
Biomedical Engineering Doctoral Program
Gain the advanced research skills and hands-on experience you need to engineer innovative medical solutions in the biomedical engineering Ph.D. program.
The biomedical engineering Ph.D. program at Stevens is part of a collaborative community of brilliant scholars who are dedicated to scientific research and technology-based medical discoveries at the boundary between engineering and science. Through advanced research opportunities in our five cluster areas, you'll gain an invaluable, extensive understanding of the challenges within medical and clinical environments.
You'll graduate the biomedical engineering Ph.D. program with the ability to apply a deep knowledge of engineering principles to create life-saving tools and technologies. This impactful program solidly prepares you to enter academia or pursue a career as a research scientist in a variety of medical-related industries.
The Department of Biomedical Engineering offers dynamic opportunities to explore leading-edge research within a close community of faculty mentors. Research in the biomedical engineering Ph.D. program focuses on five cluster areas of research, and you'll be able to study under a faculty mentor in the area that you find most exciting:
Pulmonary Biomechanics
Neural Engineering
Biomedical Imaging
Movement Biomechanics and Control Systems
Tissue engineering
Biomedical Engineering Research
Major advantages of studying biomedical engineering at a premier research institution like Stevens include support for your ideas, great mentors and the best tools for your research. Learn more about research in the Department of Biomedical Engineering.
The Stevens Advantage
The Stevens campus is located within a global hub of pharmaceutical, medical research and technology companies. Our faculty are active collaborators with many of New York’s leading medical centers and universities. Many of our students have sought and found careers within New Jersey’s burgeoning medical and pharmaceutical industries.
More Advantages to Our Program
Interdisciplinary curriculum comprised of engineering and medical science
Advanced research opportunities involving application of engineering analysis tools to address medical problems
Doctoral thesis research with mentoring from highly regarded faculty
Publication of an original research article based on thesis project
Additional Information
Currently enrolled students should visit the BME page on MyStevens.com for additional information.
Who Should Apply?
The biomedical engineering Ph.D. program welcomes applicants with passion, tenacious drive, and focus who are excited about biomedical engineering research and have a drive to innovate. You can apply to the biomedical engineering Ph.D. program if you have a bachelor’s degree in engineering, and whether or not you have a master’s degree.
Program Admission Requirements
Bachelor’s degree in engineering, with a minimum GPA of 3.0
Transcripts from prior degree programs
Two letters of recommendation
A statement of purpose that includes mention of research areas or dissertation advisors of interest.
For international students: An excellent TOEFL/IELTS score
A competitive GRE score (required for both part-time and full-time applicants)
Optional: writing sample(s). All applicants are encouraged to submit a lab report (preferable) or paper that they wrote, individually, for an engineering course. Applicants who have published a journal article are also encouraged to submit a copy of their article.
Optional: applicants are encouraged to submit a resume or CV
For information about fellowships and assistantships, contact Graduate Admissions. Contact >
Biomedical Engineering Doctoral Program Curriculum Overview
The purpose of the biomedical engineering doctoral program is to guide scientists and engineers through novel research projects, thus preparing them to carry out significant independent investigations. Courses provide the tools for independent work, but mentored individual research constitutes the most significant part of students' doctoral studies. The research component of the program includes establishing familiarity with current scientific literature in an area of specialization; preparing for the qualifying examination, which consists of writing and defending a research proposal; undertaking and completing a novel research project; and publishing a journal article and writing and defending a dissertation on the results of the research project.
By the end of this program, students will have the following training and skills:
Training in physiology
Experimental design and, in some laboratories, instrument development
Research area-specific data collection techniques such as immunohistochemistry, fluorescence imaging, electrical recording, and motion capture
Data analysis methods such as signal processing and kinematic analysis
Oral and written communication skills
The biomedical engineering Ph.D. curriculum adheres to the institute-wide standards listed in the academic catalog.
Doctoral Advisory Committee
Following successful passage of the qualifying examination, the Doctoral Advisory Committee is formed. This committee must include at least four members, one of whom must be the student’s dissertation advisor, who usually serves as Chair, and one of whom must be a Stevens faculty member from a program other than biomedical engineering. Inclusion on the committee of a qualified expert from outside of Stevens is encouraged but not required.
At least once a year, the student meets with the Doctoral Advisory Committee to update the committee on his/her research progress. This meeting is reported to the Dean of Graduate Academics.
Graduation Requirements
Prior to defending the dissertation, the student publishes at least one original research article in a peer-reviewed journal. At the start of the term in which the student expects to defend the Ph.D., the student files an application for candidacy. Graduate School policy requires that the student submit the completed dissertation to the Doctoral Advisory Committee at least four weeks prior to the defense date. Finally, to obtain the Ph.D. degree, the student must successfully defend the dissertation in an oral examination administered by the Doctoral Advisory Committee and open to the public.
LEARN MORE ABOUT GENERAL REQUIREMENTS >
If you have existing graduate credits or experience in this area of study, contact [email protected] to discuss opportunities to include it in the curriculum.
Credits:
84 credits total, including:
30 course credits fulfilling master's degree requirements
15 additional course credits for doctoral portion of program
Some courses may be research projects
At least 30 doctoral research credits
Required Courses:
PRV 961 Doctoral Signature Credit Seminar
Courses required for master's program
For students without training in physiology, BME 502 and 503 Engineering Physiology I and II
Qualifying Examination:
Write and defend Ph.D. proposal, due by start of fourth term.
Publication:
Publish first-authored paper on dissertation research in peer-reviewed journal.
Dissertation:
Write and defend doctoral dissertation.
Credits:
54 credits total, including:
At least 15 course credits
Some courses may be research projects
At least 30 doctoral research credits
Required Courses:
PRV 961 Doctoral Signature Credit Seminar
For students without training in physiology, BME 502 and 503 Engineering Physiology I and II
Qualifying Examination:
Write and defend Ph.D. proposal, due by start of third term.
Publication:
Publish first-authored paper on dissertation research in peer-reviewed journal.
Dissertation:
Write and defend doctoral dissertation.
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