MEng Biomedical Engineering at Imperial College London

Biomedical engineers use their technological knowledge and understanding to help people live longer, healthier, happier lives. You learn a broad range of engineering skills, develop your ability to collaborate and solve problems, and work on projects in medicine and biology with life-changing potential.

You study many subjects, including engineering mathematics, mechanics, nanotechnology, biomaterials, electronic engineering, physiology, programming and design. You develop a deep understanding of fundamental engineering principles and an extensive knowledge of how the human body works.

As you move through the course you progress to more advanced engineering studies that apply the quantitative aspects of engineering analysis and design to a broad range of biomedical problems. 

You also have access to a range of state-of-the-art facilities. These are designed to support practical activities across the subjects covered by this field. This creates an interdisciplinary community that you are very much part of.

Study programme

All Biomedical Engineering students follow a compulsory programme of study for the first two years, covering foundational engineering topics such as mathematics, computing, electronics and mechanics and develop your understanding of the human body.

The first two years are designed to ensure that all students achieve a common breadth and depth of knowledge. You will also follow a module developing your design skills and professional practice. At the end of the second year you will have a broad knowledge base which will provide a platform for specialisation.

In the third and fourth years, you choose modules tailored to your interests and can specialise in one of four pathways:

• Bioengineering
• Electrical Bioengineering
• Mechanical Bioengineering
• Computational Bioengineering

Optional modules are available from other departments of the Faculty of Engineering. In this case you will attend the same lectures and take the same assessments as the senior year students in the hosting department. This confirms that the first two years have provided a solid platform for specialisation. The knowledge, understanding and skills that you acquire throughout the Faculty will be translated into a Bioengineering themed final year individual project.

In the third year you are also required to select an I-Explore module hosted outside of the department so that you will be taught alongside students from other degree programmes. These modules include business and management modules as well as other topics outside the Bioengineering discipline that will allow you to apply your knowledge in a new context.

Your study reaches Master’s level in the fourth year. Studying to this level means that graduates require fewer years of work experience to become a Chartered Engineer (see Professional accreditation).

In addition, a major individual project in your final year gives you the chance to showcase your research and project management skills. This begins early in the academic year and runs through until approximately mid-June. This individual project will be hosted within a research group and allows you to gain an understanding of the latest developments in the Bioengineering field as well as develop your ability to work independently. 

You will also undertake a number of advanced optional modules that you choose. Here you can choose to topics that interest you, building on your chosen specialisation or choosing a broad range to keep your options open.