Interdisciplinary Studies: Specialization in Translational Bioengineering (PhD)

Admission Requirements

The Graduate School has rigorous standards for admission into doctoral programs, and those standards apply to the ISSTBE PhD program as well. Applicants must meet Graduate School admission requirements along with additional program requirements.

Applicants must, as a minimum, have completed a bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Medical Physics from an accredited program with a 3.25 cumulative grade point average to be considered for admission. The ideal applicant will have completed a master’s degree in engineering (MS or MEng) at the time of application.

Applicants must submit the following:

  1. Graduate Application
  2. Official transcripts of all college-level courses
  3. Three letters of recommendation
  4. A written statement by the applicant describing previous experience related to bioengineering
  5. A statement as to how the PhD ISSTBE will allow them to fulfill their career goals as identified by their focus area of interest
  6. Students whose native language is non-English or degree is from a non-US accredited institution are required to submit TOEFL scores (administered by the Educational Testing Service). A minimum TOEFL score of 79 or higher on the internet-based test is required. Alternatively, a minimum of 6.5 on the International English Language Testing System will be accepted or a Duolingo score of 105.
  7. Resume/CV required
  8. Optional Graduate Record Exam (GRE).
 

Program Requirements

To earn the Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies with a specialization in Translational Bioengineering (ISSTBE), students are required to successfully complete the following:

  • 47 credit hours of course work beyond their bachelor’s degree (18 Core credit hours, nine (9) Concentration credit hours, 20 Specialization credit hours)
  • Participate in the Bioengineering Seminar Series (75 percent attendance rate and one presentation/year as a Doctoral Candidate)
  • Pass the Preliminary Examination
  • Pass the Comprehensive Examination
  • Successfully defend a dissertation
  • Submit three or more peer-reviewed journal papers representing their original dissertation research

Coursework

Core Requirements18
Bioengineering Seminar
Bioengineering Research Ethics
Bioinstrumentation
Advanced Physiology for Engineers
Bioengineering Research Design & Methods
Advanced Engineering Mathematics I
Concentration Area - nine (9) credit hours in one of the following areas9
Molecular and Tissue Engineering
Nanoscale Bioengineering: Application and Methodology of Nanobiomaterials in Bioengineering
Introduction to Tissue Engineering
Tissue and Molecular Biology Techniques Laboratory
Advanced Biomaterials
Techniques in Biomolecular Interactions
Molecular Biology
Biomolecular Interactions
Bioimaging and Biocomputational Modeling
Medical Image Computing
Machine Learning in Medicine
Modeling of Biological Phenomena
Computational Methods for Medical Image Analysis
Simulation and Modeling of Discrete Systems
Digital Image Processing
Bioelectrical and Biomedical Devices
LabVIEW for Bioengineers
Advanced Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing for Bioengineers
Cardiovascular Dynamics
Advanced Biomaterials
Artificial Organs
Fundamentals of Microfabrication and MEMS
Optimum Design Methods
Advanced Design Methods
Biomechanics and Rehabilitation
Biomechanical Computer Modeling and Simulation of Human Movement
Kinematics and Kinetics of Human Movement
Cardiovascular Dynamics
Injury Biomechanics
Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology
Biofluid Mechanics
Advanced Human Biodynamics
Computational Methods in Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer
Specialization Area Elective Coursework (see below)20
Minimum Total Hours47

Specialization Area Guided Electives

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 credit hours from those listed below with a minimum of six (6) credit hours in engineering courses + Teaching Practicum (two (2) credit hours)

Track B
Clinical-Translation Research PhD: 12 credit hours from list below designated as BIOC, ASNB, PSYC, BIOL, MBIO, OBIO, OBIO or EXP; remaining six (6) credit hours from BE, CECS, ECE, IE, or ME + Clinical Practicum (two (2) credit hours).

Track C
Advancing Bioengineering Technologies through Entrepreneurship PhD: 12 credit hours from list below designated as ENTR or IMBA; remaining six (6) credit hours from BE, CECS, ECE, IE, ME + Teaching Practicum (two (2) credit hours).

