Bachelor of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering and Medical Devices
African hospitals are full of donated equipment that no longer works, and the reason is almost never the technology. It is the absence of biomedical engineers who can install, calibrate, repair and eventually design equipment for local cond...
Employment thesis
What this programme is designed to produce
Forward publishes the destination of every programme before you enrol. If the thesis stops holding, the programme is reviewed and, where necessary, retired. Next review: 2031.
Roles
- Biomedical engineer
- clinical engineer and equipment manager
- medical device design engineer
- regulatory affairs specialist
- imaging systems engineer
- laboratory equipment specialist
- medical device entrepreneur
- procurement and technology assessment officer.
Employer types
- National and regional referral hospitals
- private hospital groups
- the Ministry of Health medical equipment function
- medical device distributors and service companies
- diagnostics firms
- humanitarian medical logistics
- the National Drug Authority and regulatory bodies
- and device start ups.
Target outcomes we hold ourselves to
- A large, structurally unfilled national requirement — every hospital above health centre IV level requires this capability and almost none has it — with an additional export and design pathway.
Compulsory · The Forward Core
How the Core works →Every Forward programme, including this one, carries the same five cross-cutting requirements. They are graded, not optional.
- AI Fluency
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Ethics and African Context
- Human-Advantage Skills
- Enterprise
Includes 12 months paid work-integrated learning
Am I eligible?
Check yourself against the published requirements
7 questions written specifically for Bachelor of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering and Medical Devices. Every answer is checked against a requirement Forward has published, and the result tells you which page that requirement comes from. Indicative only, the admissions office decides on your full file.
What is the highest qualification you hold or are completing?
Curriculum structure
The same degree, in both pathways
Every Forward programme is published in both pathways: Path One, the term plan of two six-month terms, and Path Two, the block sequence of twelve four-week blocks. Same competencies, same assessments, same award. Toggle to see this programme in each.
Path One term plan shown
Path One · The Term Model
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 101 | AI Fluency I: How Intelligent Systems Work Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| HLB 110 | Engineering Mathematics I Objective | 5 | 4-2-0 |
| HLB 111 | Human Anatomy and Physiology I Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| HLB 112 | Programming for Biomedical Engineers Performance | 4 | 1-2-4 |
| HLB 113 | Engineering Drawing, CAD and Prototyping Practicum Performance | 4 | 1-0-6 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 102 | Quantitative Reasoning and Evidence Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| HLB 130 | Engineering Mathematics II Objective | 5 | 4-2-0 |
| HLB 131 | Human Anatomy and Physiology II Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| HLB 132 | Electrical Circuits and Electronics Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| HLB 133 | Biomaterials and Biocompatibility Both | 3 | 1-2-2 |
| COP 190 | Workplace Immersion (4 weeks, recess term) Performance | 0 | 0-0-0 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 201 | Ethics, Society and the African Context Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| HLB 210 | Biomedical Instrumentation and Sensors Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| HLB 211 | Biomechanics and Biofluids Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| HLB 212 | Signals and Systems for Physiological Data Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| HLB 213 | Clinical Environment and Patient Safety Objective | 3 | 2-2-0 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 202 | Human Advantage: Argument, Writing and Teams Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| COP 290 | Co-operative Education Placement I (6 months) Performance | 10 | 0-0-0 |
| HLB 230 | Clinical Engineering and Equipment Maintenance Practicum Performance | 6 | 1-0-10 |
| HLB 231 | Statistics and Clinical Trial Design Objective | 2 | 1-2-0 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 301 | AI Fluency II: Building, Evaluating and Auditing Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| HLB 310 | Medical Imaging Systems and Physics Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| HLB 311 | Embedded Systems for Medical Devices Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| HLB 312 | Medical Device Design and Human Factors Performance | 4 | 1-0-6 |
| HLB 313 | Physiological Signal Processing and Machine Learning Performance | 4 | 1-2-4 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 302 | Enterprise, Employability and Financial Literacy Both | 4 | 2-2-0 |
| COP 390 | Co-operative Education Placement II Performanc | 10 | 0-0-0 |
| HLB 330 | Medical Device Regulation, Standards and Risk Management Both | 6 | 4-2-2 |
