CONTENTS
OVERVIEW
Biomedical engineering is an interdisciplinary field dedicated to addressing biological and medical challenges for the benefit of humanity by applying engineering principles and techniques. The Biomedical Engineering (BME) programme is offered by the Faculty of Engineering via deep collaboration with Faculty of Medicine.
Students in the BME program receive training at the intersection of cutting-edge engineering and medical disciplines through core courses, while also having the flexibility to select from a diverse range of electives tailored to their specific career goals.
The field of BME is instrumental in creating innovative medical technologies, including MRI machines, brain-computer interfaces, cardiac pacemakers, orthopedic implants, rehabilitative devices, medical robotics, and minimally-invasive endoscopes. Biomedical devices are now being designed at micro- and nano-scales for diagnostic and therapeutic applications at the molecular and cellular levels. Students have the opportunity to engage with the extensive biomedical engineering research activities conducted within the University, thereby broadening their expertise in this dynamic field.
Focus areas of the programme are:
(1) Medical Instrumentation and Biosensors;
(2) Biomedical Imaging, Informatics and Modeling;
(3) Molecular, Cell and Tissue Engineering.
Graduates of the Biomedical Engineering (BME) program find diverse opportunities in various sectors, including hospitals, universities, government agencies, public organizations, and industries. The careers available to BME graduates span the entire value chain, encompassing research and development, manufacturing, quality assurance, consulting, distribution and sales, clinical engineering, regulatory affairs, and technology entrepreneurship. In addition to these career paths, BME graduates are well-prepared for pursuing advanced studies in engineering and biomedical sciences. Some alumni have even embarked on careers in business, law, and medicine, demonstrating the versatility and adaptability of their BME education.
To know more about CUHK BME Undergraduate Programme
Download our Programme Brochure
WHY CUHK BME?
Unique Learning Experience in CUHK BME:
ADMISSION
Admission Requirement
JUPAS Admission (JUPAS code: JS4460)
Students are expected to have completed at least two elective subjects plus the four core subjects. Priority scores are computed based on the Best 5 HKDSE subject results with subject weighting as below:
| 4 Core Subjects | Minimum Level | Subject Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| English Language | 3 | 1.5 |
| Chinese Language | 3 | 1 |
| Mathematics (Compulsory Part)* | 3 | 1.5 |
| Citizenship and Social Development | Attained | - |
| 2 Elective Subjects | Minimum Level | Subject Weighting |
| One of the following: Biology / Chemistry / Physics / *Mathematics Extended Module (M1 / M2) | 3 | 1.5 |
| Other elective Subject | 3 | 1 |
Preferential HKDSE score conversion:
| Grade Point Conversion for Category A: Core and Elective Subjects | |||||||
| HKDSE Level | 5** | 5* | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Grade Point | 8.5 | 7 | 5.5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Grade Point Conversion for Category C: Other Language Subjects | |||||||
| HKDSE Level | A | B | C | D | E | ||
| Score | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | ||
Non-JUPAS Admission (Local & International)
Applicants who are seeking admissions on the strength of qualifications other than Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination results can also apply through the Non-JUPAS Admissions Scheme:
Non-JUPAS (Year 1 Admissions) *
Local applicants who are not using the results of Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) for admissions purpose such as International Baccalaureate,
GCE A-Level, SAT, Higher Diploma and Associate Degree will be considered as Non-JUPAS applicants. More detailed information is available at
https://admission.cuhk.edu.hk/non-jupas-yr-1/requirements.html
Local students who possess Associate Degree or Higher Diploma qualifications will be considered as Non-JUPAS applicants and can apply for senior year admission. More detailed information is available at
https://admission.cuhk.edu.hk/non-jupas-senior/requirements.html
International Students Admissions Scheme*
Applicants who require a student visa/ entry permit to study in Hong Kong will be considered as international students. International students can
apply for admission by using overseas/ other qualification such as International Baccalaureate, GCE A-Level and SAT. More detailed information is available at
https://admission.cuhk.edu.hk/international/requirements.html
*A non-JUPAS applicant may apply for "Admission with Advanced Standing" if he/she meets specific requirements (including GCE-AL, IB-HL, etc.). For students admitted with Advanced Standing, the number of units for graduation may be reduced by up to 24. Applicants should indicate in the application form whether they would like to be considered for "Admission with Advanced Standing".
