• UNM 2014-2015 Catalog
• >Colleges
• >School of Engineering
• >Biomedical Engineering
• >Graduate Program

Graduate Program

Degrees Offered

• Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering (M.S.)
  
  
• Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering (Ph.D.)
  Concentration: 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.

Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering

Introduction

The Biomedical Engineering (BME) graduate program prepares individuals for careers in one of the fastest growing disciplines of engineering. The Master of Science (M.S.) in Biomedical Engineering program currently offers one focus area in Molecular and Cellular Systems. Future focus areas will be added as need arises and resources are secured. Instructors from a spectrum of backgrounds in biomedical engineering offer a comprehensive core curriculum comprising five courses and a seminar course. Electives are accepted from a number of courses taught in the School of Engineering, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Pharmacy, and School of Medicine. Graduates of this program have the technological background to solve important problems in a number or areas including health care, biomedical research, biotechnology, and bioengineering.

Admission Requirements

The general admission requirements described in the Graduate Program section of this Catalog apply to the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program (BMEGP). The following additional requirements hold for the initial focus area in Molecular and Cellular Systems. They may be modified or augmented as other focus areas are added to the program. Successful applicants to the BMEGP must have a bachelor's degree in a natural science or engineering field in which they attained a sophisticated level of ability to study, model, or manipulate biological systems at the molecular or cellular level. Because of the multifaceted nature of BME research, the Admissions Committee will make admissions decisions on a case-by-case basis. The following subject areas will be used to judge the suitability of students for admission: 

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

Persons who have not passed courses in one or more of these subject areas may be admitted to the BMEGP, but may be required to take undergraduate courses to eliminate deficiencies in their background. Each case is considered individually.

Application Process

Please see the Graduate Program section of this Catalog for the general process for applying to graduate school. In addition to those requirements, successful applicants to the M.S. in Biomedical Engineering program must submit the following directly to the BMEGP Program Office for review by the Admissions Committee:

• letter of intent on why the BMEGP is of interest
• three confidential letters of recommendation
• GRE entrance examination scores

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 of this Catalog for detailed requirements and procedures common to all UNM graduate programs.) In addition the the general requirement specified in the Graduate program, graduates must complete the core and elective BME M.S. curriculum specified below. The BMEGP offers both Plan I (thesis) and Plan II (non-thesis) options for completion of an M.S. in Biomedical Engineering. BME 567 (Biomedical Engineering Seminar) should be taken every semester, but a student can only apply a maximum of 4 credit hours of this seminar toward their course degree 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 credit hours of course work that must include 18 credit hours of mandatory courses, as approved by the Committee on Studies, and at least 3 credit hours from the electives such as those listed below. Plan I automatically meets the requirement of at least 12 credit 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 credit hours of course work for credit, with at least 24 credit hours drawn from the list of BME required and elective courses and 3 credit hours of research seminar/problems course. At most, 6 credit hours of *400 level School of Engineering courses are allowed. Also, at least 12 credit hours of course work should be at a 500 level or higher, as stipulated by the Catalog for this Plan.

Curriculum

Focus Area: Molecular and Cellular Systems

The following core courses are required of all Master's students in Biomedical Engineering.

Equivalent graduate-level courses taken at other institutions may be used to satisfy these requirements. The BMEGP Graduate Advisor or the BMEGP Curriculum Committee must approve such substitutions.

For completion of the M.S. degree, the student must complete a minimum of 6 credit hours of elective courses from the list below. (Please see the Graduate Program section of this Catalog for detailed requirements and procedures common to all UNM M.S. Plan I and Plan II programs.)

Master's students may substitute electives other than those listed below as approved by the BMEGP Graduate Advisor or the BMEGP Curriculum Committee.

Engineering Electives

Biology/Biomedical Sciences Electives

Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering

• Concentration in Biomedical Engineering

Admission Requirements

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

Application Process

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

Ph.D. Degree Completion Requirements

The general requirements for this degree are identical to those specified in the Graduate Program section of this catalog. 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 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.