Students who identify biomedical engineering as their undergraduate major and are planning to pursue the M.D. degree are recommended to follow a curriculum that requires a minimum of 129 credits and that will allow students to satisfy all premed requirements by the end of the third academic year, preparing them for the MCAT exams. For a detailed curriculum template, see the Web site at bme.rpi.edu.
The Biomedical Engineering Department, in conjunction with Albany Medical College, also offers the Physician Engineer (PE) program in which students are able to earn a B.S. in biomedical engineering from Rensselaer and an M.D. from Albany Medical College. The program could be completed within seven to eight years (seven, with an increased engineering course load), and includes an optional research component. The MCAT requirement will be waived for this combined program.
A program is also being developed for students to pursue a B.S./M.D./Ph.D. with an expected completion time of 10 years. At the graduate level, an M.D./Ph.D. program is being drafted, targeted to students with previous research experience and a B.S. in Engineering.
For an update on the current status of these programs, visit the BMED Web site at bme.rpi.edu.