Biomedical engineers create materials, devices and processes for better health outcomes.
Biomedical engineering bridges the gap between technology, medicine and biology. It integrates physical, chemical, mathematical and computational sciences and engineering principles with the ultimate aim of improving health care.
Biomedical engineers may be involved in the design, construction and development of health and monitoring devices and computers, implantable devices, diagnostic systems and therapeutic systems, cell and tissue engineering, and pharmaceuticals. You may also work with models of physiological function and prosthetics and implants.
Depending on your chosen specialisation, you may find employment with hospitals, biotechnology companies, medical equipment manufacturers, research institutes and government health departments.
Specialisations
To study this major, you'll have to choose an engineering specialisation first. The biomedical engineering major is available in the following specialisations:
Chemical engineers with a major in biomedical engineering look at how we can engineer materials, devices and processes to deliver therapeutics.
Applications range from nanoparticles for precise delivery of medicines, bioprinted patient-specific tissues and organs, devices to detect and treat illnesses before they impact our health, and the large scale manufacture of immune cells to fight cancer or cardiac cells to treat a broken heart.
This involves learning how to apply the critical and deep systems thinking intrinsic to chemical engineering design and processes to one of the most complicated and integrated biological systems we know – the human body.
Electrical and biomedical engineers have revolutionised healthcare for entire populations by inventing devices and machines such as pacemakers and ultrasounds. Some may say that biomedical engineers are responsible for saving more lives than doctors.
Electrical engineering with a major in biomedical engineering connects technology and medicine. This major incorporates all electrical engineering subjects, with specialised coursework in the use of electronics in healthcare.
Your studies will include how to design, construct and maintain health-monitoring devices and diagnostic systems such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs).
You'll explore the fundamentals of medical signal processing, such as how to analyse electroencephalograms (EEGs), and explore how biomedical devices operate. You'll also learn how to interpret the electrical signals produced by these devices.
Working in the biomedical industry, mechanical engineers change lives. You may create better, more lifelike artificial limbs to improve quality of life for injured and disabled people. Pacemakers, artificial valves and even robotic surgical assistants are all the work of mechanical engineers, as well as the running blades used at Paralympic events.
Career possibilities
Our programs prepare you for your first job and beyond. Here are some of the careers you could be on your way to:
- Biomedical engineer
- Biomedical technician
- Field service engineer
- Chemical engineer
- Electrical engineer
- Mechanical engineer
Average annual salary range
Biomedical Engineer
seek.com.au
I chose my degree because I wanted to do something in medicine but I also knew I was interested in engineering, so electrical and biomedical seemed like the perfect mix. Since graduating, I now work as a biomedical engineer with a team of technicians, engineers, and contractors in hospital facilities to install and commission equipment.
Electrical and biomedical engineering improves human health by applying engineering principles and methods to medical problems. With this discipline, I can work on anything from developing sensors that identify cancer biomarkers in blood, to non-invasive ultrasound therapies to treat tumours.
I chose my degree because I wanted to do something in medicine but I also knew I was interested in engineering, so electrical and biomedical seemed like the perfect mix. Since graduating, I now work as a biomedical engineer with a team of technicians, engineers, and contractors in hospital facilities to install and commission equipment.
Electrical and biomedical engineering improves human health by applying engineering principles and methods to medical problems. With this discipline, I can work on anything from developing sensors that identify cancer biomarkers in blood, to non-invasive ultrasound therapies to treat tumours.
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Studying overseas: a UQ engineering student experience
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Fighting fire with science: New tech to protect firefighters
How you'll learn
Your learning experiences are designed to best suit the learning outcomes of the courses you choose.
- Lectures
- Tutorials
- Work placements
- Overseas study
- Laboratory work
- Fieldwork
- Workshops
What you'll study
At UQ, subjects are called 'courses'.
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