Degree Requirements
To be eligible for a Doctoral degree in Biomedical Engineering a student must:

1. Satisfy all University requirements for a Doctor of Philosophy degree.
2. Meet all undergraduate deficiencies, and requirements as specified by the student’s advisory committee.
3. Complete 90 credit hours beyond a baccalaureate degree, or 60 beyond a Master’s degree.
4. Earn a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in all approved courses in the student’s program of study.
5. Successfully pass a Qualifying exam
6. Successfully prepare and defend a formal dissertation proposal
7. Successfully prepare and complete a minimum of 24 hours of research dissertation
8. Successfully submit and defend the final research dissertation

Program of Study / Course requirements
The program of study will require completion of courses ( beyond the BS degree) in the following categories:

Biomedical Engineering – minimum of 15 credit hours
A minimum of four courses (12 credit hours) in one specialty area, and a minimum of two courses (6 credit hours) in each of the remaining two specialty areas are required.
The current specialization areas within biomedical engineering are:

  • Basic Research in Engineered Tissue Model Systems
  • Diagnostic Bioimaging and Sensor Systems
  • Therapeutic and Reparative Neurotechnology

Engineering Mathematics – minimum of 6 credit hours
Courses in this area must cover the broad areas of statistics, theoretical modeling, and numerical modeling. Example courses in each of these areas are:

  • Statistics: STA 5206 Design of Experiments or STA 6176 Biostatistics
  • Theoretical modeling: BME 6715 Mathematical Modeling of Physiological Systems or BME 6716 Mathematical Modeling of Cellular Systems
  • Numerical modeling: BME 6705 Nonlinear Systems Applications in Life Science

Life Science – minimum of 6 credit hours
Unless otherwise approved by the student’s committee, courses in this category should include the following:

  • BME 5316 Molecular Bioprocess Engineering
  • BSC 5935 Topics in Biology (Neurobiology)
  • BSC 5935 Topics in Biology (Sensory Neurobiology)
  • CHM 5325 Physical Chemistry of Proteins
  • CHM 5506 Physical Biochemistry
  • CHM 5503 Physical Chem of Nucleic Acids
  •  EXP 5667 Cognitive Neuroscience
  • OTH 5427 Neurorehabilitation Approaches in OT
  • PCB 5835 Neurophysiology + PCB 5835L Neurophysiology lab
  • PCB 6025 Molecular and Cellular Biology I
  • PCB 6027 Molecular and Cellular Biology II
  • PHT 5174 Analysis of Movement and Function
  • PHT 5174L Analysis of Movement and Function Lab
  • PHT 5180 Musculoskeletal Diagnosis and Management I + PHT 5180L Musculoskeletal Diagnosis and Management I Lab
  • PHZ 6255 Molecular Biophysics
  • ZOO 5371 Applied Musculoskeletal Systems + ZOO 5371L Applied Musculoskeletal Systems Lab
  • ZOO 5746 Comparative Neurobiology
  • ZOO 5745 Advanced Neuroanatomy
  • ZOO 5746 Comparative Neurobiology

Two biology techniques workshops, examples include the following:

  • BCH 6130C Workshop in DNA Synthesis and Amplification
  • BCH 6131C Workshop in Radioisotope Use and Safety
  • BCH 6132C Workshop in Electrophoresis
  • BCH 6133C Workshop in DNA Sequencing
  • BCH 6507C Workshop in Radiometry and Spectrophotometry
  • BSC 5416C Workshop in Cell Culture Methods and Applications
  • BSC 5928 Workshop: Vertebrate Animal Research
  • PCB 5025L Molecular Biology Techniques Laboratory
  • PCB 5184 Workshop in Microtechniques
  • ZOO 5732 Advanced Anatomy Demonstration

The remainder of the coursework (minimum of 6 credit hours) is reserved for electives.

Grades and Credits
No course in which a grade below a ‘C’ is earned may be counted toward a Doctoral degree.

Transfer Credit
Applicants with a Master’s Degree in Biomedical Engineering or closely related field from an accredited institution may be given a maximum of 30 transferred semester hours. Such credits are transferable provided that:

1. the course(s) were taken at the graduate level at an accredited college or university,
2. grade(s) of ‘B’ or higher were earned for the courses,
3. the course(s) are judged relevant by the student’s advisory committee,
4. the credits were not used toward another degree, and
5. the credit(s) were completed within six years immediately preceding the awarding of the degree.

Non-Degree seeking students
A student is allowed to take classes as a non-degree seeking student while in the process of gaining acceptance into the graduate program they wish to pursue. The maximum amount of credits that may be later applied to the program is 12 (4 classes).

Time Limit
All work applicable to the Master’s degree, including transfer credit, must be completed within six years immediately preceding the awarding of the degree.

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