Johns Hopkins University Courses & Fees

The Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department takes a human-centric approach to research and education, with a focus on applications in speech processing, medical imaging, bio-photonics, computer-integrated surgery, renewable energy, human inspired electronic systems for perception and cognition, and other cutting-edge technologies that address real-world problems. Our courses cover wide-ranging topics in three broad areas: signal, systems, and control; electro-physics; and computational systems.

Biomedical engineering is an interdisciplinary endeavor, and new discoveries and technological advances require a variety of experimental and computational approaches. Our unique positioning within the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine provides students and faculty with opportunities to engage with other leading engineers, scientists, and physicians. Together, we are developing the disruptive technologies that will transform the practice of medicine and improve human health. Many of these technologies are currently used in the clinic to diagnose and treat diseases, from cardiac arrhythmias and sepsis to Alzheimer’s and cancer. Examples of Hopkins BME advances include new drug delivery methods, diagnostic imaging devices, artificial organs and orthopedic implants, prosthetic limbs, and patient-specific quantitative models of disease.

Biomedical engineering is an interdisciplinary endeavor, and new discoveries and technological advances require a variety of experimental and computational approaches. Our unique positioning within the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine provides students and faculty with opportunities to engage with other leading engineers, scientists, and physicians. Together, we are developing the disruptive technologies that will transform the practice of medicine and improve human health. Many of these technologies are currently used in the clinic to diagnose and treat diseases, from cardiac arrhythmias and sepsis to Alzheimer’s and cancer. Examples of Hopkins BME advances include new drug delivery methods, diagnostic imaging devices, artificial organs and orthopedic implants, prosthetic limbs, and patient-specific quantitative models of disease.

The study of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (ChemBE) is dedicated to the design and exploitation of chemistry, biology, mathematics and physics, especially at the molecular level. As a result of the scope and unusual breadth of this rigorous undergraduate program, our students commonly secure employment in industries such as chemical and pharmaceutical production, biomedicine, biotechnology, material design, food, and energy. Graduates may embark on a career to explore new products such as:

Novel polymers and biodegradable plastics

Chemicals from agriculture to fine chemicals to oil and gas production 

Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Mitigation

Environmental Stewardship

Drugs, Vaccines, Drug Delivery Devices, and Gene Therapy Products

Machine Learning, Computer Simulation, and Data Science

Life Cycle Analysis and Techno-Economic Analysis of Processes

Pharmaceuticals and Therapeutics

Semiconductor synthesis, reactor design, and device characteristics

Nanoscale engineering of particles and the construction of nanodevices

Food, Beverage, Cosmetics, Consumer and Health Care Products, and Engineering

Financial Engineering, Sales and Marketing, and Consulting 

Demands on the skillsets of a modern engineer are high, and graduates must possess a wide range of skills in order to be competitive in a global market. The ChemBE program successfully satisfies these demands. Students take advanced courses in chemistry, physics, mathematics, and biology. Additionally, students are trained in transport, kinetics, chemical separations, and thermodynamics, which are essential to solving real-world engineering problems. Students also hone their professional and communication skills (report writing, oral presentations, and teamwork) in courses involving experimental projects, process design, and product design. 

The Department of Civil and Systems Engineering offers an undergraduate program that strives to educate intellectual leaders of the profession by instilling in them a fundamental understanding of the mathematical and physical principles that underlie civil engineering science, an appreciation for the challenges of creative engineering design, and a sense of responsibility for professional service. Civil Engineering is a broad field with many subdisciplines. The Civil Engineering curriculum exposes students to the fields of structural engineering, engineering mechanics, systems engineering, environmental engineering, water resources, and geotechnical engineering.

The Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department takes a human-centric approach to research and education, with a focus on applications in speech processing, medical imaging, bio-photonics, computer-integrated surgery, renewable energy, human inspired electronic systems for perception and cognition, and other cutting-edge technologies that address real-world problems. Our courses cover wide-ranging topics in three broad areas: signal, systems, and control; electro-physics; and computational systems.

The mission of the B.S. in engineering mechanics degree program is to provide a rigorous educational experience that prepares a select group of students for leadership positions in the profession and a lifetime of learning. The faculty is committed to maintaining a modern and flexible curriculum which, building on a foundation of basic sciences and mathematics, develops a solid education in the mechanical engineering sciences. The aim of the Engineering Mechanics program is to build competence in the analysis, design, and modeling of fluid and solid systems, to promote a broad knowledge of the contemporary social and economic context, and to develop the communication skills necessary to excel.

The mission of our undergraduate program is to provide students with a broadly based yet rigorous education in the fundamental subjects central to the field, in a milieu that fosters development of a spirit of intellectual inquiry and the problem-solving skills required to address the open-ended issues characteristic of the real world.

Our B.S. program provides a strong foundation in the physical, chemical, and biological sciences, as well as in mathematics, engineering science, and engineering design. It is broad and flexible enough to accommodate students with a variety of interests in environmental engineering and management. This training should provide an ideal preparation for future employment in business or industry or for subsequent training at the graduate level, either in environmental engineering/science or in a field such as environmental law, public health, or medicine.

The Bachelor of Arts in General Engineering is a liberal arts degree that is designed to provide students with both a focus in some area of humanities or social sciences and the fundamental engineering principles needed to understand modern technology, innovations, and engineering practices. It is intended for undergraduate students who desire a background in engineering and technology yet have neither the desire nor the intention to become licensed, professional engineers. These students may, for example, plan to pursue graduate or professional study in architecture, business, law (e.g., intellectual property, patent law), or medicine. They may wish to work in areas which relate to engineering and technology or to thrive in the global industrial economy. The Bachelor of Arts in General Engineering is a true liberal arts degree with an emphasis in engineering.

