biomedical engineering?

daveshere

hi I'm thinking of dropping out of college and deferring for a year and then going for what I decided against doing this year, biomedical engineering. The maths aspect scared me and the fact that all I did in secondary school was engineering with no science, however it is only now that I was told you can just work hard and pick the other aspets up (engineering did as a requirement). Can someone please give me what they know on biomed engineering in UL? If you do it, how many hours do you have, and how hard is it? Much appreciated:)

Chimaera

Most of the content is shared with the mechanical engineering course. Where it differs is mainly to accomodate elements specific to biomedical applications. So there will be some content on physiology and anatomy; biomaterials; biomechanics.

Unless you're really set on doing biomedical engineering, I'd nearly recommend doing the standard mechanical engineering course as it gives you more options at the end and it's not that different in terms of course content.

daveshere

Oh right ok, thanks. Yea I was half thinking of just going for the undenominated engineering because you can just branch off into biomed but do something different if you don't like it. If I go for the general one though is there a limit to the amount of people who are allowed into the branches? And are you doing engineering yourself?

BroLo

The first year of engineering is common for all strands of the mechanical side; mechanical, biomedical, aeronautical and CAED. No matter what strand you choose you will be able to swap at the end of first year (depending on numbers and grades etc). CAED and mechanical are the same until the end of second year so you will be able to swap between those two until the end of second year, again depending.

Once you complete your undergraduate course you will more than likely do a post-grad (probably a masters), this is to become a chartered engineer. Providing you have done one of the four listed above you can do your post grad in any strand. For example, I can do my undergrad in Aero and my post grad in Mech.

Hope this has helped a little.

daveshere

thanks yea that was of great help. How many hours roughly is the undenominated engineering or biomed course in 1st year? And would just having done engineering for the leaving cert without a science really make me struggle?

BroLo

You may struggle a bit with the physics side of it, but I'm sure you will pick it up. They don't assume you can do anything except for some basic enough maths, and even the maths course is very easy in first and second year.

Roughly you're talking 20-25 hours a week in first year, both semesters. It's not too bad, less than school but a lot more than the likes of Psychology and you probably won't have any days off mid week, but they're usually not bad with early starts, although I had 5 9AMs last semester.

xyzmech

The undenominates course, Biomedical, Aero, CAED and Mechanical all have the same modules in first year. No matter which one you enter you will be able to transfer into a different one at the end of first year.

I did Science subjects for my leaving cert but being really honest they really didn't give me much of an advantage so you will be fine with just Engineering if you put a bit of work in all year.

Honours maths will definately be an advantage to you if you did it but maths in first year is mainly differentiation and integration, more advanced that LC but not impossible by any means and the Maths Learning Centre are great.
There is some form of maths involved in nearly every module so if you are good at it/like it it's an advantage, but a few hours study is just as good.

In second year Biomedical and Mechanical only have one different module. Mechanical do Applied Mechanics and Biomedical do Introductory Anatomy and Physiology.
The Biomedical modules of it is mainly in 3rd and 4th year.

I'm happy to answer any other questions you have

daveshere

Thanks for all that! Honestly knowing the hours and a little bit more detail on the modules is a great help to me.
Just out of interest what science subject (ie. biology, physics or chemistry) would be best to take up until I get into the course, hopefully, next year?

BroLo

All three will be a help to be honest. Phys for sure! Bio would be a second priority and Chem least important IMO.

creepellai

I did Engineering Choice in first year and then went into BioMed. I had leaving cert higher lever maths and biology but nothing else. I found first year quite tough but I passed all my exams so I'm surea little work and you'll be fine (I didn't do as much as I should have!). I found second year a lot easier as I had caught up the others that had done physics etc. It's only 3rd and 4th year that the biology based modules begin so I look forward to them. (I'm currently on CoOp)

daveshere

So you did grand without any biology in the 1st year? Alright ok thanks! feeling better now after all I've found out :P

BroLo

daveshere wrote: »

So you did grand without any biology in the 1st year? Alright ok thanks! feeling better now after all I've found out :P

First year has no Bio modules. As said before first year is a general grounding in Engineering so its very broad and common between all the engineering branches.

creepellai

Yeah and theres only one bio module in second year and it's quite basic.