Bioengineering

Bioengineers work at the intersection of biology, engineering and medicine to tackle grand challenges in society. These problems arise in human biological systems related to biomaterials, biomechanics and prosthetics, tissue engineering, molecular modeling, imaging, bioinformatics, nanomedicine, synthetic biology, and drug delivery. This highly interdisciplinary major will help you understand how human biological systems function. You'll also learn how to develop technology-based solutions to societal needs in human development and disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.

Career options include bioinformatics, consulting, genomics, health care, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, consumer products, hospitals and clinics, government regulatory agencies, patent law, academia, laboratory and research facilities, product and process development, quality and regulatory services, and operations and manufacturing.

Visit Department Website →

Highlights

  • Our bioengineering program is ranked #19 by U.S. News & World Report.
  • 80% of students reported having an internship or co-op during their degree program.
  • 98% of students reported securing their first choice destination upon graduation.
  • The average starting salary for a bioengineering graduate is $74,353 with an average signing bonus of $10,000.

Discover your power. Become a Grainger Engineer.

Your path to Grainger Engineering starts with connecting your passion and interests with the opportunities available in one of our 19 top-ranked major programs. Explore your options and gather the information you need to take the next step and apply.

Request More Information

Begin Your Application

We solve problems first.

What You'll Study

The bioengineering major combines life science, physical science, mathematics and engineering principles to define and solve problems in biology, medicine and health care. The bioengineering major also translates medical assessment practices—such as using direct observation and immediate feedback in tandem with more traditional tests and projects—to better unify classroom experiences and clinical experiences.

Faculty within the department are organized into communities of practice, which help them to learn new teaching techniques. As you progress through the general bioengineering curriculum, you will develop competencies in math, statistics, and computation, applied engineering techniques, and specialized areas of study associated with your specific bioengineering technical interests. Bioengineers interested in the growing fields of artificial intelligence, machine learning and biomedical image computing may benefit from a minor in CS. The bioengineering curriculum will prepare you for top industry jobs, and elite graduate and professional schools.

View Curriculum Map

Minor in Computer Science

The CS Minor is offered for students seeking significant knowledge of digital computing without the more complete treatment of a major in computer science. This minor may be taken by any student except majors in the Computer Science degree programs and in Computer Engineering.

Learn more about the CS Minor

 

A virtual reality world envelopes a University of Illinois student as he interacts with technology at the CITL Innovation spaces.

Read Our Blog

 

  • Undergraduate
  • Experiences

Parkland Pathways with Yasmin

July 10, 2025

This fall, Yasmin begins her sophomore year in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Before fully transitioning into ECE, she completed foundational coursework at Parkland College through the Parkland Pathway to Illinois program. Here, Yasmin shares her experience taking a nontraditional route to Grainger Engineering.

  • Undergraduate

The Lindsay Brothers Level Up

May 14, 2025

From building Lego sets to fixing household appliances with their father, Grant and Landon Lindsay were encouraged to be problem solvers. This foundation inspired them to apply their critical thinking skills to engineering. 

  • Undergraduate
  • Alumni

New graduates reflect on the Grainger Engineering experience

May 13, 2025

With the semester coming to a close, we reached out to seniors at The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to ask them about their next steps, advice for new students and everything in between.

Post-Graduation Success

The bioengineering curriculum prepares sets you up to either further your education at elite universities or land top industry jobs following graduation. About fifty-two percent of our bioengineering graduates continue their education in graduate school, while about forty-six percent are hired for summer internships and full-time employment with top companies in medical devices, pharmaceuticals and consulting.

Common career options for bioengineering graduates include the following: bioinformatics, consulting, genomics, health care, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, consumer products, hospitals & clinics, government regulatory agencies, patent law, academia, laboratory & research facilities, product & process development, quality & regulatory services, and operations & manufacturing. The average salary for bioengineering graduates was reported as $74,353 with an average signing bonus of $10,000.

Visit Department Website

98%
employed or continuing education*

46%
employed after graduation

52%
attending graduate school

$74,353
average starting annual income*

Sample employer destinations: Abbott, Accenture, National Institutes of Health (NIH) View All

Sample grad school destinations: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) View All

*Post-graduate data was collected through the Illini Success initiative, which primarily relies on self-reported survey data sources. Statistics reported are from 2022-2023. Please note that total compensation may be greater than annual salary as other forms of compensation (e.g., signing bonus, commission, benefits) are not included. For more information on Illini Success data and methods, please visit the Illini Success website.

Upcoming Events

 

Student in lab extracting liquid from test tube

Your future starts here.

Applying to The Grainger College of Engineering opens the door to your future as a successful engineer. Get started by scheduling a visit, requesting information, or submitting your application.