D)
- Medical devices
- Biotechnology
- Healthcare innovation
5. Built for Careers
UIC BME connects engineering education with career preparation, professional development, internships, research, and industry.
Our curriculum can prepare you for careers in:
Medical Devices • Biotechnology • AI & Computing • Biomedical Imaging • Healthcare Technology • R&D • Clinical Engineering • Product Development • Research • Commercialization
And BME can also be an excellent foundation for medical, dental, pharmacy, law, and other professional programs.
Your pathway into biomedical engineering has already started. Bring your curiosity, your experience, and your dream of improving life—UIC’s biomedical engineering program will help you turn that dream into a meaningful degree that will open doors and opportunities to change the world.
| BME Department Head
2-YEAR TRANSFER PATHWAY
Biomedical engineering is a highly sequenced engineering major. UIC’s current B.S. BME requires 128 total credit hours, including required science and engineering courses, selective engineering courses, and concentration-area electives.
View the UIC BME Degree Requirements
View the UIC BME Curriculum & Flowcharts
A typical pathway for a well-prepared community-college transfer
Why UIC BME
1. Before UIC
Complete as many of the following as possible:
- Calculus I
- Calculus II
- Calculus III
- General Chemistry
- Physics I
- Physics II
- Differential Equations
- English composition
- General education requirements
- Other transferable coursework
UIC’s current Biomedical Engineering TAG pathway specifically identifies Calculus I–III, chemistry, Physics I–II, English composition, and specified General Education coursework; Differential Equations is strongly recommended.
2. At UIC BME
YEAR 1
BME 205: Biomedical Engineering Thermodynamics
ECE 210: Electrical Circuit Analysis
BME 240: Modeling Physiological Data and Systems
BME 250: Clinical Problems in Biomedical Engineering
BME 310: Biological Systems Analysis
BME 325: Biotransport
BME 339: Biostatistics I
Concentration Area Elective I & II
Remaining General Education courses
YEAR 2
BME 332: Bioinstrumentation and Measurements
BME 333: Bioinstrumentation and Measurements Lab
BME 396: Senior Design I
BME 397: Senior Design II
BME 460: Materials in Biomedical Engineering
Concentration Area Elective III & IV
Capstone lecture + laboratory
Research/internship opportunities
→ B.S. IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
The exact plan depends on your completed coursework, transfer credits, prerequisites, and degree requirements. Students who transfer into the College of Engineering take ENGR 101, Engineering Success Seminar for Transfer Students, during their first semester.
3. What if I need three years?
That’s okay. We want the right pathway—not simply the fastest pathway.
Some students transfer with most of the required math and science preparation.
Others need additional prerequisite courses.
Alternatively, a three-year plan may provide more room to:
- Complete missing prerequisites
- Adjust to UIC engineering courses
- Participate in undergraduate research
- Explore clinical experiences
- Complete an internship
- Prepare for senior design
- Explore the BS/MS pathway
We encourage prospective transfer students to contact the BME DUS before they apply or as early as possible in the transfer process.
4. How do I know my credits will transfer?
UIC provides transfer resources to help you understand how your community-college courses apply.
Start with:
- Transferology
Check how your courses transfer to UIC. - UIC BME Degree Requirements
See where the courses fit into the major. - Your Community College Advisor
Plan your courses before transfer. - UIC BME DUS
Get discipline-specific guidance for your BME pathway.
FEATURED BME EXPERIENCES
1. BME 250 — Clinical Problems in Biomedical Engineering
Start with the problem—not the technology.
Student teams work on current biomedical engineering problems, developing skills in problem identification, strategic planning, brainstorming, information gathering, and reporting.
Clinical Need → Engineering Problem → Solution
2. BME 398 — Undergraduate Research
Become part of a research team.
Work under the close supervision of a BME faculty member and explore research questions that can lead toward graduate school, medical school, or an R&D career.
One-on-One mentoring → Immersive Research Environment → Data Collection and Analysis
3. BME 396 + 397 — Senior Design
Build something that matters.
BME 396 introduces biomedical-device design considerations, while BME 397 takes students through the engineering design process to address a large-scale biomedical engineering problem.
Problem → Requirements → Design → Prototype → Test → Present
4. BME 410 — FDA & ISO Requirements for Medical Devices
Learn what it takes to move a medical device toward the real world.
Students learn about product requirements, design controls, hazard analysis, failure-mode analysis, product testing, regulatory submissions, and ISO.
Design → Regulation → Protocols → Medical Device Development
5. BME 402 — Medical Technology & Product Development
Explore:
- Commercialization
- Competition
- Markets
- Funding
- Pricing
- Manufacturing
- Intellectual property
- Medical product development
FROM CLASSROOM TO CAREER
What happens after you transfer?
Your BME experience can include:
Research
Join a laboratory and build your research portfolio.
Clinical Experience
Explore the intersection of engineering and healthcare.
Design
Work on authentic biomedical engineering problems.
Internships
Gain experience in industry and professional environments.