For Mainland JEE applicants, please visit http://admission.cuhk.edu.hk/sc/mainland/requirements.html
*** Useful information for JUPAS applicants ***
Important Information for JUPAS Applicants:
http://admission.cuhk.edu.hk/jupas/download.html
CUHK JUPAS Admission Requirements
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQpwJ5LJ6Gs (Cantonese Version)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQL9k2mqOTM (English Version)
CUHK Admission Scores Calculation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLW6Fidqrxg (Cantonese Version)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDk6DXWdOd4 (English Version)
CURRICULUM
Curriculum structure
Streams
Presentations of year 1 students in a required course -BMEG2001 Introduction to Biomedical Engineering
STUDY SCHEME
| YEAR 2022-2023 | Applicable to students admitted in 2022-23 download link |
| YEAR 2021-2022 | Applicable to students admitted in 2021-22 download link |
| YEAR 2020-2021 | Applicable to students admitted in 2020-21
download link |
PRACTICAL TRAINING
Students are required to participate in a four-week professional and practical summer training on CUHK main campus and at Prince of Wales Hospital (PWH) and CUHK Medical Centre (CUMC). The in-house training involves electronic circuit design, simulation, fabrication, interfacing with software, data acquisition, and wireless communication, while the hospital training, students can experience the daily operation information flow and logistics in the running of a hospital. They will also learn about the fundamentals and the clinical use of medical instruments. The training provides a valuable chance for students to relate theory and engineering knowledge to practice in a real-world setting.
Students’ Sharing
Aiana BAEKOVA (Class of 2022)
“Choosing a major is one of the most important decisions people make in their lives. It has to be something they will not regret spending 4 years on. I believe I made the right choice by joining BME!
In BME, not only we acquire knowledge from various subjects but also we learn how to apply those skills. During my first year, BME conducted summer training for all undergraduate students. The training helped me to see real-life applications of the concepts learned in class, and gave me an insight view on the working environment of biomedical engineers. All the hospital visits, medical instrumentation company visit and the laboratories motivate aspiring engineers, like me, to keep working and make a contribution later in their lives.
As an international student, I had some difficulty finding local friends but BME summer training changed that. BME Summer Training is what brought both local and non-local students together by dividing us into groups. Despite the short time we spent together as a group, we were still able to make vivid memories together! I am very grateful to the department for this opportunity!
Explore, innovate and care together with BME!”
EXPERIENCE AND OPPORTUNITIES
1. Overseas Summer Research Internship
Our department provides overseas summer research internship opportunities for our BME students. Internships usually start on around June and last for about 8-10 weeks in every summer. Our professors have close collaboration with some of the overseas institutions across USA, Canada, Poland, Australia, Japan, Taiwan and China.
In last two academic years (2021-22 & 2022-23), around 12% of our senior-year students joined our overseas summer research internship programme. Recent examples include:
Students’ Sharing
Patrick SZE (Class of 2023)
participated in overseas summer research internship programme in University of Limoges, XLIM Research Institute, France
“I am working on a summer research internship supervised by Prof. Shuwen ZENG. Throughout the three months internship, I exposed myself to the fabrication and characterization of nanomaterials. I also understand nanomaterials' optical properties and nanomaterials applications in biosensing, and I built my laser setup in the laboratory for surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensing. This internship experience has equipped me with critical and independent thinking, improving effective communication and teamwork. I have also obtained an innovative mindset and an affinity for problem-solving after solving the bugs by myself. It is valuable continuous learning, and I feel very thankful for my supervisor.”
2. Overseas Exchange
University provides overseas exchange opportunities to students to immerse in multi-cultural settings and to enrich their study life and personal experience. Many undergraduate students in Biomedical Engineering participate in overseas exchange programmes around the world.