| HLB 331 | Hospital Systems, Utilities and Gases Both | 2 | 1-0-2 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 401 | AI Fluency III: Domain Deployment, Governance and Assurance Both | 3 | 1-2-0 |
| HLB 410 | Rehabilitation, Assistive and Prosthetic Technologies Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| HLB 411 | Point of Care Diagnostics Engineering Performance | 5 | 2-2-4 |
| HLB 412 | Medical Device Manufacturing and Quality Systems Performance | 5 | 1-0-8 |
| HLB 413 | Specialisation Elective I Objective | 3 | 2-2-0 |
| Code | Course | CU | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDC 402 | Capability Portfolio and Day One Preparation Both | 3 | 1-2-0 |
| HLB 430 | Biomedical Capstone: Regulated Device or Hospital Systems Project Performance | 9 | 0-2-16 |
| HLB 431 | Health Technology Assessment and Both | 4 | 2-2-2 |
| HLB 432 | Engineering Economics and Project Management Both | 5 | 3-2-2 |
| HLB 433 | Professional Engineering Practice, Ethics and Registration Objective | 4 | 3-2-0 |
Total credit units: 178
Curriculum source
Forward University Curriculum Compendium
Assessment
Coursework + project + integrated exam
Work-integrated learning
12 months paid co-operative education
Your week at Forward
A typical week on Bachelor of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering and Medical Devices
Path One, the Term Model: your own pace across a six-month term, one live session a week, short flexible lessons, and assessment on demand.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Curriculum explorer
Drill into the degree, step by step
Choose a study path, then a year, then a term or block, then a course. Credit totals add up as you go, and every course shows what comes before it and what it unlocks.
Step 1, choose a year
Step 2, choose a term
TERM 1 (SIX MONTHS) | FORMERLY YEAR 1, SEMESTER 1
Year 1 · this step is worth 22 CU
Cumulative
22
Programme total
176
22 CU of 176 CU completed by the end of this step (13%)
Step 3, choose a course
Pick a course to see the detail
Credits, assessment, prerequisites and what each course unlocks later.
The twelve Forward capabilities
What this programme develops in you
Every Forward degree develops the same twelve cross-cutting capabilities. The profile below is the level this programme is designed to develop and verify by graduation, on the four-level scale in Part B2 of the Curriculum Compendium. Every claim above Level 2 is verified by someone other than the teaching lecturer.
- C1Intelligent Systems FluencyLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C2Quantitative and Evidential ReasoningLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C3Ethical and Contextual JudgementLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C4Communication and PersuasionLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C5Disciplinary Mastery CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C6Technical Production and Craft CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C7Problem Framing and Systems ThinkingLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C8Collaboration and Multidisciplinary TeamingLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C9Enterprise, Value and Commercial LiteracyLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C10Professional Conduct and Workplace Performance CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
- C11Learning to Learn and Adaptive CapacityLevel 3 of 4, Independent
- C12Stewardship and Public Contribution CriticalLevel 4 of 4, Leading
Critical capabilities for this programme: Disciplinary Mastery · Technical Production and Craft · Professional Conduct and Workplace Performance · Stewardship and Public Contribution. A graduate cannot pass out of this programme below the stated level on any capability marked critical.
Programme Learning Outcomes
What you will be able to do
Each outcome is assessed, and each is tagged with the Forward capabilities it is verified against.
- PLO 1Explain human physiology sufficiently to interface engineering systems with the body safely.
- PLO 2Design, prototype and test medical devices to applicable safety and performance standards.
- PLO 3Install, calibrate, maintain and repair clinical equipment across a hospital estate.
- PLO 4Acquire and process physiological signals and medical images.
- PLO 5Prepare a regulatory submission for a medical device including risk management documentation.
- PLO 6Manage medical equipment across its life cycle including procurement and technology assessment.
- PLO 7Design for the maintainability, power and supply chain realities of African hospitals.
Why this programme exists
African hospitals are full of donated equipment that no longer works, and the reason is almost never the technology. It is the absence of biomedical engineers who can install, calibrate, repair and eventually design equipment for local cond...
Admission requirements
UACE with two principal passes in Physics and Mathematics, or Physics and Biology, plus UCE with five passes including Mathematics, Physics, Biology and English. Alternative pathways: Foundation Year, diploma entry with advanced standing, mature age entry and recognition of prior learning, all governed by Part A5 and Part G. Online applicants additionally complete the compulsory Digital Readiness orientation under Part D6.
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