Overview

Rehabilitation engineering uses concepts from biomechanics and other areas to develop devices to enhance the capabilities and improve the quality of life for individuals with physical, sensory and cognitive impairments. Examples include orthotics, prosthetic limbs and home and workplace assistive devices.

Biomedical Engineering - Biomechanics, Sports Medicine, and Rehabilitation Engineering at Milwaukee School of Engineering help people by solving medical equipment and healthcare related problems using math, science and engineering principles. They design medical devices and systems and manage the manufacture, sales and use of this equipment in environments ranging from homes to hospitals.

Biomedical Engineers are essential to the delivery of modern medical care that improves peoples’ health and helps them live longer, happier lives.

Biomedical engineering (BE, also sometimes abbreviated BME) is the application of a variety of engineering principles and design processes to medicine and biology for the improvement of healthcare. It is a very broad field, the definition of which tends to vary from institution to institution. The BE program at MSOE balances fundamental electrical, mechanical and chemical engineering content with a solid grounding in basic and life sciences. MSOE’s BE program is designed to prepare students for immediate employment in the medical device and healthcare industries, for graduate study in engineering and other related fields, and for professional studies such as medical and law school.

Learning outcomes

The MSOE BE program incorporates several relatively unique aspects. The program includes explicit coverage of mechatronics - the computerized control of electrical and mechanical systems. It includes two combined laboratory courses in which topics from two or more lecture courses are used together to investigate practical technologies and solve real world problems. It incorporates an extended capstone design experience that lasts more than a year. This provides students with the time necessary to understand the medical, commercial, and regulatory context of the problem they have been asked solve. This capstone design experience also includes an industry simulation that provides students with practical preparation for entry into the medical device industry. Finally, our curriculum has a “minor friendly” course structure and ample electives. This allows students to customize their educations to match their interests and career goals with guidance from their faculty academic advisors.