- UNM Catalog 2020-2021
- >Colleges
- >School of Engineering
- >Biomedical Engineering
- >Graduate Program
The Biomedical Engineering program offers a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Engineering concentration in Biomedical Engineering with a Master of Science (M.S.) in Biomedical Engineering earned en route. The M.S. and Ph.D. programs in Biomedical Engineering prepare students for careers in solving engineering problems in health care, biomedical research, bioinformatics, and biotechnology. Areas of current faculty research include biomaterials, nanobiotechnology, bioanalytical microsystems, patient-care devices, tissue engineering, flow cytometry, disease processes, clinical translation, bioinformatics and medical informatics, and molecular and cellular systems. Instruction includes five 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.
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:
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 section of this Catalog also apply.
Details of applying to the M.S. and Ph.D. programs are found at the Biomedical Engineering program Web site. Applications to the degree program are submitted online.
The Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering is offered under Plan I (thesis), Plan II (non-thesis), and Plan III (coursework only) options as described in the Graduate Program section of this Catalog.
Plan I (thesis): The minimum requirements for the Plan I thesis-based M.S. include 6 credit hours of thesis credit (BME 599) and 24 credit hours of coursework 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 coursework at the 500-level or higher, exclusive of thesis credit, as stipulated by this Catalog for this plan.
Plan II (non-thesis): The minimum requirements of the Plan II non-thesis M.S. include 32 credit hours of coursework, with at least 24 credit hours drawn from the required and elective courses list and 3 credit hours of a 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 coursework should be at a 500-level or higher, as stipulated by this Catalog for this plan. A final exit exam is required by this degree plan, with a committee of similar makeup to those of the Plan I M.S.
Plan III (coursework only): The minimum requirements of the Plan III coursework-based M.S. include 30 hours of coursework, with at least 24 credit hours drawn from the required and elective courses list. At most, 6 hours of *400-level School of Engineering courses are allowed. Also, at least 12 hours of coursework should be at a 500-level or higher, as stipulated by this Catalog for this plan. Seminar, thesis, and independent study (i.e., “Problems”) courses are not required by this plan, nor is a final exit exam.
Concentration in Bioinformatics: The M.S. concentration in Bioinformatics is offered under Plan III and requires completion of a minimum of 30 credit hours from the following:
Concentration in Entrepreneurship and Technology Management: For information and requirements, see the School of Engineering section of this Catalog.
In addition to the general requirements specified in the Graduate Program section of this Catalog, students must also complete the Biomedical Engineering core, selected emphasis core, and elective courses described below. Equivalent graduate-level courses taken at other institutions may be used to satisfy one or more of the Biomedical Engineering and emphasis core requirements, as approved by the student's Graduate Advisor or Curriculum Committee.
Students must pass the Qualifying Examination before applying for Candidacy or proceeding to the Doctoral 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).
For students pursuing the M.S. in Biomedical Engineering and Ph.D. in Engineering concentration in Biomedical Engineeering, the following core courses are required:
BME 547 | Biomedical Engineering Research Practices |
BME 558 | Methods of Analysis in Bioengineering |
BME 567 | Biomedical Engineering Seminar |
For Ph.D. students, BME 567 must be taken for at least one semester, to a maximum of 8 credit hours total.
Bioinformatics: Students must complete the M.S. in Biomedical Engineering concentration in Bioinformatics curriculum described above.
Biomaterials, Biomechanics and Tissue Engineering: The following emphasis core courses are required:
BME 572 | Biomaterials Engineering |
BME 575 | Biomechanics |
BME 579 | Tissue Engineering |
Molecular and Cellular Systems: The following emphasis core courses are required:
BME 517 | Applied Biology for Biomedical Engineers |
BME 544 | Thermodynamics of Biological Systems |
BME 556 | Protein and Nucleic Acid Engineering |
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 credit hours 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.
Biomedical Engineering Electives
BME 517 | Applied Biology for Biomedical Engineers |
BME 544 | Thermodynamics of Biological Systems |
BME 556 | Protein and Nucleic Acid Engineering |
BME 572 | Biomaterials Engineering |
BME 575 | Biomechanics |
BME 579 | Tissue Engineering |
BME 598 | Special Topics |
Engineering Electives
BIOL **351 | General Microbiology |
BIOM 507 | Advanced Molecular Biology |
BIOM 508 | Advanced Cell Biology |
BIOM 509 | Principles of Neurobiology |
BIOM 510 | Physiology |
BIOM 514 | Immunobiology |
BIOM 515 | Cancer Biology |
CBE 504 | Nanomaterials Seminar |
CBE 521 | Advanced Transport Phenomena I |
CBE 530 | Surface and Interfacial Phenomena |
CS 521 | Data Mining Techniques |
CS 523 | Complex Adaptive Systems |
CS 527 | Principles of Artificially Intelligent Machines |
CS 529 | Introduction to Machine Learning |
CS 530 | Geometric and Probabilistic Methods in Computer Science |
CS 561 | Algorithms and Data Structures |
CS 564 | Introduction to Database Management |
ECE 500 | Theory of Linear Systems |
ECE 510 | Medical Imaging |
ECE 533 | Digital Image Processing |
ECE 537 | Foundations of Computing |
ECE 539 | Digital Signal Processing |
ME 501 | Advanced Mechanics of Materials |
ME 504 | Computational Mechanics |
ME 512 | Introduction to Continuum Mechanics |
ME 530 | Theoretical Fluid Mechanics I |
ME 571 | Advanced Materials Science |
BME 517. Applied Biology for Biomedical Engineers. (3)
BME 518. Introduction to Bioinformatics. (3)
BME 544 [544 / 444]. Thermodynamics of Biological Systems. (3)
BME 547. Biomedical Engineering Research Practices. (3)
BME 551. Problems. (1-3, may be repeated once Δ)
BME 556. Protein and Nucleic Acid Engineering. (3)
BME 558. Methods of Analysis in Bioengineering. (3)
BME 567. Biomedical Engineering Seminar. (1, may be repeated seven times Δ)
BME 568. Computational Modeling for Bioengineering. (3)
BME 572. Biomaterials Engineering. (3)
BME 575. Biomechanics. (3)
BME 579. Tissue Engineering. (3)
BME 581. Colloidal Nanocrystals for Biomedical Applications. (3)
BME 598. Special Topics. (1-3, no limit Δ)
BME 599. Master's Thesis. (1-6, no limit Δ)
BME 699. Dissertation. (3-12, no limit Δ)
MSC11 6325
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