The Jacobs School of Engineering will dramatically alter its bioengineering curriculum next year, cutting the pre-medical track and adding 10 new student seats to both the bioengineering and biotechnology tracks.
According to Bioengineering department Chair Shankar Subramaniam, many within the bioengineering department believe the pre-med track is currently too focused on pre-med requirements, and does not placing enough emphasis on upper-division engineering and design-oriented courses.
Subramaniam said many students in the pre-med track only want to go to medical school instead of pursuing work in engineering. The department will replace the pre-med track with a new major that will focus on engineering and design while still preparing students for medical school.
‘The [pre-med] program was a little diluted because the students felt that they were not getting very strong engineering foundations,’ Subramaniam said. ‘So we decided in order to give them what they want, we need to morph it into something where the students would be both confident with what they are learning and prepared with a more quantitative background.’
Subramaniam said the replacement track will most likely be called ‘biosystems: biomedical devices,’ and that it could become available by 2011.
Both the biotechnology and bioengineering tracks offer admission to only 35 students per year. Currently, students must apply to the tracks as freshmen, and are not allowed to transfer in later.
According to A.S. Engineering Senator Shikha Kothari, the 10 applicants with the highest GPAs will be admitted into the programs.
Kothari said the biotechnology and bioengineering tracks are the most competitive and desirable in the department because they are certified by the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology.
Because many employers and graduate schools require ABET accreditation, graduating with a major not certified by ABET can significantly limit competitiveness in the bioengineering industry, according to the department’s Web site.
Freshmen and sophomores who are currently enrolled in the pre-med track and have completed their prerequisite courses will be allowed to apply for admission into the new bioengineering and biotechnology openings. The 2009-10 freshman class will be the last class to complete the pre-med program.
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