Biomedical Engineering Doctoral Program

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

• View General Admissions Requirements >

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.