← Biomedical Engineering (BME)

Hardest courses in Biomedical Engineering

Plan ahead for courses where students have earned lower grades.

Lowest historical GPA first. At least 100 letter grades over the five years through the selected term. Grades reflect past outcomes, not workload or a guaranteed result.

Find your fit

16 courses

Ranked courses have at least 100 recorded letter grades.

Covers biological systems governing biomaterial applications, current materials for biomedical use, analytical techniques for evaluation, and major medical applications where biomaterials are important.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Randolph Ashton

Expect heavy workloads, including 50-page readings and reading quizzes before lectures. Exams make up the majority of the grade and cover all slide content.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

Computers in Medicine covers microprocessor-based medical instrumentation, emphasizing real-time ECG analysis through labs and projects involving biomedical digital signal processing algorithms.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

Biochemical Engineering covers properties of biological molecules, enzyme kinetics, metabolic engineering, microbial growth, bioreactor design, and bioseparations.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Quentin Dudley

Lectures were 75-minute, slide-heavy presentations that some found disengaging, requiring students to actively manage their attention during the long sessions.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

BME 310 Bioinstrumentation covers clinical and research measurements with laboratory experiments that complement lecture content.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Amit Nimunkar

The course involved a high volume of small, straightforward assignments, including two homework sets per week, pre-labs, and post-labs.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Introduction to biomechanics covering the mechanical behavior of biological tissues, including bone, muscle, and soft connective tissues, their structure, function, and mechanical properties.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Joseph Towles, Christa Wille

Homework was challenging and time-consuming, while lab reports required heavy Matlab work that could take hours if you were not fluent.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Covers ECM protein structure, function, and biophysical properties, linking them to cell/tissue function and exploring ECM engineering for regenerative medicine.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Joshua Brockman

Lectures were fast-paced, requiring students to keep up with the content. Practice problems and homework helped reinforce understanding of the material.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

Occupational Ergonomics and Biomechanics introduces engineers to designing manufacturing and industrial operations where people play a significant role, maximizing human capabilities while minimizing physical stress and optimizing workload.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Robert Radwin

Weekly workload consisted of one quiz with unlimited attempts, one homework assignment, and one in-class assignment, alongside two exams and a final project.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2024–Spring 2026

STEM CELL BIOENGINEERING covers engineering approaches to understand and manipulate stem cells, including signaling modeling and tissue regeneration.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

Applied Statistics for Biomedical Engineers teaches descriptive and inferential statistics for analyzing and presenting biomedical data.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

Overview of experimental and modeling techniques for human movement, covering motion capture, force plates, musculoskeletal modeling, inverse dynamics, and forward dynamic simulation.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Biomedical Engineering Design and Communication applies technical communication to real-world, client-based projects, covering research methods, documentation, report critique, ethics, diversity, and professional development.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

Covers biomedical engineering fundamentals, design processes, and hands-on skills like electronics, CAD, and prototype fabrication.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Amit Nimunkar

The class was unorganized, and grading rubrics for the design project were sometimes posted just hours before deadlines, requiring persistent follow-up.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

Seminar on computation and informatics in biology and medicine.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Work in a team to evaluate, refine, document and present the client-centered biomedical engineering design started inB M E 400.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Amit Nimunkar

The review described the course as very difficult, with the instructor expecting everyone to work hard.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

Medical Devices Ecosystem covers developing therapeutic or diagnostic devices through gap analysis, market analysis, regulatory approval, and supply chain development.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Kip Ludwig

The course was rated as moderately difficult by the reviewing student.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

Independent Study in BME involves directed projects where students conduct and report on independent biomedical engineering research.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Amit Nimunkar

The course required completing one project per week, along with self-study involving reading the textbook and working through practice problems.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026