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Undergraduate and graduate students at CU Boulder will soon get new opportunities to pursue careers in the biomedical industry.

At a meeting this week, members of the CU Board of Regents voted to approve a series of new degrees in biomedical engineering offered by the CU Boulder College of Engineering and Applied Science.

Through these bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees, students will have the chance to pursue classes from across the university, across engineering, biology and mathematics. The goal, organizers say, is to tap into a medical world that increasingly gears treatments to individuals and depends on rapidly evolving technologies.

The degrees are the first of their kind in the CU system, and no other university in the state offers a stand-alone undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering.

CU Boulder Provost Russell Moore touted the new programs, which could launch as early as fall 2020.

“This initiative within the College of Engineering and Applied Science is well matched to our campus strengths in biomedicine, health and life sciences and should further strengthen educational and research collaborations in these areas across campus, in particular with the Department of Integrative Physiology, the BioFrontiers Institute and the Department of Biochemistry,” Moore said.

It's a particularly timely effort. Earlier this year, Forbes labeled biomedical engineering the . 

Bobby Braun, dean of engineering at CU Boulder, said that these latest educational opportunities will give students an edge in pursuing medical school or jobs in high-demand fields like bioimaging, neuroengineering, medical device design and more.

“I am grateful to the more than 30 college faculty who signed on in support of these new degrees and more than 100 current students who spoke out in support of this effort,” Braun said. “By expanding our research and teaching mission, we will enhance the quality of life for all Coloradoans and grow our national impact in the medical and health sciences domains.”

CU Anschutz Chancellor Donald M. Elliman Jr. added that the degrees will open up new opportunities for collaboration between his university and CU Boulder.

“By hosting faculty research activities, sponsoring joint appointments and connecting CU Boulder engineering faculty with like-minded practitioners and clinicians on our medical campus, CU Anschutz looks forward to collaborating with the CU Boulder College of Engineering and Applied Science to strengthen the impact and national reputation of the biomedical, health and life sciences research across our state,” Elliman said.