Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering

Program Information

Students admitted to the program without a master's degree are required to take a minimum of 33 semester credit hours of organized coursework. A minimum of 24 semester credit hours must consist of BMEN or BMEN cross-listed courses.

Degree Requirements

75 semester credit hours minimum beyond the baccalaureate degree

Each program for doctoral study is individually tailored to the student's background and research objectives by the student's dissertation committee.

The PhD degree requires a minimum of 75 semester credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree. Required courses for the PhD program include:

• BMEN 7188 Advanced Seminars in Biomedical Engineering1
• BMEN 8188 Advanced Seminars in Biomedical Engineering III
• BMEN 7340 Experimental Methods and Statistical Analysis
• BMEN 7387 Independent Scientific Research in Biomedical Engineering
• BMEN 7088 Departmental Seminar in Biomedical Engineering

The dissertation committee or supervising professor can require additional courses. Neither a foreign language nor a minor is required for the PhD.

All students entering the PhD program with a master's degree must complete a minimum of 9 semester credit hours of BMEN or BMEN cross-listed graduate-level courses with an overall 3.33 GPA or higher. Students admitted to the PhD program without a master's degree must complete a minimum of 33 semester credit hours, and 24 semester credit hours must be BMEN or BMEN cross-listed courses. An overall GPA of 3.33 GPA or higher is required.

Students are required to have a supervising professor upon entry to the PhD program and to develop an approved plan of study during the first long semester.

Also required are:

• A qualifying examination to demonstrate competence in the PhD candidate's research area. Admission to PhD candidacy is based on two criteria: graded performance in the Qualifying Exam and GPA in graduate-level organized courses. All students entering the PhD program must pass the Qualifying Exam within 2 long semesters. A student has at most two attempts to pass the Qualifying Exam which is given once during each fall and spring semesters.
• Formation of the Dissertation Committee upon successful completion of the qualifying exam. The Dissertation Committee must be formally approved by the department head and the Office of the Dean of Graduate Education.
• A written dissertation proposal and defence of the dissertation proposal. After the student's Dissertation Committee is formally approved, the student submits a written dissertation proposal to the Dissertation Committee. After the proposal is approved by the Dissertation Committee, the student defends the dissertation proposal. A student has at most two attempts to successfully complete the dissertation proposal defence.
• Completion of a major research project culminating in a dissertation, demonstrating an original contribution to scientific knowledge and engineering practice. The dissertation is defended publicly. The rules for this defence are specified by the Office of Graduate Studies.

The objective of the PhD in Biomedical Engineering program is to produce graduates who can identify future applications in the field, analyze current technology capability, and synthesize new solutions that extend the state of the art in biomedical applications. Combined expertise in electrical, mechanical, and materials engineering, coupled with life sciences platforms will allow graduates to create new tools, processes, and implementations that provide solutions to more complex medical and health-related problems. PhD graduates will have the ability to evaluate difficult life sciences-related issues and create solutions for the future.

Graduates of the program seek positions including Professor, Research and Development Engineer in areas such as bioinstrumentation, biomaterials, biomechanics, tissue engineering or rehabilitation engineering, and Consulting Engineer in the public and private sector.