The academic, research, and training activities of the
graduate program in biomedical engineering (BME) are carried out by members of the
faculty of Rutgers School of Engineering, located on the Busch Campus in
Piscataway, New Jersey, in collaboration with members of the faculty of the Robert Wood Johnson Medical
School as well as the faculty in the School of Arts and Sciences of Rutgers.
The biomedical engineering faculty has established research
programs in (1) biomaterials and tissue engineering; (2) biomechanics and
rehabilitation; (3) computational bioengineering and biomedical imaging; (4)
molecular, cellular, and nanosystems bioengineering; (5) neuroengineering; and
(6) physiological systems and bioinstrumentation. Biomedical engineering offers
three degree programs: master of science (M.S.) (thesis); master of engineering
(M.Eng.); and doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.). The minimum requirement for the M.S. is
27 credits of coursework, 6 credits of research, and a thesis for a total of 33
credits. The minimum requirement for the M.Eng. is 30 credits of coursework, 3
credits of nonthesis study, and a committee-approved paper/essay for a total of
33 credits. The minimum requirement for the Ph.D. is 35 credits of coursework
and 37 credits of research for an acceptable research dissertation. Students should consult the BME Graduate Student Handbook for up-to-date information on requirements and policies.
Students who are interested in the M.D./Ph.D. program will
take their medical training at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Ph.D. curriculum
at Rutgers. The program provides three years of graduate training and four years
of medical training. Graduate training begins in the third year. For more
information on this program, please visit http://rwjms.rutgers.edu/education/gsbs/md_phd_program/index.html.
The first part of the Ph.D. qualifying procedure is written
and oral examinations that are administered during the month of June, at the
conclusion of the first year of study, along with core course grades
accumulated during the first three semesters. The examination is comprised of a
written literature review and research proposal (along the lines of a National
Institutes of Health proposal) presented to and evaluated by a panel of faculty
examiners. The outcomes of the research examination in combination with core
course-based performance (students receiving fewer than two Cs in core courses
are considered qualified and eligible) will be used to determine the first step
of qualification for Ph.D. candidacy.
The second part of the Ph.D. qualifying exam involves a
satisfactory defense of a thesis proposal as early as six months after passing
the qualifying exam and no later than the end of the fall semester of year three in the Ph.D. program.
A concentration within the professional science master's
program is also offered, leading to the degree of master of business and
science (M.B.S.), more fully described under Business and Science 137. Rutgers'
location in close proximity to biomedical device, imaging, pharmaceutical, and
biotechnology companies makes the M.B.S. degree highly attractive to students
interested in these areas. An M.B.S. degree with a
concentration in biomedical engineering will provide an ideal combination for
individuals interested in both the specialized field and its practical
applications in the context of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
In addition to the general requirements of the professional
science master's, students in the BME concentration must
take one BME core course, one physiology course (for
students that do not have an undergraduate course in physiology), one advanced
engineering mathematics course, one cellular or molecular biology course, and
two technical professional courses. The remaining credits are electives.
BME Core Courses (One
of the five courses listed [others can be taken as electives])
16:125:561 Bioimaging Methods (3)
16:125:571 Biosignal
Processing and Biomedical Imaging (3)
16:125:572 Biocontrol,
Modeling, and Computation (3)
16:125:573 Kinetics,
Thermodynamics, and Transport in Biomedicine (3)
16:125:574 Biomechanics and Biomaterials (3)
Physiology
Students must have taken an undergraduate-level physiology
course previously or one semester of the following must be taken:
16:125:581 Mammalian Physiology (3)
Professional Development Courses (Select three of the following)
16:125:601 (F) Engineering
Ethics and Seminar (1)
16:125:602 (S) Engineering
Writing and Seminar (1)
16:125:607 (F) Preparing Future Faculty I (1) (Ph.D. students only)
16:125:608 (S) Preparing Future Faculty II (1) (Ph.D. students only)
16:125:628 (S) Clinical
Practicum (1)
Core Mathematics Course
16:125:501 Mathematical Modeling for Biomedical Engineering (3)
Cellular/Molecular Biology
16:125:586 Structure and Dynamics in Adult Stem Cell Biology (3)
Full course descriptions can be found under the respective
graduate program entries in this catalog.
