Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus
https://bmed.calpoly.edu/graduate-program/
Biomedical engineering is an interdisciplinary field in which the principles and tools of traditional engineering fields, such as mechanical, materials, electrical, and chemical engineering, are applied to biomedical problems. By its very nature, biomedical engineering is broad and requires a foundation in engineering, as well as physiology and other biological sciences. The Master of Science degree program in Biomedical Engineering is well-suited for those individuals who desire depth in engineering applications to human health and living systems, with a strong, pragmatic, and rigorous hands-on educational experience. Graduates will be well-equipped to make significant contributions to the biomedical field.
Requirements for Admission
Students apply via Cal State Apply and must submit a transcript, CV/Resume, a personal statement describing their academic background and motivation for graduate study, and three letters of recommendation. No GRE scores required.
International Students must meet all the standard eligibility criteria and demonstrate proficiency in English (English Proficiency Exam Requirements)
Prerequisites: For admission as a classified graduate student, an applicant must possess a bachelor’s degree in engineering or a closely related physical science with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in the last 60 semester units (90 quarter units) attempted. A college level biology course, with laboratory, for engineering majors is highly recommended. Applicants who meet these standards but lack prerequisite coursework may be admitted as conditionally classified students and must make up any deficiencies before advancement to candidacy. Applicants from other academic disciplines, such as biology or chemistry are encouraged to apply and may be admitted to the program conditionally in order to make up deficiencies in prerequisite coursework. Information regarding specific admission requirements and classification as a graduate student may be obtained from the Graduate Coordinator, Biomedical Engineering.
Minimum GPA: 3.0
Application due date: Applications are accepted for Fall enrollment only. Please see Graduate Student Dates and Deadlines for application deadlines.
Advancement to Candidacy
Completion of at least 6 units of graduate coursework with cumulative and higher ed GPA of 3.0 or higher and an approved culminating experience proposal.
Culminating Experience
Thesis Track: Students in the Thesis Track option will work with a faculty advisor on a specific research topic, prepare a written thesis, and present to the public a 30-45-minute defense, after which a three-person committee will have the opportunity to privately ask related questions.
Project Track: Students in the Project Trackwill work with other students, faculty advisor(s), and industry sponsors on an industry-relevant project. Students will prepare a written report for their faculty advisor(s) and industry sponsors, as well as present an oral defense of the project work. Students must justify that individual contributions satisfy culminating experience expectations.
Specializations
Regenerative Medicine
Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus
Prepares students for careers in regenerative medicine and related fields. Specifically, our graduates are prepared for immediate employment in cell therapy, tissue engineering, biopharma, or medical technology companies, and as research specialists/laboratory managers at universities or research institutes. Program graduates are also well- prepared to matriculate into bioengineering doctoral programs or graduate programs in the health professions.
Requirements for Admission
Students pursuing the specialization in Regenerative Medicine must satisfy all requirements of the Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering, listed above, as well as the additional requirements specific to the specialization:
- supporting information document providing additional details on the experiences listed in CV/Resume for relevant internships, employment, and volunteer efforts (community, clinical, research, etc.);
- a 1-page personal statement detailing your motivation for applying, experiences that prepared you for the program, and plans upon completing the program;
Prerequisites: For admission as a classified graduate student, an applicant must possess a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering, bioengineering, or similar, with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in the last 60 semester units (90 quarter units) attempted. Due to the fixed timeline for each cohort that matriculates into the program, conditional acceptances are not possible, and applicants from other academic disciplines, such as biology, must complete prerequisite coursework before applying. Information regarding specific admission requirements and classification as a graduate student may be obtained from the Graduate Coordinator, Biomedical Engineering.
Culminating Experience
Students who obtain a degree in the Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering with a specialization in Regenerative Medicine are not required to complete a “thesis” through BMED 5599. In place of the thesis as a culminating experience, students complete a Project during a 10-month internship at a company or research laboratory1 (BMED 5598). The Project Report is evaluated by their Cal Poly and Internship Mentor; their Project Presentation is evaluated by their Cal Poly and Internship Mentors, and Program Director.
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Students will complete their internship at one of our partner institutions. An updated list of our current partners can be found on our program website.
A blended program provides a potentially accelerated route to a graduate degree, with simultaneous conferring of both Bachelor's and Master's degrees. Students in the blended program are provided with a seamless process whereby they can progress from undergraduate to graduate status. Students are required to complete all requirements for both degrees.
Blended options
- BS Biomedical Engineering + MS Biomedical Engineering
- BS Chemistry + MS Biomedical Engineering
- BS Computer Engineering + MS Biomedical Engineering
- BS Electrical Engineering + MS Biomedical Engineering
- BS Mechanical Engineering + MS Biomedical Engineering
- BS Materials Engineering + MS Biomedical Engineering
Units Double-Counted
6 units of 4000-5000 level graduate program courses can be double counted towards undergraduate degree requirements. Neither undergraduate senior project nor graduate culminating experience may not be applied toward double-counted units.
Requirements for Admission for the Blended Program
Students apply directly to the program and not through Cal State Apply; please contact the department graduate coordinator.
- Prerequisites: must be a current BS student in an approved blended pairing program. Students must have completed all lower division classes and the GWR prior to transitioning to graduate status.
- Minimum GPA: 3.0 major GPA
- Timeline for admission: The Blended MS BMED – Thesis Track admits students to start in both Fall and Spring semesters; applications accepted Fall and Spring. The Blended MS BMED – Project Track admits students ONLY for Fall start; applications accepted in Fall. Students should apply 2 semesters before completing their undergraduate degree requirements. E.g., students interested in the Project Track and scheduled to complete their undergraduate program in Spring should apply the preceding Fall. Please see MS Biomedical Engineering website for specific deadlines and more details.
