Biomedical Engineering majors typically take the following courses in the fall semester of their first year:
First-Year Experience Learning Community Courses
We will register you in these courses.
- Philosophy (PHIL 201)
- English Composition (ENG 101) OR Theology (TRS 201)
Why am I taking these classes? Honors students take equivalent honors courses.
Major Courses
You will need to choose and register for these courses.
- Analytic Geometry and Calculus I (MATH 121), depending on calculus placement (see below)
- Introduction to Engineering Design and Professionalism (ENGR 102)
- Computer Programming with MATLAB (CSC 113); or if pre-med, General Chemistry Lecture & Lab (CHEM 103 & 113)
Math Placement Exam
Your major requires you to take the math placement exam to determine what math course is at the right level for you. You will receive information about the math placement exam from the Engineering School soon.
About Your First Semester Courses
At CUA, engineers take courses in the liberal arts. Studying theology, philosophy, and the humanities will help you develop problem solving skills in new domains and become a more flexible thinker. And they will help you appreciate the ethical and spiritual dimensions of the problems human beings face and the goods we seek by solving them.
You will need to register “Introduction to Engineering Design” (ENGR 102), a general introduction to the design process for all the engineering disciplines.
In addition, take the calculus placement exam and register for the course into which you place. To help you place as high as possible, you should review the following before taking the exam:
- algebra: expanding and collecting terms; simplifying expressions; solving for a variable; solving simultaneous linear equations
- functions and graphs of functions
- elementary plane geometry
- analytic geometry including equational descriptions of lines, conic sections, circles, and spheres
- trigonometric functions (defined as circular functions in terms of radians; also as they relate to right triangles); exponential and logarithmic functions
- recognizing algebraic relationships expressed in ordinary prose and translating those relationships into their symbolic equivalents
Placement can also be determined by an AP or IB exam; consult with your advisor if this applies to you.
The final course you will register for depends on whether or not you are following the pre-med school track. If you are not pre-med, then you will take Computer Programming with MATLAB (CSC 113). If you are following the pre-med track, you should register for the General Chemistry I lecture and lab (CHEM 103 and CHEM 113) instead.
To learn more about the Biomedical Engineering major, consult the School of Engineering’s website.
Know which courses you want? Get registered.