Master of Science in Engineering in Bioengineering
The program prepares students in an area of rapid growth and profound impact on society. The curriculum consists of courses specifically designed to provide a comprehensive background in the bioengineering field. Our bioengineering laboratories offer access to the latest equipment and provide hands-on opportunities to work with faculty on research in the broad and collaborative areas in bioengineering. Students in our bioengineering programs have found employment, internships, or continued education in major corporations and educational institutions.
The program may be completed through a combination of on-campus and online courses. (Currently, only non-BENG courses are available with online sections.)
The bioengineering laboratories are state-of-the-art facilities designed to provide students with hands-on experience in various subfields. Many laboratories serve both teaching and research purposes. Further information is available on our laboratories.
The program faculty are engaged in research in orthopaedic biomechanics, human movement, ocular biomechanics, impact safety, biomaterials, tissue engineering, hypoxia, protein engineering, cellular engineering, biomineralization, bioprocessing, drug delivery, nanotheranostics, pharmaceutical formulation, microspectroscopy, thermogravimetrics, biophotonics, microoptics, biosensors, MEMS, microfluidics, mechanotransduction, bioreactor design and fabrication, biofluid dynamics and biotransport, an more. Further information is available on our faculty.
Research and teaching assistantships may be available to exceptionally qualified students.
Program Details
MSE-BENG Program Goals
To provide students with a strong background in the physical, chemical, and mathematical foundations of biology in relation to bioengineering.
MSE-BENG Learning Outcomes
- Students will be able to demonstrate the ability to apply physical, chemical, and mathematical principles in bioengineering.
- Students will be able to formulate, analyze, and solve complex health-related problems using bioengineering tools.
- Students will be able to utilize the rapidly advancing science and technologies of bioengineering in their professional endeavors.
Undergraduate Degree Required
An applicant to the program should hold a Bachelor of Science (BS) or equivalent degree in engineering from an accredited program with a minimum cumulative grade point of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale). An applicant with a lower GPA, or an applicant with a non-engineering Bachelor degree in a science or mathematics program, may be considered for admission consistent with the guidelines.
Students from non-bioengineering fields are often admitted to the program but may be required to take preparatory courses before or after starting the program. It is suggested that such students have their background reviewed prior to submitting an application. Please contact the BENG graduate program coordinator for more information at [email protected].
Standardized Test Scores
GRE not required
Please note: At least 2 letters of recommendation are required as part of the application. These should come from people who know you as an engineer, either academically (professor or research advisor) or professionally (supervisor or manager). Letters of reference from peer employees or personal sources are invalid and will not be considered.
The candidate must complete at least 30 semester hours of graduate course work approved by the BENG graduate committee with a grade of at least a B covering all courses elected. These 30 hours must include two required courses (ME 518 and BENG 520), six BENG elective courses, and two cognate courses (see list below).
Students must earn a C or better in every graduate course to be credited toward the degree requirements. In addition, students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Required Core Courses
The completed coursework must include:
2 courses (6 credit hours):
- ME 518: Advanced Engineering Analysis
- BENG 520: Molecular and Cell Biology for Engineers
5-6 courses (15-18 credit hours) from the following list:
- BENG 521: Biomaterials and Biochemical Interfaces
- BENG 526: Fundamentals of Drug Delivery
- BENG 550: Biomedical Optics and Photonics
- BENG 551: Microfluidics
- BENG 560: Nanobiosystems Engineering
- BENG 570: Orthopedic Biomechanics
- BENG 571: Impact Biomechanics
- BENG 575: Regenerative Engineering
- BENG 580: Mechanotransduction
- BENG/ME 595: Digital Manufacturing and Product Innovation
Students must elect at least 1 course (at least 3 credits) from the Bioengineering Cognate list and at least 1 course (at least 3 credits) from the General Cognate list. The total number of bioengineering and general cognate electives cannot exceed 3 courses (9 credits).
Bioengineering Cognates
- BIOL 552 Medical & Environmental Toxicology
- BIOL 561 Advances in Cell Biology
- ME 510 Finite Element Methods
- ME 568 Computational Materials Design
- ME 569 Intro to Material Characterization
- ME 523 Sustainability Science and Engineering
- ME 555 Computational Uncertainty Quantification for Engineering Applications
General Cognates
- CIS 515 Computer Graphics
- CIS 551 Advanced Computer Graphics
- ECE 502 Electromagnetic Theory and Simulation
- ECE 545 Introduction to Robotic Systems
- ECE 552 Fuzzy Systems
- ECE 554 Embedded Systems
- ECE 580 Digital Signal Processing
- ECE 5831 Pattern Recognition and Neural Networks
- ECE 585 Pattern Recognition
- IMSE 511 Design and Analysis of Experiments
- IMSE 501 Human Factors and Ergonomics
- IMSE 510 Probability and Statistical Modeling
- IMSE 514 Multivariate Statistics
- IMSE 543 Industrial Ergonomics
- IMSE 544 Industrial Biomechanics
- IMSE 545 Vehicle Ergonomics I
- IMSE 546 Safety Engineering
- IMSE 561 Total Quality Management and Six Sigma
- IMSE 567 Reliability Analysis
- MATH 504 Dynamical Systems
- MATH 514 Fin Diff Meth for Diff Equat
- MATH 516 Fin Element Meth for Diff Equat
- MATH 520 Stochastic Processes
- MATH 523 Linear Algebra with Applications
- MATH 554 Fourier and Boundary
- MATH 555 Functions of a Complex Variable
- MATH 562 Mathematical Modeling
- MATH 572 Intro to Numerical Analysis
- MATH 573 Matrix Computation
- ME 522 Advanced Fluid Mechanics
- ME 525 Computational Thermo-Fluids
- ME 540 Mechanical Vibrations
- ME 542 Advanced Dynamics
- ME 564 Linear Control Theory
- ME 565 Mechatronics
- ME 574 Advanced Heat Transfer
- ME 589 Composite Materials
- ME 591 Degradation of Materials
- STAT 530 Applied Regression Analysis
- STAT 535 Data Analysis and Modeling
- STAT 560 Time Series Analysis
Thesis and Independent Study Option
A student, who is interested in an in-depth faculty-guided study of a specific topic or a faculty-guided research, may enroll in independent study or thesis courses. The earned credit will be counted toward the Bioengineering Elective courses area. The enrollment requires approval by the faculty advisor and special permission by Department. Please see the thesis guidelines for details regarding this option.
- BENG 600: Study or Research in Bioengineering (1-3 credits)
- BENG 699: Master’s Thesis (6 credits)