Contents
Minor in Biological Engineering
Minor in Biological Engineering for non-BE students is described here.
Minors for BE students
Biological Engineering majors may choose to complete one or more of the minors offered in any college. There are 122 to choose from (see list below). Most students can complete a minor within their Biological Engineering program in 8 semesters provided they work closely with their faculty advisor to carefully plan and schedule their courses. Completion of a minor is noted on the final Cornell transcript as official recognition of academic achievement above and beyond the Bachelor of Science degree requirements. Students may participate in either the Biological Engineering minor or the Biomedical Engineering minor, but not both. Note that the Minor in Biological Engineering offered by BEE is NOT available to Biological Engineering majors.
An example program shown here meets the requirements of the Biological Engineering major and Biomedical Engineering minor.
Study Abroad
The department encourages meaningful international experience as part of Cornell education. Planning for such activity should start early. Resources for studying abroad are:
- Education Abroad
- CALS International Opportunities
- Engineering Study Abroad
- Here is what a recent student had to say about her experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Can I co-op through the college of engineering? Can the co-op be more agriculturally focused than engineering work?
A1. Yes, you can definitely co-op through the CoE co-op program. All co-op assignments are related to engineering, but you can work with Engineering Career Services to try to identify ones which address your particular interests, whether those be in agriculture, biomedical devices, finance, coatings, aerospace human factors, food safety, bioremediation, or anything else. If you have contacts at a particular company or in a particular industry, try to facilitate a connection between your contacts and Engineering Career Services. Career Services is always on the lookout for more co-op partners.
Q2. Can courses for a minor be taken online or at a community college and will that credit transfer over?
A2. Consult the person or people in charge of the minor: it’s their decision. Help them out by bringing along a course description or syllabus and by being prepared to explain how you expect to use the anticipated transfer course as part of the minor.
Q3. Are BEE students eligible to complete an AEM minor (not including the Dyson business minor for engineers)?
A3. Yes, although we recommend the engineering version of the minor because it is designed to be most compatible with an engineering program of study.
Q4. Does the new curriculum affect studying abroad?
A4. Not officially – but since the new curriculum has more core (required) courses than the old, it reduces your flexibility. Consult with your advisor on how best to fit in study abroad.
Q5. Does the new curriculum affect one’s ability to complete minors through liberal studies and engineering electives?
A5. It should not have any effect at all on completing minors through liberal studies and approved electives. Completing minors through engineering electives may be slightly more challenging because many minors cap the number of major-required courses that can be applied towards a minor. For example, the BME minor accepts no more than two courses specifically required in the student’s major curriculum. In the new curriculum BEE 3310, BEE 3600 and BEE 4500 are specifically required. Under the old curriculum, the last two were either concentration electives or major-approved technical electives, so all of them could count toward the BME minor. Under the new curriculum, only two can be used toward the BME minor.