All medical schools and other professional healthcare programs recognize the importance of a substantial education with a strong foundation in humanities and natural sciences such as biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics. Engineering provides an exceptional background in problem-solving skills will attend medical school or an MD/Ph.D. program each year vital to working as a clinician. About 10% of our BME graduates each year will attend medical school or an MD/PhD program. Some students pursue healthcare career pathways like dentistry, audiology, podiatry, orthotics/prosthetics, and optometry.

Students interested in any pre-professional program should meet with an advisor from the Pre-Professional Advising Office. Pre-Professional Advisors can help students explore their options in health and law fields and prepare them to be competitive applicants.

Pre-Professional Courses & BME

The following displays how the recommended courses set by the Pre-Professional Advising Office for standard programs fit into the BME curriculum. Students should always check with the school(s) they are applying to determine if all the recommended courses are required for admission.

Premed course requirements and how they apply to the BME degree.
Requirements Purdue Courses BME Degree Application
General Biology with Lab BIOL 23100 or BME 29500 & BME 32001 Required
  Upper Level Biology with 2 hours of Lab (Genetics Recommended) Life Science (depending on course selected)
Anatomy & Physiology BIOL 20300 & BIOL 20400 Life Science Electives
General Chemistry with lab CHM 11510+11520 & CHM 11610+11620 Required
Organic Chemistry with lab CHM 25500 & 25501 & 25600 & 25601 OR CHM 26100 & 26200 OR CHM 26505 & 26605 OR MCMP 20400 & 20500 Life Science Electives if a full year of lectures & labs taken
Biochemistry BCHM 30700 or BCHM 56100 or CHM 33900 or CHM 43300 or MCMP 20800 Life Science Elective if BCHM 30700 or 56100 taken
Physics with lab PHYS 17200 AND PHYS 24100 & PHYS 25200 or PHYS 27200 Required
English ENGL 10600 or 10800 or SCLA 10100 AND an additional course with a strong writing component (ENGL 42201 commonly taken) General Education Elective
Psychology PSY 12000 General Education Elective
Sociology SOC 10000 or higher (Anthropology also acceptable) General Education Elective
Statistics Any Course – STAT 35000 or 51100 recommended for BME Required

Premed/health-professions course requirements and how they apply to the BME degree.
Requirements Purdue Courses BME Degree Application
Intro Biology with lab BIOL 11000 and 11100 or (BIOL 13100 and BIOL 23100 and BIOL 23200) N/A
Microbiology with lab BIOL 22100 or (BIOL 43800 and 43900) Life Science if BIOL 43800 taken
Anatomy and Physiology BIOL 20300 and BIOL 20400 Life Science Electives
General Chemistry with lab CHM 11500 and CHM 11600 Required
Organic Chemistry with lab CHM 25500 and CHM 25501 and CHM 25600 and CHM 25601 or CHM 26100 and CHM 26200 or CHM 26505 and CHM 26605 or MCMP 20400 and MCMP 20500 Life Science Electives if full year of lectures & labs taken
Biochemistry BCHM 30700 or BCHM 56100 or CHM 33900 or CHM 43300 or MCMP 20800 Life Science Elective if BCHM 30700 or 56100 taken
Psychology PSY 12000 General Education Elective
English ENGL 10600 or ENGL 10800 or SCLA 10100 and additional course with strong writing component (ENGL 42201 commonly taken) General Education Elective
Statistics STAT 30100 or STAT 50300 or PSY 20100 or SOC 38200 Unrestricted Elective
Communications SCLA 10200 or COM 11400 or COM 21200 or COM 21700 General Education Elective
Medical Terminology HSCI 13100 General Education Elective
Nutrition NUTR 30300 or NUTR 31500 Unrestricted Elective
May also need Physics, Ethics, or other courses; additional Biology with lab may be required Varies

Premed course requirements and how they apply to the BME degree.
Requirements Purdue Courses BME Degree Application
General Biology with lab BIOL 23000 and Upper Level Biology with 2 hours of Lab (Genetics Recommended) BIOL 23000 Required; Upper Level Biology in Life Science (depending on course selected)
Anatomy and Physiology BIOL 20300 and BIOL 20400 Life Science Electives
Microbiology BIOL 22100 or BIOL 43800 Life Science if BIOL 43800 taken
Inorganic Chemistry with lab CHM 11500 and CHM 11600 Required
Organic Chemistry with lab CHM 25500 and CHM 25501 and CHM 25600 and CHM 25601 or CHM 26100 and CHM 26200 or CHM 26505 and CHM 26605 or MCMP 20400 and MCMP 20500 Life Science Electives (if full year of lectures & labs taken)
Biochemistry BCHM 30700 or BCHM 56100 or CHM 33900 or CHM 43300 or MCMP 20800 Life Science Electives (if BCHM 30700 or BCHM 56100 taken)
Physics with lab PHYS 17200 and PHYS 24100 and PHYS 25200 or PHYS 27200 Required
Social Science (3 credits) PSY 12000, ANTH 10000, SOC 10000, COM 11400 General Education Elective
English ENGL 10600 or ENGL 10800 or SCLA 10100 General Education Elective
Other – Art Course in jewelry making, sculpture, or ceramics General Education Elective

