Bioengineering

• Graduates from the program have many options for professional practice and advanced study.
• Learn to work as a team to create new products and technologies.
• Pursue opportunities to participate in faculty research projects.
• Gain an edge from caring, knowledgeable faculty who are geared toward student success and are available to advise students.
• WSU’s program benefits from strong ties to veterinary medicine on the Pullman campus and human medicine in Spokane.
• You can join a math, science, and engineering community residence hall at WSU Pullman—share classes with your neighbors, study together, get free tutoring, and use the hall’s computer lab.
• Courses are selected from subjects in several engineering and science fields, offering a strong integration in both areas.

Bioengineering is a rigorous engineering degree program that incorporates biological sciences into engineering problem solving and design. Successful students in this program will have typically placed among the top 5 percent of their graduating classes and scored 1250 or higher on the SAT.

You can focus your bioengineering degree in several areas. Your major in bioengineering, together with the University's pre-medical or pre-veterinary medicine advising, can serve as ideal preparation for medical or veterinary school.

Sample courses

A few examples of the bioengineering courses you could take:

Chemical Process Principles
Mechanics of Biomaterials
Bioinstrumentation
Unified Systems Bioengineering
Cellular Bioengineering
Biochemistry
Bioinformatics
Genetics
Biomedical Engineering
Mechatronics
Materials Engineering

More information about the bioengineering program

Note: See the WSU Catalog for degree requirements and talk with your academic advisor about planning and scheduling your courses. All students must meet requirements as outlined in the catalog in order to graduate.

Plan ahead

To certify your major in the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture, you will need to complete specific prerequisite courses. Use our list of transfer equivalencies to make sure you take the right transfer courses at your current college.

Also check out the University's transfer student guide for more information on transferring to WSU.

Bioengineering is a rigorous engineering degree program that incorporates biological sciences into engineering problem solving and design. Successful students in this program have typically placed among the top 5 percent of their high school graduating classes and scored 1250 or higher on the SAT.

If you have strengths and interests like these, bioengineering could be a good fit for you:

• High aptitude in math and natural sciences; enjoy applying math and science to solving problems
• Find life sciences intriguing
• Enjoy being innovative
• Seek to enhance quality of life for humans, animals, and other living systems
• Interest in a medical profession but want additional attractive career options
• Enjoy working with others to address important issues
• Inquisitive-minded and motivated to learn and contribute to societal needs

For bioengineering majors

The College of Engineering and Architecture offers more than 300 scholarships a year to first- and second-year students. The Voiland school awards approximately $65,000 annually to students who have certified their majors (typically in the junior year) and show leadership and academic promise.

For all students

A variety of state, federal, and university-sponsored programs are available to help students with educational costs. Washington State University awards millions of dollars in financial aid and scholarships to students every year based on financial need, academic merit, or a combination of the two.

Students should complete the Washington State University general scholarship application and the FAFSA to ensure their eligibility for the widest range of scholarships and need-based financial aid.

For information or to apply for financial aid and scholarships from WSU, see the Scholarships and Finances section of the WSU website.

Careers available to graduates span engineering, biomedical, and other biologically based careers. Employers of graduates include medical device manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, biotechnology product manufacturers, government agencies, research laboratories, universities, and product testing laboratories.

Graduates with strong engineering interests are employed as design engineers, test engineers, sales engineers, and product development engineers.

Many graduates enter advanced study in biomedical engineering or other engineering disciplines or apply for professional schools for human or animal medicine. With advanced degrees, graduates frequently enter research or medical careers.

The Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering has 12 laboratories in the Engineering Teaching and Research Laboratory (ETRL) building. Adjacent labs enable close collaboration with health-care researchers and professionals at WSU.

Among the facilities at the Pullman campus:

• The O.H. Reaugh Laboratory for Oil and Gas Processing

• The bioengineering teaching laboratory on the lower level of Dana Hall, which includes state-of-the-art equipment and computers to enable students to test ideas, prove concepts, and interactively learn

• Additional laboratories located in the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine

The Bioproducts, Sciences and Engineering Laboratory (BSEL), located on the WSU Tri-Cities campus, is a new facility that allows WSU chemical and bioengineering students to work with scientists from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.