Bioengineering is engineering in a biological context such as the human body, an ecosystem, or a bioreactor. In every case, the interface between engineered and biological systems places unique constraints on the design and implementation of devices, instruments, or implants. These depend on the properties of the biological system involved and the functionality that is being created.
The interface of engineering and medicine as embodied in bioengineering will be one of the most exciting endeavors and greatest adventures of the 21st century. Job opportunities are expected to expand dramatically with a focus on development of entirely new classes of products, instrumentation, and implants. The impact to human health will be extraordinary.
Bioengineering is intrinsically multidisciplinary and it is essential that students learn the languages used by multidisciplinary teams. To that end, our curriculum is structured around a core of six courses that analyze biological systems from every possible quantitative point of view. On the completion of the core, students choose one of four concentrations, which provides the opportunity to develop a deep level of expertise in a specific area of bioengineering.
Bioengineering students will have unique opportunities in the classroom, research labs, and experiential learning. The projects that they may be able to contribute to include bio-bandages that monitor bacterial growth or that help damaged ligaments heal faster; sheets of cells folded like origami to form a working kidney; and new materials that—like a leaf in the sun—automatically sense and adapt to changes in the environment.
Our graduate program includes four research concentrations, including:
- Biomechanics
- Biomedical Devices and Bioimaging
- Cell and Tissue Engineering
- Systems, Synthetic, and Computational Bioengineering
Graduate Certificate Options
Students enrolled in a master's degree have the opportunity to also pursue one of the many engineering graduate certificate options in addition to or in combination with the MS degree. Students should consult their faculty advisor regarding these options.
Gordon Institute of Engineering Leadership
Master's Degree in Bioengineering with Graduate Certificate in Engineering Leadership
Students may complete a Master of Science in Bioengineering in addition to earning a Graduate Certificate in Engineering Leadership. Students must apply and be admitted to the Gordon Engineering Leadership Program in order to pursue this option. The program requires fulfillment of the 16-semester-hour curriculum required to earn the Graduate Certificate in Engineering Leadership, which includes an industry-based challenge project with multiple mentors. The integrated 33-semester-hour degree and certificate will require 17 hours of advisor-approved bioengineering technical courses.
Complete all courses and requirements listed below unless otherwise indicated. Note: This major requires a concentration: biomechanics; biomedical devices and bioimaging; cell and tissue engineering; or systems, synthetic, and computational engineering. Consult your college administrator.
Core Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Seminar | ||
| BIOE 7390 | Seminar 1 | 0 |
| Required Core | ||
| A grade of C or higher is required in each course: | ||
| BIOE 6000 | Principles of Bioengineering 1 | 1 |
| BIOE 6100 | Medical Physiology | 4 |
Concentrations
Complete one of the following four concentrations:
- Biomechanics
- Biomedical Devices and Bioimaging
- Cell and Tissue Engineering
- Systems, Synthetic, and Computational Bioengineering
Biomechanics Concentration
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Coursework | ||
| A grade of C or higher is required. | ||
| Complete two of the following courses: | 8 | |
| Physiological Fluid Mechanics | ||
| Computational Biomechanics | ||
| Multiscale Biomechanics | ||
| Musculoskeletal Biomechanics | ||
| Coursework Option | ||
| Complete 20 semester hours from the course list. | 20 | |
| Project Option | ||
| BIOE 7890 | Master’s Project | 4 |
| Complete 16 semester hours from the course list. | 16 | |
| Thesis Option | ||
| Complete the following (repeatable) course twice: | 8 | |
| Thesis | ||
| Complete 12 semester hours from the course list. | 12 | |
| Course List | ||
| Dynamical Systems in Biological Engineering | ||
| The Cell as a Machine | ||
| Multidisciplinary Approaches in Motor Control | ||
| Physiological Fluid Mechanics | ||
