Graduate Program

Degrees Offered

Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering (M.S.)
Concentrations: Bioinformatics; Entrepreneurship and Technology Management.
Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering (Ph.D.)
Concentrations: Biomedical Engineering.

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.

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:

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

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.

Application Process

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.

M.S. Degree Completion Requirements

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 core and approved electives. 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:

Mathematics (3 credit hours) chosen from: BME 558; BIOL 592; CS 530.
Biology and Life Science (6-8 credit hours) chosen from: BME 517; BIOL **351; BIOM 507, 508, 509, 510, 514, 515.
Bioinformatics (9 credit hours) chosen from: BME 518; CS 521, 527, 529, 564.
Electives approved by the department.

Concentration in Entrepreneurship and Technology Management: For information and requirements, see the School of Engineering section of this Catalog.

Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering concentration in Biomedical Engineering

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).

Biomedical Engineering Core

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.

Emphasis Core

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

Elective Courses

For completion of the Ph.D. degree, the student must complete a minimum of 18 credit hours of elective courses. At least 9 of these credit hours must be from courses offered in the School of Engineering.

M.S. degree candidates must complete a minimum of 6 credit hours of elective courses.

Any non-BME electives taken for the satisfaction of degree requirements must be technical in nature and further the study of BME subject areas. Electives must be approved by the faculty advisor and confirmed by the Graduate Program Director. Course offerings from Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, or other departments in the School of Engineering are typically approved as electives, however, students may propose electives from any department.