Networking
Meet engineers, physicians, researchers, alumni, and employers.
BS/MS
Qualified students can pursue the UIC joint BS/MS degree pathway, combining undergraduate and graduate study.
Career Development
BME 399 focuses on career options, career planning, networking, resumes, portfolios, interviews, and job-search skills.
We don’t want transfer students to feel that they are starting over. They are continuing a journey they have already begun. Our goal is to help them connect their engineering foundation to real clinical problems, research, design, and the careers they want to build.
| Director of Undergraduate Studies
STORIES FROM TRANSFER STUDENTS
Bethany Garza, from Moraine Valley Community College (class of 2028)
“I chose UIC because I wanted a university that offered abundant resources and research opportunities at a cost I could realistically afford. As a biomedical engineering student paying for school out of pocket, I was looking for the strongest research opportunities in Illinois without taking on significant debt, and UIC felt like the perfect fit. As the only Illinois university ranked in the top 10 of the BRIMR Rankings for NIH funding, UIC offered the level of research exposure I was looking for. Since I plan to attend medical school, keeping my undergraduate costs low is important to me, and UIC has allowed me to pursue my goals without taking out loans.
I transferred from Moraine Valley Community College and initially worried that adjusting to a new university would be difficult. Instead, UIC made the transition remarkably smooth. About 90% of my credits transferred, and the uAchieve degree audit clearly showed me which courses I still needed to complete. Even though a few classes, including a college success course, some coding courses, and a trigonometry class outside my engineering curriculum, did not transfer, knowing that information in advance made planning much easier.
The support I received from the BME department also made a lasting impact. Dr. Zhinan Wang, the director of the BME program, works hard to ensure students never feel lost as they navigate the curriculum and discover what it means to be an engineer. Through meetings with him, I’ve been able to map out my remaining semesters, create a clear graduation plan, and feel confident about my future at UIC.
One of the biggest surprises during my first semester has been discovering the incredible breadth of biomedical engineering research. In BME 102, our department head, Dr. Adrienne Minerick, spoke about the diverse research initiatives she has led throughout her career. The more she shared, the more certain I became that I had chosen the right school. She speaks with a level of wisdom, expertise, and passion that reassures me our department is led by people who genuinely care about innovation and student success.
I’m also using my first semester to explore research opportunities, and I’ve found that UIC makes those opportunities easy to discover through student organizations and resources like the Undergraduate Research Hub. The university has created an environment where students are encouraged to pursue their interests and connect with meaningful experiences outside the classroom.
Outside of academics, I’m a member of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) and the New Life Volunteering Society (NLVS). SHPE has helped me build professional skills and prepare for my future career, while NLVS has given me opportunities to attend clinics and learn suturing techniques that support my goal of attending medical school.
I would recommend UIC BME to any transfer student looking for strong research opportunities, supportive faculty, and organizations that help students grow beyond the classroom. Transferring to UIC is one of the best decisions I’ve made because I am surrounded by people who invest in my success and resources that nurture my passions. Hearing from faculty members and UIC alumni has inspired me to challenge myself, pursue my goals, and become the best version of myself.”
STORIES FROM TRANSFER STUDENTS
Nina Mieszkowska, Harper College, Class of 2027
“The reason I decided on transferring to UIC is mainly due to both the affordability and quality available. I felt that as a transfer who needed additional financial support, it would make furthering my education a lot more comfortable. Research was also something I was interested in, so UIC, being an R1 school, drew me to it.
All the support from student groups, scholarships, and advisors made the transition after the first semester pretty simple and comfortable. Most of my credits transferred, but that was something I had already considered while in community college. Something that surprised me about UIC was the number of opportunities and resources. It felt really useful to have so many things available that I could apply for and try out for myself. Many BME courses have been heavily analytical, so a course such as BME 410, FDA and ISO Requirements for the Development and Manufacturing of Medical Devices, offered an interesting and new perspective on medical device manufacturing and development. I currently participate in the WTSE laboratory to deepen my understanding of wearable technology and neural engineering.
UIC provides many options for research. I especially appreciate the EAPIP option, which provides early access to internships. Outside of class and the research lab, I participate in clubs such as BMES, where we work on projects addressing issues in the BME field. I would recommend transferring to UIC for BME if you enjoy research, but I would advise taking advantage of all learning opportunities by participating in events, classes, and clubs unrelated to BME that could help you expand your knowledge in other areas of engineering. These events have taught me many useful skills that I can comfortably apply in my BME courses and projects.”
Talk to the BME Director of Undergraduate Studies
Dr. Zhinan Wang
Email: znw@uic.edu
Office: 851 S Morgan St., SEO 223, Chicago, IL, 6067
Phone: 312-996-9252
Send your questions about:
- Transfer planning
- BME prerequisites
- 2-year vs. 3-year plans
- Course selection
- BME curriculum
- Clinical opportunities
- Concentrations
- BS/MS
- Career pathways
- Set up a conversation before you transfer.
- Come see our classrooms, laboratories, and campus.
- Request field trips