It is common to have a separate biochemical and/or biomedical track in chemical engineering. The focus in biochemical engineering is usually some type of fermentation process to produce significant quantities of reagents which can be employed as foods, fuels, or medicines. Biomedical engineering usually has a focus on medicines or diagnosis and treatment protocols for humans. An modern example of the latter is tissue engineering. This has been manifested recently by its application to making and sugically implanting human bladders.

An introductory course has been structured to enable the instructor to show both of these lines of technology development. This makes it possible for studentsa who do not have ready access to advanced medical technology to understand and be able to apply simple engineering principles to divergent biological applications. This introduces them to the prospects of careers in these rapidly developing disciplines.