In last two academic years (2021-22 & 2022-23), around 14% of our senior year students joined our overseas exchange programme. Recent examples include:
3. On-Campus Research Internships
Many BME students participate in research internships in our laboratories in the summer as well during regular terms.
Students’ Sharing
SAELOR Jirapong (Class of 2025)
“I would like to express my gratitude to my internship supervisor, Professor DUAN Liting and PhD student Zhihao ZHAO for their guidance, support, and valuable insights throughout this project. I have learned a lot and understand more about tissue engineering and optogenetic research from this project. Moreover, I learn how researchers and postgraduate students conduct their research the process before they can publish their paper. I would also like to thank the Biomedical Engineering department for this research student helper opportunity. This opportunity is valuable for me such that it acts as a milestone for me to decide the stream I want to concentrate on and inspire me to pursue a postgraduate degree.”
Francis CHAN (Class of 2022)
“The undergraduate research I joined on the first half year of 2021 earn me a wonderful experience in exploring the area of software development and data analysis. These elements allow me to recognize the applicable tools to be utilized in my future study.
Alson LEE (Class of 2022)
“The ongoing pandemic posed a rather difficult situation for the scope of the research experience. Even through all the challenges, I would say that my experience in this program has been great and that I wouldn’t have gotten so much time and experience on Arduino and hands-on engineering skills. I have certainly learned a lot!”
4. Work-Study Programme
Students can choose to participate in “Work-Study Programme” upon completion of the third year of their major study. The Programme provides students an opportunity to apply engineering principles and methods from their studies to an authentic working environment. Students will continue their final year of study on campus afterwards. Partners include Hospital Authority, private hospitals, companies from the biomedical engineering industries. Recent examples include:
5. Design Competitions
CAREER PROSPECTS
Employment of biomedical engineers is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations. The aging population and the focus on health issues will increase the demand for better medical devices and equipment. The development of biomedical engineering is therefore a worldwide trend. Our graduates are pursuing the following career paths:
BME Graduate Employment Survey (2020-2022)
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
Ample scholarships are available through multiple sources - the Office of Admission and Financial Aids, Colleges, Faculty of Engineering, as well as Department of Biomedical Engineering to encourage students to participate in international competitions and conferences.
In previous years, around 20% of our newly admitted students have received Admission Scholarship (in one-off or renewable offer), the highest admission scholarship received is up to HK$145,000 per academic year.
For more details, please go to:
Faculty of Engineering Admission Scholarships for New Students: Link1
Financing Your Studies: Link2
STUDENT STORIES
Fiona LAM (Class of 2026)
admitted via JUPAS
“When I first started university, I was lost and found it difficult to envision my university life. Our department's introduction course in the first semester helps a lot as we have the chance to learn about each professor's field of study. This tailor-made course for BME freshman allows me to explore what stream I would like to pursue and provides chances for interaction among students and professors. Another course that I found helpful in my first year is our summer practical training. We have the chance to visit different departments in hospital and see how BME is applied in real-life settings. Seeing how devices support hospital service and enhance patient's quality of life motived me to continue my study. Through this program, I am grateful to have made friends whom I can have fun and study with. I am glad to say I have a fantastic first year experience in BME and feel motivated towards the next few years of study.”
Thomas CHAN (Class of 2024)
admitted via JUPAS
“I think studying in BME has provided me countless opportunities to try and explore different fields of knowledge like electronic, imaging and medical-related courses are all available. They also have many projects to give you hands-on experience, like building a robotic arm and ECG detector. This means you can find your future path by trying more different things, which is the reason why I chose BME. At this moment, I am having a BME summer internship at the University of Technology of Troyes in France, doing an optic-related biosensing experiment. This opens my eyes by showing me what doing real research feels like. Even though this is a challenging path to take, I think in the end, it will be worth it, especially if you want to do research in the future.”
CHEUNG Suen (Class of 2023)
admitted via JUPAS
“BME is an interdisciplinary program that can be struggled during the beginning of the study, as we have to learn a variety of subjects such as physics, biology, chemistry, mathematics, and programming. However, this broad curriculum trains your time management and problem-solving skills while also helping students identify their strengths and interests. BME offers a range of hands-on courses that we can engage in projects and experiments and encourages innovation, allowing students to design their own medical products.”
