BME 378 is a core requirement for all Biomedical Engineering majors, yet it is only offered once per year in the winter quarter. With strict prerequisites and limited availability, students have very few chances to take the course, often forcing them into difficult scheduling decisions. We are petitioning for additional sections in other quarters to provide more flexibility and ensure that students can complete their degree requirements without unnecessary obstacles.

Why Additional Sections Are Needed
Conflict with Study Abroad – The winter quarter is the only designated time for the BME study abroad program in South Africa, which is meant to be taken during senior year. Students who wish to participate must take BME 378 earlier, but with only one offering per year, this becomes a major challenge.

Prerequisite Constraints – BME 378 cannot be realistically taken in freshman or sophomore year because of its prerequisites. Fluid mechanics, a prerequisite for BME 378, is typically taken in sophomore spring or later due to the EA4 requirement. This leaves only junior or senior winter as realistic options, severely limiting students’ flexibility.

Course and Lab Conflicts – The Thursday 2:00-3:20 PM discussion makes it nearly impossible to take most Thursday afternoon classes. This creates direct conflicts with essential courses like BME 101, BME 207, and many lab sections in BME, biology, chemistry, neuroscience, and design. These conflicts force students to delay other requirements, limit elective choices, or miss out on valuable lab experience that is critical to their academic and professional growth.

By offering additional sections of BME 378 in other quarters, students would have greater flexibility to plan their coursework, participate in study abroad, and gain hands-on lab experience without having to make difficult trade-offs. Expanding availability would not only ease scheduling burdens but also help students stay on track for graduation while making the most of their education.