BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, MS

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, MS

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DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL AND BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

Fenn Hall 455
(216) 687-2569
http://www.csuohio.edu/engineering/chemical/master-science-in-biomedical-engineering

Nolan B. Holland, Chair and Graduate Program Director

INTRODUCTION

The graduate program in biomedical engineering is designed to provide students with the skills to apply engineering analysis and design to the solution of biomedical-related problems. The program provides a foundation built on fundamentals in the life sciences, including those at the cellular, tissue, and human physiology level. Advanced engineering courses are selected from fields including tissue engineering, biomechanics, imaging, bioMEMS, materials and nanotechnology, bioprocessing, and instrumentation/controls. The program offers three tracks: a thesis track, a design track, and a course-only track. In-depth study of a specific research topic with a faculty mentor is conducted in the thesis track. Students in the design track work in teams on a year-long design project with mentors from either local industry or the Medical Device Solutions Department at the Cleveland Clinic. This biomedical design option is unique in northeast Ohio and among only a handful of similar programs nationwide. The design option is especially appropriate for those who will seek industrial employment directly after completion of the program and/or are interested in starting their own business. Upon completion of the program, students will be prepared to work in the medical device industry or to continue their education at the doctoral level.

FACULTY RESEARCH AND PUBLICATIONS

Areas in which students may conduct thesis research are reflected by the research interests and publications of the faculty. Participating faculty include members from the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering as well as members from other engineering departments, adjunct faculty from local industry, and over 30 adjunct faculty members from the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Cleveland Clinic. A list of participating faculty is shown at http://www.csuohio.edu/engineering/chemical/faculty-page

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Graduate research assistantships and tuition grants are available to qualified students on a competitive basis. Applicants who are seeking an assistantship should so indicate on their application for graduate admission.

CAREER INFORMATION

Graduates of the MS in Biomedical Engineering program work in biomedical product development and design, testing and quality assurance, and research. Students planning careers in academia or industrial research and development are strongly encouraged to select the thesis track, which will prepare them for continued education at the doctoral level (e.g. in Applied Biomedical Engineering).

ADMISSION INFORMATION

Admission to the graduate program in biomedical engineering is open to qualified students with a baccalaureate degree in engineering or science, who present satisfactory evidence of the ability to pursue graduate studies. A minimum baccalaureate grade-point average of 3.0 usually is required. Programs of study will be developed for students with backgrounds other than engineering. Such students are required to take prerequisite courses as described under the Preparatory Program section.

Applicants should make arrangements to have official transcripts sent directly from their undergraduate institutions to the Graduate Admissions Office. Two letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with the student’s undergraduate or graduate work also are required.

If applicable, the applicant also should request that official test scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and Graduate Record Examination (GRE) be sent directly to the Graduate Admissions office by the testing agencies. The applicant must achieve satisfactory scores in these examinations.

The GRE General section is required if one or more of the following conditions is true:

  • The undergraduate degree was awarded by a college or university outside of the United States, Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, or the United Kingdom.
  • An unaccredited college or university awarded the undergraduate degree.
  • The student’s undergraduate cumulative grade-point average is below 3.00.
  • The year of the baccalaureate degree precedes the date of application to the College of Graduate
    Studies by more than six years; however, in this case, the examination requirement may be waived, with program approval, if the applicant’s undergraduate grade-point average is 3.0 or above.

If the GRE is required, a minimum score at the 70th percentile on the Quantitative section, and a score of 3.5 or higher in the Analytical Writing Qualitative section, are typically required.

International students should refer to the International Student Admission section in this Catalog for information on testing requirements that demonstrate English-language proficiency.

Apply Now: http://www.csuohio.edu/graduate-admissions/how-apply

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

The MS Biomedical Engineering program offers three tracks, the thesis, design, or course track. All students in the MS BME program must complete the following core courses (12 credits):

NOTE(S)

Students who have had any of the core subjects as part of a previous degree program will substitute an elective, subject to advisor approval, for the required course. The three core courses build the necessary foundation for the program in biomedical engineering. The key elective courses represent several of the specialization fields found traditionally within the discipline of biomedical engineering. The key elective course is selected by the student according to his/her career interest and will most likely complement the student’s background. For example, a BS chemical engineering student is likely to select Biomaterials or Biomechanics; a student with a BS in electrical or computer engineering is likely to select Medical Imaging.

THESIS TRACK (30 CREDITS)

This option is for the student who wants extensive research experience and a focus within a particular field. Students who plan to apply to the doctoral program in Applied Biomedical Engineering should select this track. A total of 30 credits is required for this track.

