Biomedical Engineering

240 Credits
4 Years
44 Places
On-campus
Grao Biomédica
Hospital Alvaro Cunqueiro

Description of the studies

Biomedical Engineering is a new Engineering branch focused on the appliance of Engineering principles, techniques and methods into Medicine. It is therefore an interdisciplinary grade, relatively new, where techniques from Industrial Engineering (such as mechanical engineering, electronics and automation engineering, chemical engineering, organisational engineering,…), Computer Engineering, and Telecommunications Engineering are applied in order to analyse and solve problems concerning  21st century Medicine.

The Biomedical Engineering degree provides a general training in all these fields and also allows the students to specialise during the second semester of the third year and the fourth year, where two specialisations are available:

  • BIOTECH (BT): Electronics, treatment of hospital information, control and biomedical signals.
  • BIOMMEC (BM): Implants, biomechanics, biomaterials and equipment.

Goals

The degree in Biomedical Engineering has been designed keeping in mind the two professional fields towards which the labor market of Biomedical Engineering is aimed to: the industrial field and the health field.

The main objective is to provide students with a solid basic and technological training and to apply their knowledge to real problems in the health field; all this together with knowledge of the main aspects related to the physiology and anatomy of the human body. Another of the main objectives is to provide the students with the knowledge that will allow them to collaborate with health staff, not only in the tasks of technical resolution of the problems that are posed to them, but also in the processes of problem identification, the only way that the technological solutions that they propose will have real utility.

Competences of the studies

The course design is aimed to ensure that, at the end of their studies, the students acquire the necessary competencies that will allow them to know, understand and apply technology-based solutions in the development of new processes and services, both in the industrial and health fields. These competences focus on the knowledge of the engineering methodology related to the design process, as well as the medical terminology, and the social and economic repercussions of their performance, along with a solid training in basic, technological and specialty subjects that will prepare them for their future development and allow them to easy adapt themselves.

Competences can be consulted in this section: Competences in Bachelor’s Degree in Biomedical Engineering.

Recommended profile

Concerning abilities, skills and previous knowledge, the student must have passed Technological subjects during High School. In particular, it is desirable that the student possesses the following skills:

  • Basic knowledge in Math, Physics, Chemistry, Engineering Graphics, and Computer Science.
  • Competency in reading, comprehension, and oral and written. communication skills.
  • Knowledge of Spanish and a foreign language (preferably English)
  • Eagerness, curiosity and initiative.
  • Ability for team working.
  • Interest in the degree and the future professional field.

Professional outcomes:

  • Manufacturing, marketing and evaluation of medical devices and equipment (for prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation), special materials, implantable devices, prostheses and robotic systems for biomedical applications.
  • Strategies related to the application and implementation of biomedical material and systems.
  • Clinical engineering services in public and private health centers, in the world of sports and leisure.
  • Telemedicine and telematic applications in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.
  • Medical computing, such as computer programmes and health information systems for the treatment of biomedical and bioimaging data.
  • Biotechnology and cellular engineering.
  • Pharmaceutical industry and food industry, in order to analyse and quantify the interaction between drugs/substances and biological parameters.
  • Manufacturing industry in general: the ergonomics of products and processes and the impact of technologies on human health.