DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
The Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering (MSBME) program requires:
- A minimum of 30 earned semester credits (10 courses and one zero-credit seminar course) of graduate work. Course requirements are divided into four categories: a math requirement, two fundamental courses, area courses and breadth courses.
- Students may elect to choose the thesis or non-thesis option. Before applying for the thesis option, students must complete ECE 9030 in preparation.
- Full-time undergraduate students in the ECE, ME and CBE departments with a minimum GPA of 3.00 have the option of applying for admission into the five-year combined BS/MS program with a BS degree in their department and an MS degree in Biomedical Engineering.
- Graduate students electing the non-thesis option may substitute three credits of independent study for an approved elective course.
Table 1 provides details on the course and credit distribution for the two options. Course requirements are broadly divided into four categories: a math requirement, two fundamentals' courses, area courses, and breadth courses. Course options in these areas are fleshed out in greater detail in table two.
Thesis Option |
Non-thesis option with independent study |
Non-thesis option without independent study |
|---|---|---|
3 area courses |
3 area courses |
3 area courses |
1 math course |
1 math course |
1 math course |
2 fundamentals courses |
2 fundamentals courses |
2 fundamentals courses |
2 breadth courses |
3 breadth courses |
4 breadth courses |
2 research courses (thesis) |
1 research/independent study course |
1 seminar course (no credit) |
1 seminar course (no credit) |
1 seminar course (no credit) |
|
Total: 10 courses + seminar |
Total: 10 courses + seminar |
Total: 10 courses + seminar |
Area courses: Based on the discipline/research area of interest.
Math course: Discipline-specific basic engineering math course.
Fundamentals courses: To cover fundamental topics and concepts in BME.
Breadth courses: To complement core area courses within and across concentrations and colleges.
Research courses: Independent study (IS) and/or Thesis research (for thesis option).
Seminar course (zero-credit): Inter-departmental seminars from VU faculty and graduate students, other guest speakers and experts covering current research topics in the BME field.
Table 2: Course options in each required Course type, BME Concentration:
Requirement |
Concentration |
Course Number – title |
|---|---|---|
Area Courses (1)
|
Cell & Tissue Engineering |
CHE 8586 - Biomaterials & Drug Delivery CHE 8591 - Gene & Cell Therapy CHE 8663 - Systems Biology CHE 8592 - Protein Engineering ME 7700 - Tran Phen in Bio Systems |
Area Courses (2) |
Biomechanics & Biomaterials |
ME 7550 - Biomechanics of Hard Tissues ME 7560 - Biomechanics of Soft Tissues ME 7700 - Tran Phen in Bio Systems ME 7270 - Polymer Engineering ME 8103 - Advanced Fluid Mechanics CHE 8586 - Biomaterials & Drug Delivery |
Area Courses (3) |
Biomedical Signals, Sensors & Imaging |
ECE 7251 - Analysis of Biomedical Signals ECE 8525 - Sensors ECE 8487 - Advanced Machine Learning ECE 8XXX - 3D Cell Cultures (Spring 24) ECE 7XXX - Medical Imaging (Fall 25) ECE 9000 - Wearable Biosensing (Fall 24) |
Math Course (1) |
All Concentrations |
ME 7000 - Advanced Engineering Analysis ECE 8001 - Engineering Math I |
Fundamentals Courses (2) |
All Concentrations |
EGR 7XXX - Medical Sciences for Eng. (new-S24) EGR 7XXX - Foundations of Biomed. Eng. (new F24) |
| Breadth Courses (min:2, max:4) 2:Thesis option 3: Non-thesis w IS 4: Non-thesis w/o IS |
All Concentrations |
All other Concentration/Dept. Area Courses EGR 8301 - Control Systems Engineering EGR 7014 - Innovation & Opportunity EGR 8311 - Machine Learning for Engineers ME 7040 - Finite Element Analysis ME 7030 - Numerical Methods ECE 8473 - UNIX and C Programming CSC 8515 - Machine Learning PHI 8420 - Healthcare Ethics BIO 7960 - Adv Topics: C/M/D Biology NUR 9014 - Adv Anat Phys IB ME 7240 - Constructal Theory & Des. BIO 7805 - Biostatistics & Exper. Design STAT 7404 - Statistical Methods NUR 9505 - Statistical Analysis I PSY 8100 - Stat & Experimental Design |
| Research Courses (min: 0, max: 2) 0: Non-thesis w/o IS 1: Non-thesis w IS 2: Thesis option |
All Concentrations & Depts |
Independent study (IS) and/or Thesis research |
Seminar Course (1) |
All Concentrations & Depts |
4-6 invited speakers a semester for both fall and spring, current research topics in BME |
Explore MSBME concentrations:
The MSBME offers three concentration areas, as well as an option for a custom degree plan:
- Biomechanics and Biomaterials
- Cell and Tissue Engineering
- Biomedical Signals, Sensors and Imaging