The requirements are:

  • 9 credits of BME 699 - Master’s Thesis.
  • The student plans and completes a research project, which may lead to publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, under the direction of a faculty advisor. Students are required to enroll in BME 650 - Biomedical Engineering Seminar (for 0 credits) each semester while enrolled in BME 699.
  • Electives (9 credits) selected from the list of approved courses on the program website.
  • Prior to the student’s thesis defense (usually one semester in advance), the student is required to give a public presentation on their research, either in a department seminar, or at a regional, national, or international symposium.

DESIGN TRACK (33 CREDITS)

This option is for the student who wants to apply engineering skills to the design of a biomedical process or product that may have direct benefit to health-care and/or the health-care industry. This option is especially appropriate for those who will seek industrial employment directly after completing the master’s program and/or are interested in starting their own business. A total of 33 credits is required for this track.

The requirements are:

COURSE TRACK (36 CREDITS)

This option is for the students who work full time and are not able to devote sufficient blocks of time for a Thesis or Design Project; or for Doctoral students who wish to earn a MSBME degree en route to their doctorate.

The requirements are:

ELECTIVES

Electives are selected from the approved list of electives from the department website.  Electives must be selected with advisor approval. It is recommended that students take a course sequence in a specific area in order to build depth of knowledge.

SUGGESTED COURSE SEQUENCES ARE LISTED BELOW:

SIGNAL, IMAGE AND DATA ANALYSIS:

BIOMECHANICS:

TISSUE ENGINEERING:

MATERIALS SYNTHESIS/CHARACTERIZATION/NANOTECHNOLOGY:

BIOPROCESSING:

INSTRUMENTATION/SENSORS/MEMS DEVICES/CONTROLS:

SOFTWARE ENGINEERING:

THE PREPARATORY PROGRAM

Students who have an undergraduate background in a field other than engineering are required to have completed additional undergraduate coursework, including calculus through differential equations (ESC 250 or MTH 286) and multivariable calculus (MTH 283), one year of calculus-based physics (PHY 241 and 242), one semester of general chemistry with laboratory (CHM 262/266), and at least 9 credits of engineering courses, selected from the following five options. In addition to these 9 credits, the following courses are strongly recommended: ESC 152 Matlab, MCE 181, 181 (CAE I, II), and ESC 350 (Linear Algebra).

FIELD OF SPECIALIZATION

BIOMATERIALS AND TISSUE ENGINEERING (11 CREDITS)

  • ESC 270 Materials Science & Engineering
  • ESC 201 Statics
  • ESC 211 Strength of Materials
  • CVE 310 Strength of Materials Lab

BIOMECHANICS (9 CREDITS) / NOTE 1

  • ESC 211 Strength of Materials
  • ESC 202 Dynamics
  • MCE 260 Kinematics

MECHANICAL DESIGN (9 CREDITS) / NOTE 2

  • ESC 201 Statics
  • ESC 211 Strength of Materials
  • MCE 260 Kinematics

IMAGING (14 CREDITS) / NOTE 3

  • EEC 310 Electric Circuits I
  • EEC 311 Electric Circuits II
  • EEC 383 Digital Systems
  • EEC 430 Digital Signal Processing

GENERAL (14 CREDITS)

  • ESC 301 Fluid Mechanics
  • ESC 315 Electrical Engineering Concepts
  • CHE 306 Transport Phenomena
  • CHE 300 Chemical Engineering Principles

NOTES

  1. Students will be expected to learn some topics in statics (ESC 201) on their own, and must have completed calculus-based Physics I.
     
  2. MCE 180 and 181 (CAE I/II) are strongly recommended for the Mechanical Design track.
     
  3. ESC 152 Matlab and ESC 350 Linear Algebra are strongly recommended for the Imaging track.

A grade of B or better must be earned in each of the undergraduate courses. Students may be admitted into the MS BME program prior to their completing all of the preparatory course requirements. Students will only be permitted to enroll in graduate courses for which they have completed the prerequisites. These undergraduate credits will not count towards the hours required for the degree.

Students should call the Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Department at (216) 687-2569 to set up an appointment with the Graduate Program Director prior to registering for classes in the preparatory program.

EXIT REQUIREMENTS

Students must achieve at least a 3.0 grade-point average to graduate. Thesis students must submit a thesis to their graduate committee that follows the Thesis and Dissertation Format Guidelines, available on the College of Graduate Studies web page: http://www.csuohio.edu/graduate-studies/current-students/thesis-dissertation. In order to graduate, students’ theses must be accepted by the graduate committee, and students must pass an oral defense of the thesis. Design-track students must prepare and present a formal report of their design project.

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Tution Fee : USD 21,700

Intake :

Universities : Cleveland State University 

Study Level : Masters Degree

Location : Cleveland, USA

Mode of Learning : On Campus

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