- Application materials: Students submit a CV/Resume, transcript, and a personal statement. Contact information for a recommender may be included. Thesis Track students are strongly encouraged to obtain a recommendation from their intended faculty thesis advisor.
Program Learning Objectives
- Analyze contemporary challenges in biomedical engineering, discover knowledge gaps, and assess needs to formulate research and development opportunities.
- Demonstrate understanding of biomedical engineering practice in a regulated environment.
- Utilize modern techniques and technologies to generate data of significance to biomedical innovations/challenges.
- Apply advanced engineering methods – such as theoretical, computational, or manufacturing tools – to the design and/or evaluation of biomedical systems.
- Employ statistical approaches to design experiments, and analyze & interpret data to form data-driven conclusions.
- Communicate engineering, biological, and medical concepts in both written and oral forms.
- Demonstrate independence and initiative in acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary to complete biomedical engineering projects at the interface between biology, medicine, and engineering.
Specialization in Regenerative Medicine
- Perform fundamental laboratory skills involved in regenerative medicine research & development.
- Discuss and critically evaluate biomedical primary literature.
- Effectively communicate technical topics to both peer and lay audiences.
- Explain the process of biotechnology development & commercialization.
- Describe how research & development efforts are motivated by and impact physician & patient experiences.
- Design and execute independent research projects.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| REQUIRED COURSES | ||
| BMED 5505 | Biomedical Signal Transduction and Data Acquisition | 3 |
| or BMED 5515 | Biomedical Imaging | |
| Select from the following: | 3 | |
| Modeling of Biomedical Systems | ||
| Advanced Issues in Biomaterials | ||
| Bioseparations and Clinical Diagnostics | ||
| BMED 5563 | Biomedical Engineering Graduate Seminar | 1 |
| STAT 5120 | Intermediate Statistics for Graduate Students | 3-4 |
| or STAT 5440 | Statistical Methods for Study Design and Analysis | |
| Select from the following: | 6 | |
| Project Seminar I and Project Seminar II and Project | ||
| Thesis | ||
| Approved Engineering, Science, and Mathematics Electives | ||
| Select from the following: 1 | 13-14 | |
| Computational Aerodynamics | ||
| Applied Biotechnology in Animal Science | ||
| Bioinformatics Applications | ||
| Molecular Biology Laboratory | ||
| Molecular and Cellular Biology | ||
| Principles of Stem Cell Biology | ||
| Applied Finite Element Analysis | ||
| Interdisciplinary Projects in Biomechanics | ||
| Medical Device Evaluation and FDA Regulatory Processes | ||
| Microfluidics/MEMS Design | ||
| Microfluidics/MEMS Design and Fabrication Laboratory | ||
| Micro/Nano Fabrication | ||
| Micro/Nano Fabrication Laboratory | ||
| Biopotential Instrumentation | ||
| Drug Discovery and Development | ||
| Principles of Tissue Engineering | ||
| Skeletal Tissue Mechanics | ||
| Current and Evolving Topics in Biomedical Engineering | ||
| Introduction to Computational Neuroscience | ||
| Cell Transplantation and Biotherapeutics | ||
| Cell Transplantation and Biotherapeutics Laboratory | ||
| Finite Element Analysis of Continua | ||
| Advanced Techniques in Chemical Analysis | ||
| Advanced Organic Chemistry - Mechanisms | ||
| Advanced Organic Chemistry - Synthesis | ||
| Advanced Organic Chemistry Laboratory | ||
| Physical Biochemistry Methods and Applications | ||
| Protein Techniques | ||
| Polymer Synthesis and Characterization | ||
| Polymer Synthesis and Characterization Laboratory | ||
| Functional Polymeric Materials | ||
| Surface Chemistry of Materials | ||
| Computational Chemistry | ||
| Advanced Polymer Synthesis and Characterization | ||
| Advanced Polymer Synthesis and Characterization Laboratory | ||
| Digital Systems Design | ||
| Advanced Machine Learning | ||
| Computer Vision | ||
| Biochemical Engineering | ||
| Applied Statistical Methods in Engineering | ||
| Materials Characterization Theory | ||
| Discrete Mathematics | ||
| Microbial Biotechnology | ||
| Continuum Mechanics and Elasticity | ||
| Electromagnetic Fields and Waves I | ||
| Advanced Design and Analysis of Experiments | ||
| Total Units | 30 | |
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Minimum number of elective units needed will depend on which statistics course was taken to fulfill the requirement.
Specialization in Regenerative Medicine
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| REQUIRED COURSES | ||
| BMED 5510 | Principles of Tissue Engineering | 3 |
| BMED 5511 | Advanced Cell Culture Techniques | 1 |
| BMED 5515 | Biomedical Imaging | 3 |
| Select from the following: | 3 | |
| Modeling of Biomedical Systems | ||
| Advanced Issues in Biomaterials | ||
| Bioseparations and Clinical Diagnostics | ||
| BMED 5561 | Cell Transplantation and Biotherapeutics Laboratory | 2 |
| BMED 5563 | Biomedical Engineering Graduate Seminar | 1 |
| BMED 5598 | Project | 6 |
| BIO 4457 | Molecular Biology Laboratory | 3 |
| or ASCI 4403 | Applied Biotechnology in Animal Science | |
| BIO 5509 | Communicating Biology to Various Audiences | 1 |
| BIO/ASCI 5528 | Principles of Stem Cell Biology | 2 |
| BIO/ASCI/BMED 5583 | Research and Professional Development for Regenerative Medicine Students | 2 |
| STAT 5120 | Intermediate Statistics for Graduate Students | 3 |
| Total Units | 30 | |