Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program

Steven W. Graves, Director
Center for Biomedical Engineering
Centennial Engineering Center 2041
MSC01 1141
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
(505) 277-2043

Affiliated Faculty
Kateryna Artyushkova, Chemical and Nuclear Engineering
Plamen Atanassov, Chemical and Nuclear Engineering
C. Jeffrey Brinker, Chemical and Nuclear Engineering
Vince Calhoun, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Heather Canavan, Chemical and Nuclear Engineering
Thomas Caudell, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Eva Chi, Chemical and Nuclear Engineering
Elizabeth L. Dirk, Chemical and Nuclear Engineering
Jeremy Edwards, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, and Chemical & Nuclear Engineering
James P. Freyer, Chemical and Nuclear Engineering
Julia Fulghum, Chemical and Nuclear Engineering
Steven W. Graves, Chemical and Nuclear Engineering
Sang Han, Chemical and Nuclear Engineering
Steven J. Koch, Physics and Astronomy
Ravi Jain, Electrical Engineering
Terran Lane, Computer Science
Zayd C. Leseman, Mechanical Engineering, and Electrical and Computer Engineering
Gabriel P. Lopez, Chemical and Nuclear Engineering
Meeko Oishi, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Marek Osinski, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Marios Pattichis, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Dimiter Petsev, Chemical and Nuclear Engineering
Andrew Shreve, Chemical and Nuclear Engineering
Scott S. Sibbett, Chemical and Nuclear Engineering
Darko Stefanovic, Computer Science
Mahmoud Reda Taha, Civil Engineering
Timothy L. Ward, Chemical and Nuclear Engineering
Margaret Werner-Washburne, Biology
David Whitten, Chemical and Nuclear Engineering
John E. Wood, Mechanical Engineering
Steve A. Young, Pathology

Degrees Offered

Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering
Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering with a Concentration in Biomedical Engineering

M.S. and Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering

The Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) programs in Biomedical Engineering prepare students for careers in solving engineering problems in health care, biomedical research, and biotechnology. Areas of current faculty research include biomaterials, nanobiotechnology, bioanalytical microsystems, patient-care devices, tissue engineering, flow cytometry, disease processes, clinical translation, and molecular and cellular systems. Instruction includes 5 core courses, a seminar and numerous electives taught by Affiliated Faculty and others within the School of Engineering, School of Medicine, College of Arts and Sciences, and College of Pharmacy.

M.S. and Ph.D. Admission Requirements

Prospective candidates may apply directly for admission to the Ph.D. program. Successful applicants to the program usually have a bachelor's degree in the physical sciences or engineering. The Admissions Committee makes admissions decisions on a case-by-case basis, with special consideration of scholastic proficiency in one or more of the following subject areas:

• Biochemistry or Biomolecular Engineering
• Calculus and Ordinary Differential Equations
• Chemistry and Organic Chemistry
• Molecular and Cellular Biology
• Physics
• Thermodynamics

Students who have not passed courses in one or more of these subject areas may be admitted to the program, but required to take undergraduate courses to address deficiencies in their background. General admission requirements described in the Graduate Program in the Catalog also apply.

M.S. and Ph.D. Application Process

Details of applying to the Ph.D. and M.S. programs are found at the Biomedical Engineering graduate program Web site.

M.S. Degree Completion Requirements

Completion requirements of a thesis-based M.S. degree (Plan I)
The minimum requirements for the thesis-based M.S. include 6 hours of thesis credit (BME 599) and 24 hours of course work that must include 18 hours of mandatory courses, as approved by the Committee on Studies, and at least 3 hours from the electives such as those listed below. Plan I automatically meets the requirement of at least 12 hours of course work at the 500 level or higher, exclusive of thesis credit, as stipulated by the UNM Catalog for this plan.

Completion requirements of a course-based M.S. degree (Plan II)
The minimum requirements of the Plan II Course-Based M.S. degree program include 32 hours of course work for credit, with at least 24 hours drawn from the list of BME required and elective courses and 3 hours of research seminar/problems course. At most, 6 hours of *400 level School of Engineering courses are allowed. Also, at least 12 hours of course work should be at a 500 level or higher, as stipulated by the Catalog for this Plan.

Ph.D. Degree Completion Requirements

The general requirements for the Ph.D. degree include those specified in the Graduate Program section of this catalog. In addition to these general requirements, students must also complete the core and elective BME curriculum described below. BME 567 (Biomedical Engineering Seminar) must be taken every semester, up to a maximum of 8 credit hours total. Students must pass the Qualifying Examination before applying for Candidacy or proceeding to the Comprehensive Exam. Upon successfully passing the Doctoral Comprehensive Exam and successful review of their application by program faculty and the Dean of Graduate Studies, students are admitted to Candidacy for the doctoral degree. For successful completion of the program requirements, all candidates must pass a Final Examination (Defense of Dissertation).

Biomedical Engineering Concentration for the Ph.D. in Engineering

Ph.D. Admission Requirements

Prospective candidates can apply directly for admission to the Ph.D. program. The Admissions Committee will make admission decisions on a case-by-case basis.

Ph.D. Degree Completion Requirements

The general requirements for this degree are identical to those specified in the Graduate Program section of this catalog. (Please see the Graduate Program section for detailed requirements and procedures common to all UNM graduate programs.) In addition to the general requirement specified in the Graduate Program, graduates must complete the core and elective BME curriculum specified below. BME 567 (Biomedical Engineering Seminar) should be taken every semester, but a student can only apply a maximum of 8 credit hours of this seminar toward the course degree requirements.

Students must pass the Qualifying Examination before applying for Candidacy or proceeding to the Comprehensive Exam. upon successfully passing the Doctoral Comprehensive Exam and following approval of their application for Candidacy by the program faculty and the Dean of Graduate Studies, students are admitted to Candidacy for the doctoral degree.

For successful completion of the program requirements, all candidates must pass a Final Examination (Defense of Dissertation).

Curriculum

For students pursuing degrees in the focus area of Molecular and Cellular Systems, the following core courses are offered at least once per academic year:

Equivalent graduate-level courses taken at other institutions may be used to satisfy one or more of the above core requirements, as approved by the student's Graduate Advisor or Curriculum Committee.

Elective Courses

For completion of the Ph.D. degree, the student must complete a minimum of 18 credit hours of elective courses from the list below. At least 9 of these must be from courses offered in the School of Engineering.  Ph.D. candidates may substitute electives other than those listed below, as approved by the student's Graduate Advisor or Curriculum Committee.

M.S. degree candidates must complete a minimum of 6 credit hours of elective courses from the lists below.  M.S. candidates may substitute electives other than those listed below, as approved by the student's Graduate Advisor or Curriculum Committee.