Curriculum

Students must pass the PhD Preliminary Examination, complete 47 credit hours of course work beyond their Bachelor’s Degree (18 Core credits, 9 Concentration credits, 20 Specialization credits), participate in the Bioengineering Seminar Series (75% attendance rate and 1 presentation/term as a Doctoral Candidate), pass the preliminary examination, pass the Comprehensive Examination, successfully defend their dissertation and submit 3 or more peer-reviewed journal papers representing their original dissertation research to meet the requirements of the PhD ISSTBE.

The PhD Preliminary Examination will be offered once per year and is to be taken by students upon completion of Core courses (with the exception of Bioengineering Seminar credits) and Concentration Area courses. The Preliminary Examination includes written and oral components. The written portion of the exam gauges student competency in fundamental bioengineering topics covered in their courses. ISSTBE affiliated faculty will submit and grade questions in their respective areas of expertise for the written portion of the Preliminary Examination. The oral portion of the examination is a formal presentation comprised of the student’s critique of a peer-reviewed journal paper selected from the student’s area of concentration, delivered to a subset of faculty with expertise in the respective concentration having Graduate Faculty status. Students are allowed no more than two opportunities to take the Preliminary Examination (oral or written components). Upon successful completion of their Preliminary Exam, students must begin to prepare their dissertation proposal which is presented to their dissertation committee (Comprehensive Examination). Prior to the Comprehensive Exam, students must submit their proposal to an external funding agency (approved by their mentor) for peer-review and potential funding. 

The student, working together with their advisor prior to completing Core Courses, must develop a Plan of Study. The Plan of Study must identify elective courses in the student’s selected Concentration Area, as well as guided electives needed to fulfill the student’s Specialization. The Plan of Study must be reviewed and approved each term by the student’s advisor. The Plan of Study may be modified with approval from the student’s advisor. Courses available under the ISSTBE program are as follows:

Core Courses

18 core credit hours:

  • BE 695 Advanced Research Design & Methods (3)
  • BE 621 Bioinstrumentation (4)
  • BE 654 Advanced Physiology for Engineers (3)
  • BE 601 Bioengineering Seminar (1ea. x3)
  • BE 603 Research Ethics in Bioengineering (2)
  • ME 565 Advanced Engineering Mathematics I (3)

 

Elective Courses in Concentration Areas

9 credits in one of the following concentration areas:

Molecular and Tissue Engineering

  • BE 552 Tissue Engineering (3)
  • BE 553 Nanoscale Bioengineering (3)
  • BE 605 Tissue & Molecular Biology Techniques (3)
  • BE 650 Advanced Biomaterials (3)
  • BE 670 Cancer Mechanobiology (3)
  • BIOC 611 Biochemical & Molecular Methods (3)
  • BIOC 668 Molecular Biology (3)
  • BIOC 680 Biomolecular Interactions (3)

 

Bioimaging and Biocomputational

  • BE 530 Machine Learning in Medicine in Python (3)
  • BE 540 Machine Learning in Medicine (3)
  • BE 542 Medical Image Computing (3)
  • BE 543 Computational Tools for Medical Image Analysis (3)
  • BE 544 AI Techniques in Digital Photography
  • BE 685 Modeling of Biological Phenomena (3)
  • BE 640 Computational Methods for Medical Image Analysis (3)
  • CECS 622 Simulation and Modeling of Discrete Systems (3)
  • CECS 624 Advanced Simulation (3)
  • CECS 627 Digital Image Processing (3)

 

Bioelectrical and Biomedical Devices

  • BE 524 LabView for Engineers (3)
  • BE 552 Biomedical Acoustics
  • BE 581 Advanced CAD and Manufacturing (3)
  • BE 611 Cardiovascular Dynamics I (3)
  • BE 650 Advanced Biomaterials (3)
  • BE 683 Artificial Organs (3)
  • ECE 543 Microfabrication and MEMS (3)
  • ME 640 Optimum Design Methods (3)
  • ME 647 Advanced Design Methods (3)

 

Biomechanics and Rehabilitation

  • BE 611 Cardiovascular Dynamics I (3)
  • BE 630 Biomechanical Computer Modeling & Simulation of Human Movement (3)
  • BE 639 Rehabilitation Engineering (3)
  • BE 658 Injury Biomechanics (3)
  • BE 670 Cancer Mechanobiology (3)
  • ME 638 Continuum Mechanics (3)
  • ME 650 Biofluid Mechanics (3)
  • ME 651 Kinematics & Kinetics of Human Movement (3)
  • ME 652 Advanced Human Dynamics (3)

 

Courses in Specialization – Guided Electives

20 credits. Courses in Specialization must be unique from those taken to fulfill the Concentration Requirement, and must follow either Track A, B or C below. Students must work with their advisor to establish a Plan of Study for Specialization Courses. All Specialization courses must be approved by the student’s advisor prior to registration.

Track A. Traditional Bioengineering Research PhD

18 credits from those listed below with a minimum of 6 credits in engineering courses + Teaching Practicum (2 credits)

Track B. Clinical-Translational Research PhD

12 credits from list below designated as BIOC, ASNB, PSYC, BIOL, MBIO, OBIO or EXP; remaining 6 credits from BE, CECS, ECE, IE, or ME + Clinical Practicum (2 credits).