| Computational Biomechanics | ||
| Multiscale Biomechanics | ||
| Biomaterials | ||
| Linear Systems Analysis | ||
| Complex Variable Theory and Differential Equations | ||
| Advanced Mechanics of Materials | ||
| Elasticity and Plasticity | ||
| Dynamics and Mechanical Vibration | ||
| Finite Element Method | ||
| Continuum Mechanics | ||
| Control Systems Engineering | ||
| Musculoskeletal Biomechanics | ||
| Advanced Finite Element Method | ||
Biomedical Devices and Bioimaging Concentration
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Coursework | ||
| A grade of C or higher is required. | ||
| BIOE 5235 | Biomedical Imaging | 4 |
| or BIOE 5648 | Biomedical Optics | |
| BIOE 5250 | Design, Manufacture, and Evaluation of Medical Devices | 4 |
| BIOE 5810 | Design of Biomedical Instrumentation | 4 |
| Coursework Option | ||
| Complete 16 semester hours from the course list. | 16 | |
| Project Option | ||
| BIOE 7890 | Master’s Project | 4 |
| Complete 12 semester hours from the course list. | 12 | |
| Thesis Option | ||
| Complete the following (repeatable) course twice: | 8 | |
| Thesis | ||
| Complete 8 semester hours from the course list. | 8 | |
| Course List | ||
| Dynamical Systems in Biological Engineering | ||
| Biomedical Optics | ||
| Biomaterials | ||
| Design of Implants | ||
| Micro- and Nanofabrication | ||
| Optics for Engineers | ||
| Linear Systems Analysis | ||
| Complex Variable Theory and Differential Equations | ||
| Applied Probability and Stochastic Processes | ||
| Finite Element Method | ||
| Nanomedicine Research Techniques | ||
Cell and Tissue Engineering Concentration
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Coursework | ||
| A grade of C or higher is required. | ||
| BIOE 5410 | Molecular Bioengineering | 4 |
| BIOE 5420 | Cellular Engineering | 4 |
| Coursework Option | ||
| Complete 19–20 semester hours from the course list. | 19-20 | |
| Project Option | ||
| BIOE 7890 | Master’s Project | 4 |
| Complete 15–16 semester hours from the course list. | 15-16 | |
| Thesis Option | ||
| Complete the following (repeatable) course twice: | 8 | |
| Thesis | ||
| Complete 11–12 semester hours from the course list. | 11-12 | |
| Course List | ||
| Dynamical Systems in Biological Engineering | ||
| Design, Manufacture, and Evaluation of Medical Devices | ||
| Principles and Applications of Tissue Engineering | ||
| The Cell as a Machine | ||
| Stem Cell Engineering | ||
| Biomaterials | ||
| Stem Cells and Regeneration | ||
| Molecular Cell Biology | ||
| Nanomedicine Research Techniques | ||
| Nano/Biomedical Commercialization: Concept to Market | ||
Systems, Synthetic, and Computational Bioengineering Concentration
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Coursework | ||
| A grade of C or higher is required. | ||
| BIOE 5710 | Experimental Systems and Synthetic Bioengineering | 4 |
| BIOE 5720 | Physical Bioengineering | 4 |
| Complete one of the following courses: | 4 | |
| Dynamical Systems in Biological Engineering | ||
| Modeling and Inference in Bioengineering | ||
| Coursework Option | ||
| Complete 16 semester hours from the course list. | 16 | |
| Project Option | ||
| BIOE 7890 | Master’s Project | 4 |
| Complete 12 semester hours from the course list. | 12 | |
| Thesis Option | ||
| Complete the following (repeatable) course twice: | 8 | |
| Thesis | ||
| Complete 8 semester hours from the course list. | 8 | |
| Course List | ||
| Genomics in Bioinformatics | ||
| Proteomics in Bioinformatics | ||
| Dynamical Systems in Biological Engineering | ||
| The Cell as a Machine | ||
| Bioengineering Products/Technology Commercialization | ||
| Computational Biomechanics | ||
| Modeling and Inference in Bioengineering | ||
| Method and Logic in Systems Biology and Bioengineering | ||
| Engineering Approaches to Precision Medicine I | ||
| Engineering Approaches to Precision Medicine II | ||
| Molecular Cell Biology for Biotechnology | ||
| Molecular Modeling | ||
| Biochemical Engineering | ||
| Introduction to Data Management and Processing | ||
| Supervised Machine Learning and Learning Theory | ||
| Unsupervised Machine Learning and Data Mining | ||
| Introduction to Health Informatics and Health Information Systems | ||
| Biophysical Methods in Drug Discovery | ||
| Introduction to Epidemiology | ||
| Network Science 1 | ||
Program Credit/GPA Requirements
32 total semester hours required
Minimum 3.000 GPA required