Bioengineering

The Bioengineering faculty within the Harrington Department of Bioengineering offer graduate programs leading to the MS and PhD degrees in Bioengineering. Areas of study include biochemical engineering, bioelectrical engineering, biomechanical engineering, biosystems/biotransport engineering, bioinstrumentation, biomaterial engineering, and biocontrol engineering. Research topics include artificial organs, biocontrol systems, biomechanics, bioinstrumentation, biomaterials, biosystems engineering, biotechnology, cardiovascular engineering, cellular and tissue bioengineering, neural bioengineering, noninvasive imaging, and rehabilitation engineering.

The faculty also participate in the Arizona Master of Engineering partnership. See Master of Engineering, for the program description.

Graduate Record Examination. Graduate Record Examination scores are required from all students.

Transition Program. Students applying to the Bioengineering MS or PhD degree programs may have an undergraduate BS degree in a major field other than Bioengineering. The qualifications of transition students are reviewed by the department graduate committee, and a special program of transition course work is designed for successful applicants. In general, transition students should have had, or be prepared to take, calculus through ordinary differential equations, inorganic chemistry, physics, and a number of undergraduate engineering courses in order to be prepared for graduate bioengineering courses. Other course work from the undergraduate program may be required depending upon the research topic selected by the student. Transition students should contact the associate chair to evaluate the undergraduate transcript.

See Master’s Degrees, for general requirements.

Program of Study. All candidates pursuing an MS degree in Bioengineering are required to complete an approved program of study consisting of the minimum required semester hours, including research and thesis. Special course requirements for the different areas of study are established by the faculty and are available from the Harrington Department of Bioengineering. Part-time students must successfully complete a research seminar course for at least three semesters during the course of study. Candidates whose undergraduate degree was in a field other than bioengineering may be required to complete more than 30 semester hours of credit on the program of study.

Research Seminar Requirements. In addition to the course work and thesis requirements, all full-time master’s degree students must successfully complete a research seminar course during each semester of attendance.

Thesis Requirements. A written thesis is required.

Final Examination. A final oral examination in defense of the thesis is required.

The nonthesis option within the MS degree program in Bioengineering is reserved for students who have full-time employment in industry and who intend to enroll in the MS degree program on a part-time basis, or for students who wish to continue their study of bioengineering past the baccalaureate level before seeking admission to a medical school.

Admission Requirements. Students seeking admission to the nonthesis option must request this option when applying for admission to the MS degree program. Students who are admitted to the thesis option are not allowed to subsequently transfer into the nonthesis option. Students admitted to the nonthesis option, however, may subsequently request approval to transfer into the thesis option. Additionally, the student must meet the following criteria to qualify for the nonthesis option: (1) be a full-time employee of a local industry and indicate at the time of application that he or she intends to pursue the MS degree on a part-time basis or (2) declare at the time of application that his or her career goal is to seek admission to a medical school.

Course Requirements. A total of 33 semester hours, including a bioengineering seminar and project, is required for graduation in the nonthesis option. The program of study for the nonthesis option requires the same set of core courses and seminar in bioengineering that is required of students in the thesis option. Instead of research and thesis hours, the student must complete six additional credits of course work selected from the catalog list of BME courses (the total course work requirement, including seminar, is 33 semester hours).

Project. Students admitted to the nonthesis option must also register for three semester hours of BME 593 Applied Project. Students are required to complete an in-depth literature survey and/or research design in some aspect of bioengineering, resulting in a written report.

Defense of the Applied Project. The student is required to successfully defend the Applied Project in bioengineering before his or her graduate supervisory committee.

Financial Aid. Students admitted to the nonthesis option within the bioengineering master’s degree program do not qualify for graduate research or teaching assistantships or other financial assistance available to thesis option master’s degree students.

Admission to the PhD Program. If the student wishes to subsequently enter the PhD program after completing the requirements for the nonthesis option, the application procedure is the same as if the student was applying with a thesis-track MS degree.

The PhD degree in Bioengineering is conferred upon evidence of excellence in research resulting in a scholarly dissertation that is a contribution to knowledge. See Doctor of Philosophy, for general requirements.

Program of Study. Upon admission of the applicant with regular or provisional status, a supervisory committee (program committee) is appointed. This committee is responsible for the guidance and direction of the student’s graduate program of study. The program committee is composed of a minimum of three faculty members, including a chair. Generally, the student’s graduate advisor serves as chair of the program committee. The program committee advises the student in developing a program of study and assumes primary responsibility in assessing the student’s progress in the program.

Research Seminar Requirements. In addition to the course work and dissertation requirements, all full-time doctoral students must successfully complete a research seminar course during each semester of attendance.

Foreign Language Requirements. None.

Comprehensive Examination. When the PhD student has essentially completed the course work in the approved program of study, the student is given a comprehensive examination covering the field of study.

Admission to Candidacy and Appointment of Dissertation Committee. After the student passes the comprehensive examinations, a dissertation committee composed of at least five faculty members is appointed. The dissertation committee meets to approve the student’s dissertation prospectus. Generally, the prospectus should include a pertinent review of the literature, a statement of the proposed study, the hypothesis to be tested, a description of the research design, a discussion of the specific data to be collected, and a description of the means by which the data is to be analyzed. After the dissertation committee has approved the prospectus, the student applies to the Division of Graduate Studies for admission to candidacy.

Dissertation Requirements. A dissertation based on original work demonstrating creativity in research and scholarly proficiency in the subject area is required. The dissertation is expected to reflect and contribute significantly to knowledge. It must clearly indicate mastery of research methods.

Final Examination. A final oral examination in defense of the dissertation is required.

For current information about research activity, access the Harrington Department of Bioengineering Web site at fulton.asu.edu/~bme/new.