Biological Engineering

MIT is a leader in the field of biological engineering, engaging in visionary research and collaborations with industry and government. Our research in the synthesis of engineering and biology technologies results in major innovations in diverse areas, including developing imaging systems to help understand the origins of cancer and harnessing biomaterials for controlled drug release and tissue regeneration.
Students, professors, and researchers in biological engineering explore issues of physical and chemical sciences such as biochemistry, biophysics, pharmacology, and toxicology from both a molecular life science and an engineering perspective. Throughout the curriculum, our educational programs interweave major concepts of biological engineering with a number of important focus areas, including:

• Biological and physiological transport phenomena
• Biological imaging and functional measurement
• Biomolecular engineering and cell and tissue engineering
• Computational biology and bioinformatics
• Genetic toxicology
• Macromolecular biochemistry and biophysics
• Metabolism of drugs and toxins
• Microbial pathogenesis
• Carcinogenesis
• Biomechanics
• Genomics, proteomics, and glycomics

Undergraduate Education

Biological Engineering is the newest and most exciting undergraduate major at MIT. Our students learn to address problems by measuring, modeling, and rationally manipulating the technological and environmental factors affecting biological systems. Our undergraduate curriculum emphasizes engineering analysis, design, and synthesis approaches to biology at the molecular to systems level.
As the field of biological engineering expands, biotech, pharmaceutical, and medical device companies increasingly look to MIT, whose engineers have a solid foundation in both biological and biochemical sciences. Our program also prepares students for graduate school and careers in research, medicine, law, and financial analysis.

Degree Options

The Department of Biological Engineering offers a four-year bachelor’s degree:

• Bachelor of Science in Biological Engineering

  This program provides a strong foundation in biological and biochemical sciences integrated with engineering analysis and design. In addition to regular course work, students are required to complete a senior design project.