Materials are essential to the construction of any engineering structure, from the smallest integrated circuit to the largest bridge. In almost every technology, the performance, reliability, or cost is determined by the materials used. As a result, the drive to develop new materials and processes (or to improve existing ones) makes materials science and engineering one of the most important and dynamic engineering disciplines.

The central theme of materials science and engineering is that the relationships among the structures, properties, processing, and performance of materials are crucial to their function in engineering structures. Materials scientists seek to understand these fundamental relationships and use this understanding to synthesize new materials or develop new processes for producing existing ones. Materials engineers design or select materials for particular applications and develop improved processing techniques. Since materials scientists and engineers must understand the properties of materials as well as their applications, the field is inherently interdisciplinary and draws on aspects of almost every other engineering discipline as well as physics, chemistry, and, most recently, biology. Because the field encompasses so many different areas, it is often categorized according to types of materials (metals, ceramics, polymers, and semiconductors) or to their applications (biomaterials, electronic materials, magnetic materials, or structural materials).

The mission of the B.S. in mechanical engineering degree program is to provide a rigorous educational experience that prepares a select group of students for leadership positions in the profession and a lifetime of learning. The faculty is committed to maintaining a modern and flexible curriculum which, building on a foundation of basic sciences and mathematics, develops a solid education in the mechanical engineering sciences. The aim of the Mechanical Engineering program is to build competence in the design and development of thermal, fluid, and mechanical systems, to promote a broad knowledge of the contemporary social and economic context, and to develop the communication skills necessary to excel.

The program provides a basic background in thermal and mechanical systems. Laboratory instruction, as well as the senior design project, gives the student hands-on experience. Each student’s program of study is planned in consultation with their faculty advisor. Students have the opportunity to complete courses and develop depth in areas of focus within mechanical engineering chosen from fluid mechanics and thermal processes, mechanics of solids and design, heat transfer and energy, robotics, and biomechanics. The student’s faculty advisor can provide guidance on these focus areas.

The Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics is devoted to the study and development of mathematical disciplines especially oriented to the complex problems of modern society. A broad undergraduate and graduate curriculum emphasizes several branches of applied mathematics: Probability, the mathematical representation and modeling of uncertainty; Statistics, the analysis and interpretation of data; Operations Research, the design, analysis, and improvement of actual operations and processes; Optimization, the determination of best or optimal decisions; Discrete Mathematics, the study of finite structures, arrangements, and relations; Scientific Computation, which includes all aspects of numerical computing in support of the sciences; and Financial Mathematics, the modeling and analysis of financial markets. 

The Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics is devoted to the study and development of mathematical disciplines especially oriented to the complex problems of modern society. A broad undergraduate and graduate curriculum emphasizes several branches of applied mathematics: Probability, the mathematical representation and modeling of uncertainty; Statistics, the analysis and interpretation of data; Operations Research, the design, analysis, and improvement of actual operations and processes; Optimization, the determination of best or optimal decisions; Discrete Mathematics, the study of finite structures, arrangements, and relations; Scientific Computation, which includes all aspects of numerical computing in support of the sciences; and Financial Mathematics, the modeling and analysis of financial markets. 

The interdisciplinary characteristics of the Behavioral Biology Program provide an excellent preparation for post-graduate work. For those interested in the health professions, behavioral biology can be integrated into a premedical curriculum that will provide a broad, humanistic perspective. For those who wish to pursue scientific careers in psychopharmacology, behavioral neuroscience, and physiological psychology, the program provides excellent preparation. Students interested in the fields of organismal or integrative biology should also consider this major.

The B.A. degree in biology is designed to provide students with a thorough grounding in modern biology, with special emphasis on the molecular aspects of the discipline.

The Department of Biology offers a broad program of undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate study in the biological sciences. Included among the areas in which instruction and research opportunities are available are biochemistry and biophysics, cell biology, molecular biology, microbiology, developmental biology, genetics, neuroscience, and immunology.

The Biology Department offers a combined B.A./M.S. or B.S./M.S. degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology. The combined degree is open only to Johns Hopkins University undergraduates majoring in Biology or Molecular and Cellular Biology.

The Department of Biophysics offers programs leading to the B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees. Biophysics is appropriate for students who wish to develop and integrate their interests in the physical and biological sciences.

Research interests in the Department cover experimental and computational, molecular and cellular structure, function, and biology, membrane biology, and biomolecular energetics. The teaching and research activities of the faculty bring its students in contact with biophysical scientists throughout the university. Regardless of their choice of research area, students are exposed to a wide range of problems of biological interest

The Department of Chemistry, in conjunction with other departments of the university, offers a broad education and the opportunity to do research in chemistry and related fields. The great diversity of the field of chemistry, ranging between physics and biology, is reflected in the research interests of the faculty. Undergraduate chemistry majors usually go on to graduate study in chemistry, chemical engineering, biology, oceanography, geochemistry, biophysics, environmental sciences, or medicine, while others enter the chemical industry. The Ph.D. in chemistry leads to professional careers in colleges and universities, research institutes, industry, and government laboratories.

Cognitive science is the study of the human mind and brain, focusing on how the mind represents and manipulates knowledge and how mental representations and processes are realized in the brain. Conceiving of the mind as an abstract computing device instantiated in the brain, cognitive scientists seek to understand the mental computations underlying cognitive functioning, and how these computations are implemented by neural tissue. Also of central interest in cognitive science are questions about how cognitive functions develop, and how they break down when the brain is damaged.