Track C. Advancing Bioengineering Technologies through Entrepreneurship PhD

Nucleus Lean LaunchIT Start Up Course (3 credits), plus 12 credits from list below designated as ENTR or IMBA; remaining 6 credits from BE, CECS, ECE, IE, ME + Teaching Practicum (2 credits).

Guided Elective Courses:

  • ASNB 602 Fundamentals of Neuroscience (3)
  • ASNB 614 Molecular Neurobiology (4)
  • ASNB 617 Developmental Neurobiology (4)
  • BE 522 Biomed Acoustics (3)
  • BE 524 LabView for Engineering (3)
  • BE 540 Machine Learning in Medicine (3)
  • BE 542 Medical Image Computing (3)
  • BE 543 Computer Tools for Medical Image Analysis (3)
  • BE 552 Tissue Engineering (3)
  • BE 553 Nanoscale Bioengineering (3)
  • BE 581 Advanced CAD and Manufacturing (3)
  • BE 600 Modeling of Biological Phenomena (3)
  • BE 605 Tissue & Molecular Biology Techniques (3)
  • BE 611 Cardiovascular Dynamics I (3)
  • BE 630 Biomechanical Computer Modeling & Simulation of Human Movement (3)
  • BE 639 Injury Biomechanics (3)
  • BE 640 Computational Methods for Medical Image Analysis (3)
  • BE 650 Advanced Biomaterials (3)
  • BE 653 Nanoscale Bioengineering (3)
  • BE 658 Rehabilitation Engineering (3)
  • BE 683 Artificial Organs (3)
  • BE 685 Modeling of Biological Phenomena (3)
  • BE 688 Teaching Practicum (2)1
  • BE 692 Clinical Rotation (2)2
  • BE 693 Independent Study (3)
  • BE 696 Evidence Based Entrepreneurship (3)
  • BIOC 611 Biochemical & Molecular Methods (3)
  • BIOC 645 Advanced Biochemistry (4)
  • BIOC 647 Advanced Biochemistry II (4)
  • BIOC 667 Cell Biology (3)
  • BIOC 668 Molecular Biology (3)
  • BIOC 680 Biomolecular Interactions (3)
  • CECS 590 Introduction to Deep Learning Algorithms and Methods (3)
  • CECS 622 Simulation and Modeling of Discrete Systems (3)
  • CECS 624 Advanced Simulation (3)
  • CECS 627 Digital Image Processing (3)
  • CECS 628 Computer Graphics (3)
  • CECS 633 Computer Vision (3)
  • CECS/ECE 643 Introduction to Biomedical Computing (3)
  • CECS 660 Introduction to Bioinformatics (3)
  • ECE 520 Digital Signal Processing (3)
  • ECE 521 Digital Signal Processing Laboratory (1)
  • ECE 523 Introduction to Biometrics (3)
  • ECE 543 Microfabrication and MEMS (3)
  • ECE 544 Microfabrication/MEMS Laboratory (1)
  • ECE 562 Introduction to Robotics (3)
  • ECE 564 Fundamentals of Autonomous Robots (3)
  • ECE 565 Autonomous Robots Laboratory (1)
  • ECE 614 Artificial Neural Systems (3)
  • ECE 661 SampledVData Control Systems (3)
  • ECE 662 Introduction to Optimum Control (3)
  • ECE 676 Foundations of Polymer MEMS (3)
  • ENTR 600 Business Plan Development (3)
  • IE 563 Experimental Design in Engineering (3)
  • IE 681 Human Performance (3)
  • IMBA 652 Business Plan Competition I (3)
  • IMBA 654 Business Plan Competition II (3)
  • IMBA 664 Business Plan Competition III (3)
  • MBIO 601 Molecular Microbiology (2)
  • MBIO 602 Immunology (3)
  • MBIO 610 Methods & Analysis in Biomedical Sciences (2)
  • MBIO 618 Cell Biology of Viruses (3)
  • MBIO 658 Cellular & Molecular Immunology (3)
  • MBIO 670 Molecular Virology (3)
  • ME 565 Graduate Engineering Mathematics (3)
  • ME 566 Advanced Engineering Mathematics II (3)
  • ME 638 Continuum Mechanics (3)
  • ME 640 Optimum Design Methods (3)
  • ME 647 Advanced Design Methods (3)
  • ME 650 Biofluid Mechanics (3)
  • ME 651 Kinematics & Kinetics of Human Movement (3)
  • ME 652 Advanced Human Dynamics (3)
  • ME 671 Advanced Fluid Dynamics (3)
  • OBIO 501 Biomedical Data Analysis (3)
  • OBIO 600 Concepts in Oral Immunology (2)
  • OBIO 601 Intro to Oral Biology Research (2)
  • OBIO 604 Oral Microbiology (3)
  • OBIO 611 Craniofacial Osteology (3)
  • OBIO 612 Craniomaxillofacial Diagnostic Imaging (3)
  • OBIO 617 Advanced Oral Pathology (1)
  • PHTX 655 Neuropharmacology (2)
  • PHTX 656 Cardiovascular & Renal Pharmacology (2)
  • PHTX 657 Endocrine and Metabolic Pharmacology (2)
  • PHTX 660 Principles of Drug & Chemical Action (2)

1 – Required for Traditional Bioengineering Research Track and Advancing Bioengineering Technologies through Entrepreneurship Track

2 – Medical school or dental school clinical rotation in the student’s area of interest (e.g. neurology, pediatrics, etc.) required for Clinical Translation Research Track. Selection and registering for courses must be coordinated with advisor and Director of Program.