BME Program Educational Objectives
The Program Educational Objectives of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Southern California are designed to promote technical competence, professionalism, and citizenship.
Technical Competence
Graduates will have fundamental knowledge in science and engineering and the ability to apply engineering principles to define and solve problems in engineering and medicine. Graduates will have the ability to design and test devices, components, processes and systems that meet desired needs in biomedical engineering.
Professionalism
Graduates will be prepared professionally and personally to practice engineering in biomedical and other technology-based industries, as well as to succeed in medical school and advanced graduate studies. Graduates will have the leadership capabilities and communication skills to succeed in multidisciplinary teams. Graduates will understand that their professional responsibility includes continued development of their knowledge and skills throughout their careers.
Citizenship
Graduates will understand the societal consequences of engineering decisions and will be committed to an ethical and socially professional practice.
BME Program Outcomes
Taking into consideration our Educational Program Objectives, the BME Undergraduate Committee drafted the BME program outcomes that describe the knowledge and skills students should have acquired when they graduate with a Bachelor's degree from our program. The faculty approved the program outcomes at the same time as the Educational Program Objectives. The BME program outcomes state that students successfully completing the program should be able to:
- Apply knowledge of mathematics, physical sciences, life sciences and engineering to formulate and study or solve engineering problems, including problems at the interface of engineering, medicine, and biology
- Plan and conduct experiments as well as analyze and interpret experimental measurements collected on physical systems and living systems
- Design electronic, mechanical and/or computer-based devices and software for applications including medical instrumentation, physiological measurement and signal processing, prosthesis development, and engineering simulation of living systems
- Understand the professional, ethical and societal responsibilities pertinent to the practice of engineering
- Communicate effectively using appropriate technology and information resources to document work, analyze engineering problems and solutions, and present project results
- Lead a team of student engineers performing a laboratory exercise or a class project; participate in various roles to the team and understand the contribution of each role to the team's effort
- Be independent learners who can master new knowledge and technologies
- Utilize their broad liberal education to explore and analyze the impact of engineering and technology solutions on society and health care
- Select and use modern engineering tools for analysis, design, experimentation and testing
- Successfully engage in further education in engineering, medicine and biomedical sciences
