Bioengineering
Mission Statement
- Admission Criteria
- Degree Requirements
- Tracks
- Faculty
- Program Coordinator
- News and Events
Mission Statement
The principal mission of the Bioengineering program in the College of Engineering is to provide highly-qualified students of varying engineering backgrounds with both a broad appreciation of interdisciplinary research at the interface of biology, medicine and engineering and the ability to undertake a highly-focused, quantitative approach to a particular problem. Graduates of the program shall be able to effectively communicate and collaborate with healthcare professionals or medical researchers and perform independent, bioengineering research at the highest international level.
Admission Criteria
Applicants to the program should have an undergraduate degree from an accredited engineering school. However, applicants with degrees from programs which are highly quantitative (e.g. biophysics or biochemistry) will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Applicants are expected to have adequate computer skills and college level calculus. Foundational course work in these fields is available to students to bridge any gap in their technical backgrounds. However, credit for such courses will not count toward the degree. The successful applicant should have an undergraduate grade point average of 3.000/4.000 or higher from an accredited U.S. school. International applicants, in addition to the minimum 3.000/4.000 requirement, should submit GRE and TOEFL scores with a minimum 650 (Quantitative) and 550 (paper based or equivalent computer or internet versions), respectively. The applicant will also submit:
- An application to the Graduate School of Engineering.
- A two-page description of their interest and expectations of the program, focusing on their career path. (Submitted online with application)
Degree Requirements
Completion of the PhD degree requires students to successfully complete the following requirements:
- Curriculum: The curriculum comprises a strong fundamental, broad core of courses which is then coupled with one of a series of available tracks for depth in a particular field of study. The detailed course requirements are outlined below.
- Qualifying Exam (written): To qualify to continue in the PhD program, students must pass the Bioengineering Comprehensive Qualifying Examination which comprises a series of questions derived from the core curriculum.
- Thesis Committee: The thesis committee (minimum of three members) must have at least one faculty member from the list of Bioengineering affiliated faculty in the College of Engineering.
- Area Exam: PhD students must submit a “prospectus” to their thesis committee in the form of a 15 page NIH research plan and successfully defend the research plan in the form of an open presentation to their thesis committee.
- Thesis: PhD candidates must satisfactorily complete and defend a thesis dissertation describing original research in bioengineering.
MS Degree: Requires a minimum of thirty-two credits of coursework and research beyond the Bachelor's degree with restrictions.
PhD Degree: Requires a minimum of sixteen credits of coursework beyond the Master's degree requirements and PhD dissertation.
The required course distribution is shown in the table below.
Course Requirements |
Credits |
| Required Core Courses | 24 SH |
| Required and Elective Track Courses | 24 SH |
| Advanced Seminar | 0 SH |
| Dissertation | 0 SH |
| Minimum Semester Hours Required | 48 SH |
The core emphasizes the breadth of topics that our graduates must appreciate as internationally competitive bioengineers. It utilizes existing courses within the College of Engineering as well as introducing new/external courses that are necessary and will be developed. All MS and PhD students must take the following courses:
- BION xxxx Principles of Bioengineering
- BION xxxx Medical Physiology
- BION xxxx Advanced Seminar
- Mathematical Methods for Bioengineers (must take one of the following)
- Must take three out of the four following classes
PhD students must also complete PhD Dissertation and all associated requirements.
Preparatory Background Courses
All MS and PhD students must demonstrate equivalent undergraduate course for those listed under preparatory background requirements. If students lack background to succeed in core courses, they must take these preparatory undergraduate level courses. These courses do not count towards credit requirements for the graduate degree.
- BIOL 1117 Integrated Anatomy & Physiology 1 (w/o lab) - Formerly BIO U117 or
BIOL 2301 Genetics and Molecular Biology - Formerly BIO U301
- Preparation for Medical Physiology - CHME 4510 Chemical Engineering Kinetics - Formerly CHE U510
- Preparation for Biochemical Engineering - EECE 3464 Linear Systems - Formerly ECE U464 - Preparation for Biosignal Processing
- ME 2340 Introduction to Material Science - Formerly MIM U340
- Preparation for Biomaterials - ME 2355 Mechanics of Materials - Formerly MIM U355 - Preparation for Biomechanics
Tracks
There are currently six strength tracks which have been formulated to reflect unique areas of expertise at Northeastern which demonstrate 1) a particularly high level of scholarly activity as indicated by numerous faculty with vigorous research programs in line with the strength of the track 2) are well-represented by available courses and 3) which currently (or have significant potential to) garner international recognition. In addition to the available strength tracks, students are permitted to design their own depth curriculum within track 0 (General Bioengineering Studies) under the strong guidance of the bioengineering curriculum committee.
- Track 0 – General Bioengineering Studies
- Track I – Biomedical Imaging and Signal Processing (BISP)
- Track II – Biomechanics and Mechanobiology
- Track III - BioMEMs/BioNano
- Track IV – Biochemical Engineering and Bioenvironmental Engineering (BEBE)
- Track V - Motor Control
- Track VI – Biocomputing
Program Coordinator
Jeff Ruberti, Program Coordinator and Advisor, 617.373.2711