engineering and medicine working together

The biology in engineering certificate (BEC) is designed for engineering students who want to strengthen their biology backgrounds. It is offered especially to encourage engineering students in traditional disciplines to prepare themselves to understand the special engineering problems in biology and medicine. A student successfully fulfilling the requirements will have the notation "Biology in Engineering Certificate" added to the transcript.

The Biology in Engineering Certificate was designed and is administered by a Biology in Engineering Certificate Committee composed of faculty from multiple engineering disciplines. Students normally should begin the program during their sophomore or junior year, but seniors may also apply.

Prerequisites to enter the certificate program:

Click here for certificate application.

The certificate requires a minimum of 15 credits:

General Biology: 5 Credits

Choose one combination:5
BIOCORE 381
BIOCORE 382
Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics
and Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics Laboratory
5
BIOCORE 383
BIOCORE 384
Cellular Biology
and Cellular Biology Laboratory
5
ZOOLOGY/​BIOLOGY  101
ZOOLOGY/​BIOLOGY  102
Animal Biology
and Animal Biology Laboratory
5
ZOOLOGY/​BIOLOGY/​BOTANY  151 Introductory Biology5
ZOOLOGY/​BIOLOGY/​BOTANY  152 Introductory Biology5
ZOOLOGY 153 Introductory Biology (and)3
Animal Biology Laboratory (or)
choose 2 more credits from list below

Advanced Biology: 5-Credit Minimum

Advanced Biology (5 cr. minimum): Recommended to choose a lecture/lab combination as outlined below, but any combination of courses is acceptable5
ANAT&PHY 335 Physiology5
ANAT&PHY 435 Fundamentals of Human Physiology5
BIOCORE 485
BIOCORE 486
Principles of Physiology
and Principles of Physiology Laboratory
5
BIOCORE 587 Biological Interactions3
BIOCHEM 501 Introduction to Biochemistry3
BIOCHEM 507 General Biochemistry I3
BIOCHEM 508 General Biochemistry II3-4
GENETICS 466
GENETICS 545
Principles of Genetics
and Genetics Laboratory
5
GENETICS/​MD GENET  662 Cancer Genetics3
MICROBIO 303
MICROBIO 304
Biology of Microorganisms
and Biology of Microorganisms Laboratory
5
MICROBIO/​FOOD SCI  324
MICROBIO/​FOOD SCI  325
Food Microbiology Laboratory
and Food Microbiology
5
MICROBIO 330 Host-Parasite Interactions3
M M & I 301 Pathogenic Bacteriology2
M M & I 341 Immunology3
M M & I/​PATH-BIO  528 Immunology3
M M & I/​BIOCHEM  575 Biology of Viruses2
ZOOLOGY/​ENVIR ST  315
ZOOLOGY 316
Limnology-Conservation of Aquatic Resources
and Laboratory for Limnology-Conservation of Aquatic Resources
4-5
ZOOLOGY/​ENTOM/​M M & I/​PATH-BIO  350 Parasitology3
ZOOLOGY/​ANTHRO/​BOTANY  410 Evolutionary Biology3
ZOOLOGY 430 Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates5
ZOOLOGY 470
ZOOLOGY 555
Introduction to Animal Development
and Laboratory in Developmental Biology
6
ZOOLOGY 504 Modeling Animal Landscapes3-5
ZOOLOGY/​ENVIR ST  510
ZOOLOGY/​ENVIR ST  511
Ecology of Fishes
and Ecology of Fishes Lab
5
ZOOLOGY/​PSYCH  523 Neurobiology3
ZOOLOGY 525 Tropical Herpetology1
ZOOLOGY 570 Cell Biology3
ZOOLOGY 611
ZOOLOGY 612
Comparative and Evolutionary Physiology
and Comparative Physiology Laboratory
5

Biology in Engineering: 3-Credit Minimum

Biology in Engineering (3 cr. minimum): Choose one3
B M E/​M E  414 Orthopaedic Biomechanics - Design of Orthopaedic Implants3
B M E/​M E  415 Biomechanics of Human Movement3
B M E/​PHM SCI  430 Biological Interactions with Materials3
B M E/​E C E  462 Medical Instrumentation3
B M E/​E C E  463 Computers in Medicine3
B M E/​M E  505 Biofluidics3
B M E 510 Introduction to Tissue Engineering3
B M E 520 Stem Cell Bioengineering3
B M E 545 Engineering Extracellular Matrices3
B M E 550 Introduction to Biological and Medical Microsystems3
B M E/​M E  615 Tissue Mechanics3
B M E/​MED PHYS/​PHMCOL-M/​PHYSICS/​RADIOL  619 Microscopy of Life3
BSE 249 Engineering Principles for Biological Systems3
BSE 349 Quantitative Techniques for Biological Systems3
BSE 364 Engineering Properties of Food and Biological Materials3
BSE 365 Measurements and Instrumentation for Biological Systems3
CBE/​B M E  560 Biochemical Engineering3
CIV ENGR 320 Environmental Engineering3
CIV ENGR 322 Environmental Engineering Processes3
CIV ENGR/​SOIL SCI  623 Microbiology of Waterborne Pathogens and Indicator Organisms3
CIV ENGR/​M&ENVTOX/​SOIL SCI  631 Toxicants in the Environment: Sources, Distribution, Fate, & Effects3
COMP SCI/​B M I  576 Introduction to Bioinformatics3
E C E 542 Introduction to Microelectromechanical Systems3
I SY E/​B M E  564 Occupational Ergonomics and Biomechanics3
INTEREGR 301
M S & E 553 Nanomaterials & Nanotechnology3

Seminar: 1 Credit

B M E 517 Biology in Engineering Seminar1
Total Credits1

Certificate COMPLETION REQUIREMENT

This undergraduate certificate must be completed concurrently with the student’s undergraduate degree. Students cannot delay degree completion to complete the certificate.

  1. Develop an understanding of basic biology and a selected area of advanced biology.
  2. Develop an understanding of the challenges in biology, medicine, public health, and environmental health that are currently being addressed by engineering research and development.
  3. Demonstrate proficiency in the application of engineering principles to solve problems in the field based on biological principles.

Advisors for the Biology in Engineering Certificate Program

(Contact the advisor from your home department or the Chair)

Chair and certificate administration -  Biomedical Engineering

Dr. John Puccinelli
2132 Engineering Centers Bldg
john.puccinelli@wisc.edu
890-3573

Biological Systems Engineering

Professor Anita Thompson
115 Agricultural Engineering Bldg
amthompson2@wisc.edu
262-0604

Professor Mark Etzel
B115 Babcock Hall
etzel@engr.wisc.edu
263-2083

Chemical and Biological Engineering

Professor John Yin
3172 Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery
yin@engr.wisc.edu
316-4323

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Professor Katherine McMahon
5552 Microbial Sciences Building
tmcmahon@engr.wisc.edu
890-2836

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Daniel van der Weide
1439 Engineering Hall
danvdw@engr.wisc.edu
265-6561

Engineering Physics

Associate Professor Christian Franck
cfranck@wisc.edu

Industrial and Systems Engineering

Professor Robert Radwin
2106 Engineering Centers Bldg
mailto:rradwin@wisc.edu
263-6596

Materials Science and Engineering

Professor Padma Gopalan
219 Materials Science and Eng Bldg
pgopalan@wisc.edu
265-4258

Mechanical Engineering

Associate Professor Christian Franck
cfranck@wisc.edu