Veterinary school course requirements and how they apply to the BME degree.
Requirements Purdue Courses BME Degree Application
General Biology with lab BIOL 23000 and Upper Level Biology with 2 hours of lab BIOL 23000 Required; Upper Level Biology may be Life Science (depending on course selected)
Microbiology with lab BIOL 22100 or (BIOL 43800 and BIOL 43900) Life Science if BIOL 43800 taken
Genetics (lab req. at some schools) BIOL 24100 (BIOL 24200 lab) or AGRY 32000 (AGRY 321 lab) Life Science
General Chemistry with lab CHM 11500 and CHM 11600 Required
Organic Chemistry with lab CHM 25500 and CHM 25501 and CHM 25600 and CHM 25601 or CHM 26100 and 26200 or CHM 26505 and CHM 26605 or MCMP 20400 and MCMP 20500 Life Science Electives if full year of lectures & labs taken
Biochemistry BCHM 30700 or BCHM 56100 or CHM 33900 or CHM 43300 or MCMP 20800 Life Science Elective if BCHM 30700 or 56100 taken
Physics with lab PHYS 17200 and PHYS 24100 and PHYS 25200 or PHYS 27200 Required
Statistics STAT 30100 or STAT 50300 or PSY 20100 or SOC 38200 Unrestricted Elective
Communications SCLA 10200 or COM 11400 or COM 21200 or COM 21700 General Education Elective
Humanities and Social Science Courses from Foreign Language, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Anthropology, Sociology, Psychology General Education Elective
English ENGL 10600 or ENGL 10800 or SCLA 10100 and additional course with strong writing component (ENGL 42201 commonly taken) General Education Elective
Careers in Vet Med VM 10200 Unrestricted Elective
Required at some programs Algebra, Calculus, Animal Science, Animal Nutrition (ANSC 22100), Zoology, Psychology, Technical Writing Varies

Professional program course requirements and how they apply to the BME degree.
Requirements Purdue Courses BME Degree Application
Anatomy and Physiology BIOL 20300 and BIOL 20400 Life Science Electives
General Biology with lab BIOL 11000 and BIOL 11100 or (BIOL 13100 and BIOL 23100 and BIOL 23200) N/A
Physics PHYS 22000 or equivalent N/A
Social/Behavioral Science PSY 12000 and PSY 35000 and HDFS 21000 General Education Electives
English ENGL 10600 or ENGL 10800 or SCLA 10100 General Education Electives
Communications COM 11400 General Education Electives
Statistics STAT 30100 or STAT 50300 or PSY 20100 or SOC 38200 Unrestricted Elective
Other requirements at some programs HSCI 13100; PHIL 11100; Algebra; general chemistry; kinesiology Varies

Professional program course requirements and how they apply to the BME degree.
Requirements Purdue Courses BME Degree Application
Anatomy and Physiology BIOL 20300 and BIOL 20400 Life Science Electives
General Biology with lab (required at some schools) BIOL 11000 and BIOL 11100 or (BIOL 13100 and BIOL 23100 and BIOL 23200) N/A
General Chemistry with lab CHM 11500 and CHM 11600 Required
Physics with lab PHYS 17200 and PHYS 24100 and PHYS 25200 or PHYS 27200 Required
Statistics STAT 30100 or STAT 50300 or PSY 20100 or SOC 38200 Unrestricted Elective
Psych/Life Span PSY 12000 and HDFS 21000 or PSY 12000 and PSY 23500 and PSY 36700 General Education Electives
Other requirements and/or recommended courses English Composition; Exercise Science; Algebra; Medical Terminology; Social Science and Humanities courses Varies

General Recommendations

  • Check in with a Pre-Professional Advisor every semester to ensure you’re on track with not only completing academic requirements, but also extra curriculars and volunteer experiences!
  • Start thinking about what schools and programs you're interested in early.
  • Work on a solid plan of study early. If you are planning on taking courses elsewhere (outside of Purdue), look up your options in the Transfer Credit Database. Include in your plan of study when you're planning on taking any major tests (MCAT, GRE, PA-CAT, etc.).
  • Be aware of application deadlines! Investigate if there are fee waivers and/or early admission deadlines.