Contents > Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering > Harrington Department of Bioengineering
Harrington Department of Bioengineering
Master’s and Doctoral Programs
M. Akay, Garcia, Guilbeau, He, Towe
Abbas, Iasemidis, Joshi, Jung, Massia, Pizziconi, Steinmetz
Buneo, Caplan, Helms Tillery, Muthuswamy, Vernon
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 neural engineering, molecular, cellular and tissue engineering, biomedical imaging and informatics, rehabilitation engineering, biomaterials, and cardiovascular engineering.
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.
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.
Admission Standards and Procedures
In addition to the general requirements for admission to the Graduate College, applicants must submit
2. official TOEFL scores (if applicable);
3. a statement of purpose; and
4. three letters of recommendation.
Applicants should submit the following to the Graduate College:
1. one official copy of all transcripts;
3. official TOEFL scores (if applicable).
Applicants should submit the following directly to the Harrington Department of Bioengineering:
1. one official copy of all transcripts;
3. copy of TOEFL score report (if applicable);
4. a statement of purpose; and
5. three letters of recommendation.
The application deadline for fall admission is January 15 of the same year (i.e., a student wishing to enroll for fall 2008 will need to apply by January 15, 2008).
The application deadline for spring admission is August 31 of the previous year (i.e., a student wishing to enroll for spring 2008 will need to apply by August 31, 2007).
All students admitted to the PhD program are required to successfully pass an oral qualifying examination administered by a departmental committee. Typically, this is completed during the student’s first year of enrollment.
PhD students must complete the following course work (minimum of 84 semester hours):
BME 598 ST: Advanced Biomaterials: Principles and Applications (3)
BME 598 ST: Advanced Physiology for Engineers (4)
BME 598 ST: Analytical and Diagnostic Instrumentation in Bioengineering (3)
BME 598 ST: Modeling and Simulation of Physiological Systems (3)
BME 598 ST: Molecular and Cellular Biology for Engineers (4)
1 Must be 400-level and above and chosen in conjunction with student’s supervisory committee.
2 Must be BME courses of 400-level and above. Courses to be chosen in conjunction with student’s supervisory committee.
3 Students must complete a minimum of 36 semester hours of doctoral research in the approved program of study.
4 Students must complete 12 semester hours of dissertation in the approved program of study.
Upon admission of the applicant with regular or provisional status, a supervisory committee (program committee) is selected. 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. Typically, 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.
Once a 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.
Appointment of Dissertation Committee, Prospectus Defense, and Admission to Candidacy
After the student passes the comprehensive examination, a dissertation committee composed of at least five faculty members is selected. The 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 Graduate College for admission to candidacy.
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 and must clearly indicate mastery of research methods.
A final oral examination in defense of the dissertation is required.
The Harrington Department of Bioengineering adheres to ASU and Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering academic standards for good standing.
The maximum number of semester hours allowed per semester is 12. Special approval is required to take more than 12 semester hours in one semester.
Graduate advising is mandatory every semester for students in the Harrington Department of Bioengineering.
The maximum time limit for a student to complete the PhD degree program is 10 years. The Harrington Department of Bioengineering adheres to the Graduate College requirement that students graduate within five years of successfully passing their comprehensive examination.
The Harrington Department of Bioengineering awards both thesis and nonthesis Master of Science degrees to those students who meet the criteria for successful graduate 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, if applicable. Special course requirements for the different areas of study are established by the faculty and are available from the Harrington Department of Bioengineering. Candidates whose undergraduate degree is in a field other than bioengineering may be required to complete more than the required semester hours of the program of study. See Master’s Degrees, for general requirements.
Admission Standards and Procedures
In addition to the general requirements for admission to the Graduate College, applicants must submit
2. official TOEFL scores (if applicable);
3. a statement of purpose; and
4. three letters of recommendation.
Applicants should submit the following to the Graduate College:
1. one official copy of all transcripts;
3. official TOEFL scores (if applicable).
Applicants should submit the following directly to the Harrington Department of Bioengineering:
1. one official copy of all transcripts;
3. copy of TOEFL score report (if applicable);
4. a statement of purpose; and
5. three letters of recommendation.
The application deadline for fall admission is January 15 of the same year (i.e. a student wishing to enroll for fall 2007 will need to apply by January 15, 2007).
The application deadline for spring admission is August 31 of the previous year (i.e. a student wishing to enroll for spring 2008 will need to apply by August 31, 2007).
Bioengineering course work (9)
1 At least three semester hours must involve engineering content or engineering design content.
2 A minimum of three semester hours each of BME 592 and 599 must be completed in the approved program of study.
Upon admission of the applicant with regular or provisional status, a supervisory committee (program committee) is selected. 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 members, including a chair. 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, including monitoring the execution of the thesis project.
A final oral examination in defense of the thesis is required.
The Harrington Department of Bioengineering adheres to ASU and Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering academic standards for good standing.
The maximum number of semester hours allowed per semester is 12. Special approval is required to take more than 12 semester hours in one semester.
Graduate advising is mandatory every semester for students in the Harrington Department of Bioengineering.
The Harrington Department of Bioengineering adheres to the Graduate College’ six-year time limit for students enrolled in master’s degree programs.
The nonthesis option within the MS degree program in Bioengineering is reserved for students who have full-time employment in the 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 Standards and Procedures
Students seeking admission to the nonthesis option must request this option when applying for admission to the MS degree program. This is typically outlined in the applicant’s statement of purpose. Students who are admitted to the thesis option are not allowed to subsequently transfer to the nonthesis option. Students admitted to the nonthesis option, however, may petition for departmental approval to transfer into the thesis option.
In addition to the general requirements for admission to the Graduate College, applicants must submit
2. official TOEFL scores (if applicable);
3. a statement of purpose; and
4. two letters of recommendation.
Applicants should submit the following to the Graduate College:
1. one official copy of all transcripts;
3. official TOEFL scores (if applicable).
Applicants should submit the following directly to the Harrington Department of Bioengineering:
1. one official copy of all transcripts;
3. copy of TOEFL score report (if applicable);
4. a statement of purpose; and
5. two letters of recommendation.
The application deadline for fall admission is January 15 of the same year (i.e. a student wishing to enroll for fall 2007 will need to apply by January 15, 2007).
The application deadline for spring admission is August 31 of the previous year (i.e. a student wishing to enroll for spring 2008 will need to apply by August 31, 2007.)
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 semester hours of course work selected from the catalog list of BME courses.
Bioengineering course work (9)
Additional bioengineering course work (6)
1 At least three semester hours must be engineering content or engineering design content.
2 A minimum of three semester hours of BME 593 must be completed in the approved 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 members, including a chair. 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, including monitoring the execution of the applied project.
Students admitted to the nonthesis option 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 supervisory committee.
The Harrington Department of Bioengineering adheres to ASU and Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering academic standards for good standing.
The maximum number of semester hours allowed per semester is 12. Special approval is required to take more than 12 semester hours in one semester.
Graduate advising is mandatory every semester for students in the Harrington Department of Bioengineering.
The Harrington Department of Bioengineering adheres to the Graduate College’ six-year time limit for students enrolled in master’s degree programs.
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.
If a student wishes to subsequently pursue 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.
For current information about research activity, access the Harrington Department of Bioengineering Web site at fulton.asu.edu/~bme.
COURSES
Information about all courses is available on the Web at ASU Interactive. For more information, see Classification of Courses.
Contents > Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering > Harrington Department of Bioengineering