Major in Bioengineering
The interdisciplinary Bioengineering program is centered on a mechanistic understanding of the life sciences and builds upon fundamental molecular, genomic and cellular principles to address challenges and opportunities involving, for example, medical devices, implants and sensors, tissue engineering, bioinformatics and imaging.
Great advances have recently been made in the fields of genetics/molecular biology as well as predictive engineering analysis and design, both enabled by rapid progress in computational sophistication. As a consequence, the highly interdisciplinary applied science of bioengineering has emerged as a critical core curriculum. The bioengineering program at CLU integrates engineering, biology, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, exercise science/sports medicine and physics with a liberal arts foundation to provide graduates with the knowledge and qualifications needed to enter the fields of health care, medicine, manufacturing, electronics, agriculture and materials, or to continue study toward advanced degrees or professional certification.
The interdisciplinary bioengineering program is centered on a mechanistic understanding of the life sciences and builds upon fundamental molecular, genomic and cellular principles to address challenges and opportunities involving, for example, medical devices, implants and sensors, tissue engineering, bioinformatics and imaging. Specific topics that are addressed include biomaterials and tissue engineering, biosystems analysis and control, biomechanics, bioinformatics, biosensors and imaging, bioinstrumentation, ethics and biochemistry. Furthermore, the bioengineering program comprises three focus areas as illustrated in the figure above: bioinformatics, bioelectronics/devices and biomaterials/biomechanics. Each student is able to select a specific area of interest based upon their choice of upper-division bioengineering classes.
Bioengineering students at CLU are given multiple opportunities to develop practical, hands-on skills for their careers, emphasizing techniques and practices for acquiring and interpreting data from biological systems. Inquiry-based undergraduate student research is a central component of the bioengineering program, with a focus on the critical analysis of the issues that arise at the interfaces between living and non-living materials. All seniors undertake an independent design project that includes optimized solutions and designs.
The bioengineering program is fully supported by an array of experimental laboratories for classroom and design projects. Coupled with these are sophisticated computer-aided design (CAD) capabilities for predictive modeling of the structure and performance of three-dimensional systems. Together, these capabilities provide the bioengineering students with the powerful ability to develop and refine predictive models to solve complex problems. Finally, bioengineering students are frequently involved in interactive projects requiring integration of these interdisciplinary topics, which prepares them both for personal growth as well as a rewarding career.
Program Requirements
View the program requirements and course descriptions »
Faculty
Michele LeBlanc, Ph.D.
Professor of Exercise Science; Nena Amundson Professor of Biomechanics
Kenneth O. Long, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biology
David J. Marcey, Ph.D.
Fletcher Jones Chair of Developmental Biology
Chang-Shyh Peng, Ph.D.
Professor of Computer Science
Dennis Revie, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology
Michael Shaw, Ph.D.
Professor of Physics
Contact the Department
Bioengineering
California Lutheran University
60 W. Olsen Rd. #3750
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
Department Chair:
Craig Reinhart