Diya MISHRA (Class of 2024)
admitted via non-JUPAS International
“CUHK’s multidisciplinary BME program is centered on an all-rounded development for their students. The initial years allow students to build up a strong fundamental understanding of the entire field, allowing students to explore and figure out their personal interests. In the last few years, through the opportunity of specializing in one of three available streams, students can focus more on their interests. One of my main takeaways as an engineering student is the significance of practical experience. Projects, internships, and other various opportunities are what have allowed me to uncover where my interests lie. What has impressed me the most is the department’s commitment to assisting students get that pivotal experience for the development of our critical skills as an engineer. The department closely works with professors and students to provide various stages of training for us, including but not limited to on-campus lab assisting opportunities, overseas summer internships, or even a workstudy program.”
FAQ
Admission
- How many students we are admitting each year?
- What qualities of the applicants do we look for?
- What is the JUPAS code for this programme?
- How is the admission priority score computed for JUPAS applications?
- Do I need Biology to apply to this programme?
- Any Admission Statistics of JUPAS Applicants of BME programme?
- How to apply for admission to BME?
General Questions
- What is the difference between BME and related programmes (Bioengineering, Biomedical Sciences)?
- How to arrange a School Talk?
How many students we are admitting each year?
Around 50.
What qualities of the applicants do we look for?
We look for students who like science subjects, love to EXPLORE, INNOVATE and CARE, passionate for learning in breadth as well as in depth, ready to acquire new knowledge across disciplines, and eager to apply their learning to solve real-life problems in the medical and healthcare industries.
What is the JUPAS code for this programme?
JUPAS Catalogue No.(聯招編號): JS4460
BEng in Biomedical Engineering 生物醫學工程學
For details, please click this Link
How is the admission priority score computed for JUPAS applications?
Students are expected to have completed at least two elective subjects plus the four core subjects. One of the electives should be Physics, Chemistry, Biology or Mathematics Extended Module M1/M2. Priority scores are computed based on the Best 5. A higher weighting of 1.5 will be given to English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and one of the Mathematics subjects (either the core Mathematics or the M1/ M2 Extended Module).
Do I need Biology to apply to this programme?
All science subjects are equally weighted with a factor of 1.5. Some students in our programme missed some science subjects (including Biology) in their secondary school and can still do well in our programme. Our flexible articulation allows our students to take some remedial subjects for better underpinning if needed.
Any Admission Statistics of JUPAS Applicants of BME programme?
Programme Weighted Total (BEST 5) – 2023 Entry
- Upper Quartile: 41.5, Lower Quartile: 38.5
*The information provided is for reference only and should not be used to predict the chance of admission in subsequent years.
Calculation of Admission Scores:
• Calculated with Best 5 subjects with Specific Subject Weighting
• Weighting x 1.5: English, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, the best one subject of Mathematics (Compulsory Part) or Mathematics Extended Part (Module 1 or 2)
• Scoring Scale: level 5** = 8.5, level 5* = 7, level 5 = 5.5, level 4 = 4,level 3 = 3, level 2 = 2, level 1 = 1 (category A); A=7, B=5.5, C=4, D=2.5, E=1, Others=0 (category C)
How to apply for admission to BME?
CUHK OAFA Website:
http://admission.cuhk.edu.hk/
What is the difference between BME and related programmes (Bioengineering, Biomedical Sciences)?
Similar in name to Biomedical Engineering is Biomedical Sciences. However, the scope of studies is entirely different. Biomedical Sciences focuses on understanding the underlying mechanism of biological processes. For example, Biomedical Sciences can help to understand how a virus enters the body of humans while it is often the Biomedical Engineer who uses this knowledge to engineer vaccination or virus-test technologies for the benefit of the public.
How to arrange a School Talk?
Email: bmeinfo@cuhk.edu.hk
Phone Number: +852 3943-1935