Guided Electives20
ASNB 602Fundamentals of Neuroscience4
ASNB 614Molecular Neuroscience4
ASNB 617Seminar on Developmental Neurobiology3
ASNB 671General and Oral Histology5
BE 522Biomedical Acoustics3
BE 524LabVIEW for Bioengineers3
BE 540Machine Learning in Medicine3
BE 542Medical Image Computing3
BE 552Introduction to Tissue Engineering3
BE 553Nanoscale Bioengineering: Application and Methodology of Nanobiomaterials in Bioengineering3
BE 581Advanced Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing for Bioengineers3
BE 600Advanced Topics in Bioengineering1-6
BE 605Tissue and Molecular Biology Techniques Laboratory3
BE 611Cardiovascular Dynamics3
BE 630Biomechanical Computer Modeling and Simulation of Human Movement3
BE 639Injury Biomechanics3
BE 640Computational Methods for Medical Image Analysis3
BE 650Advanced Biomaterials3
BE 658Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology3
BE 683Artificial Organs3
BE 692Bioengineering Clinical Rotation2
BE 693Independent Study in Bioengineering1-6
BIOC 611Techniques in Biomolecular Interactions4
BIOC 645Advanced Biochemistry I4
BIOC 668Molecular Biology3-4
BIOC 680Biomolecular Interactions2
CSE 535Database Systems3
CSE 545Artificial Intelligence3
CSE 619Design and Analysis of Computer Algorithms3
CSE 622Simulation and Modeling of Discrete Systems3
CSE 627Digital Image Processing3
CSE 628Computer Graphics3
CSE 632Data Mining3
CSE 633Computer Vision3
CSE 635Data Mining with Linear Models3
CSE 660Introduction to Bioinformatics3
ECE 520Digital Signal Processing3
ECE 521Digital Signal Processing Laboratory1
ECE 523Introduction to Biometrics3
ECE 543Fundamentals of Microfabrication and MEMS3
ECE 544Microfabrications/MEMS Laboratory1
ECE 564Fundamentals of Autonomous Robots3
ECE 565Fundamentals of Autonomous Robots Lab1
ECE 614Deep Learning3
ECE 661Sampled-Data Control Systems3
ECE 662Introduction to Optimum Control3
ECE 676Foundations of Polymer MEMS3
ENTR 600Introduction to Entrepreneurship3
IE 563Experimental Design in Engineering3
IMBA 652Venture Accelerator I3
IMBA 654Venture Accelerator II3
IMBA 664Venture Accelerator III3
MBIO 601Molecular Microbiology2
MBIO 602Immunology3
MBIO 610Methods and Analysis in the Biomedical Sciences2
MBIO 618Topics in Advanced Microbiology1-3
ME 566Advanced Engineering Mathematics II3
ME 638Computational Methods in Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer3
ME 640Optimum Design Methods3
ME 647Advanced Design Methods3
ME 650Biofluid Mechanics3
ME 651Kinematics and Kinetics of Human Movement3
ME 652Advanced Human Biodynamics3
ME 671Advanced Fluid Mechanics3
ME 675Advanced Topics in Mechanical Engineering1-6
OBIO 611Craniofacial Osteology1-3
OBIO 612Craniomaxillofacial Diagnostic Imaging2-4
OBIO 617Advanced Oral Pathology1
OIID 604Oral Microbiology3

Dissertation Committee

By the end of the first semester, it is expected that the student has identified their Dissertation Chair.  The student (under the guidance of his or her advisor) must select a Dissertation Committee of five or more persons, for approval by the Program Director. The committee must consist of the student's advisor from the Department of Bioengineering (who will act as the Dissertation Committee Chair), at least two additional faculty members from within the Department of Bioengineering, at least one faculty member from a partnering School or College, and at least one additional faculty member from outside the Department of Bioengineering.

Preliminary Examination

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 the ISSTBE Program Director and 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). 

Comprehensive Examination

To qualify for candidacy, students must pass the Preliminary Examination, maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 and pass the Comprehensive Examination. The Comprehensive Examination requires the student to prepare a written dissertation research proposal (following an external funding agency format) that is presented, defended and approved by their Dissertation Committee. The Dissertation Committee approval constitutes passing both the written and oral portions of the Comprehensive Examination. The written portion is comprised of the student’s dissertation proposal document and the oral portion consists of the student’s presentation and defense of their dissertation proposal, including response to questions posed by their Dissertation Committee. The Dissertation Committee will evaluate written and oral performance on the Comprehensive Examination separately as a Pass, Conditional Pass, or Fail. Students receiving a Conditional Pass must satisfactorily meet conditions set forth by the Dissertation Committee in order to Pass. Students failing  either or both portions of the Comprehensive Examination will be permitted to repeat the respective portion(s) once.

Students must meet with their Dissertation Committee at least once per year during the remainder of their PhD program, culminating in the Dissertation Defense.