2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This work-in-progress article describes the curriculum development and course/lab initiation for a new concentration called Biomedical Engineering Technology (BMET) to an existing program, Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Engineering Technology at ****. Biomedical Engineering Technology (BMET) will be a 4-year concentration which prepares individuals for careers in medical and health facilities that use medical equipment, different application specific instruments like MRI machine, X-Ray machine, Ultrasound, Cardiac Catheters, ECG, EKG etc. This is the most in-demand skills in the engineering and health fields. To meet this market demand, the proposed concentration prepares learners with the necessary skills for the many biomedical career options in major health industries. The proposed concentration consists of a minimum of 122 credit hours and focuses more on the general Engineering technology courses and in addition more CHEM/BIOL courses to prepare for the background information. New courses are developed and proposed in the senior level to justify the concentration. Graduates with a degree in B.S. in Engineering Technology – Biomedical Engineering Technology (BMET) concentration will typically work in different facilities such as Hospitals, Clinics, Urgent Care, Pharmaceuticals, Insurance, Bioinstrumentation Industry/ Companies, Private Engineering Firms, Research Laboratories, and Universities & Colleges, under following titles: Clinical Engineering Technician, Clinical Engineering Technologist, Biomedical Engineering Technician, Biomedical Engineering Technologist, Biomedical Equipment Technician, Laboratory Equipment specialist, Radiological Equipment Specialist, Manufacturing Engineer - biomedical device manufacturing, Quality Engineer / QA Specialist - examining medical products after/during manufacturing process, Biomedical Engineering Researcher - research on medical solutions - Research scientist/Research engineer, Physician - this could be a "Pre-Med" program leading to medical school. The driving forces to create a Biomedical Engineering Technology (BMET) concentration are the following:
• Program Health: Positively trending 3-year enrollment trends (+15.5%) with most students migrating into the program as new to the institution.
• Workforce Demand: Both state and national data projects the target occupations related to the biomedical concentration within the Engineering Technology program to increase; ten-year projections 2022 2032 show that related jobs for the biomedical concentration within the Engineering Technology program will increase more than the nation overall (+13.8% for the State of Texas compared to +10.4 nationally).
• Competitive Landscape: The State of Texas has experienced a significant decrease in programs related to this CIP at the baccalaureate level. 60.1% related programs in the State of Texas are at the associate level with 116 total completions in 2021.
• Target Jobs (Texas): Target jobs for the proposed concentration total 17,164. All target occupations are anticipated to have a growth rate through 2032; compared to the nation, Texas shows higher projected job increases over the next ten years. As of 2021 2022, the number of related job postings per month outnumber the average monthly hires (approx. 1 hire for every 2 unique posting), showing a need for graduates with skills to fill these positions.
• Target Occupation Overview: Job opportunity falls about average in relation to national data. Both compensation and demand fall slightly below the national average in the State of Texas. The field does rank high in Racial Diversity with 31,841 diverse employees employed, compared to the national average for an area of the same size, 21,569.
If accepted, the authors’ requests for a poster session during ASEE 2023 in Baltimore, MD, USA.