Department of Biomedical Engineering

Biomedical Engineering (PhD)

Telephone: (302) 831-4578
http://bme.udel.edu/academics/graduate/
Faculty Listing: http://bme.udel.edu/people/

Through the Biomedical Engineering (BME) program at UD, graduate students can obtain a PhD. The PhD program is built on a first year core curriculum with advanced curricula that are based on the research the student will perform for the thesis. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of Biomedical Engineering, faculty advisors for BME graduate students may have primary appointments in the BME departments, or in other departments and colleges at UD. PhD students will identify a Faculty Advisor from among these faculty who will be responsible for defining the student’s research responsibilities and for evaluating the student’s performance. The PhD degree will be administered by the BME Program and will be awarded by the College of Engineering. This multi-disciplinary graduate program will build upon the established biomedical research strength at the University of Delaware, largely within the College of Engineering. It will offer academic rigor, as well as flexibility, to meet the needs and interests of students from different backgrounds and of their faculty advisors from different research areas.

Requirements for Admission

Admission to the graduate program is competitive. Those who meet stated requirements are not guaranteed admission, and those who fail to meet all of those requirements are not necessarily precluded from admission if they offer other appropriate strengths. Applicants to the PhD program in BME should meet the following requirements:

• A bachelor’s degree or higher in engineering, physical, or biological sciences from an accredited 4-year college or university with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale.
• Engineering, science, and math courses from the following list, while not required for admission, are highly recommended: Calculus, Differential Equations, Calculus-based Physics, Biology, Physiology, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Signal Processing, Statics and Dynamics, Probability and Statistics, and Computer Programming.  It is understood that very few applicants will have completed all of these courses, but all provide a foundation that will help with the required courses in the Biomedical Engineering graduate program.
• Competitive GRE scores of 700 for Quantitative and 1200 or higher for Quantitative + Verbal. With the new GRE scoring system, this corresponds to a score of 155 for Quantitative and 308 or higher for Quantitative + Verbal.
• For international applicants, a TOEFL exam taken within the last 2 years with a minimum score of 223 for the computer-based test and of 84 for the iBT with a 20 for the iBT speaking component.
• Three letters of recommendation from individuals acquainted with the student and his/her academic work or from employers or others who have had a supervisory relationship with the applicant and are able to assess the applicant’s potential for success in graduate studies.
• A personal statement (1-2 page) that indicates:
  • the reason for his/her interest in graduate study
  • a discussion of previous research experience
  • his/her area of interest and a list of faculty whose research area is of interest
  • his/her career objectives

We encourage candidates with research experience (undergraduate as well as industrial), as well as those with practical industrial experience after the baccalaureate degree to apply.

Faculty Advisement

Students will be matched to a Faculty Advisor from a list of BME-affiliated faculty members participating in the degree program. For the first 2 months following fall matriculation, the student will be advised by the BME Graduate Director (unless a direct match to an advisor is made during the admission process). The student will be responsible for identifying potential faculty advisors by meeting with faculty in early September, attending faculty presentations in BMEG 801  (seminar series), and attending research group meetings. By Oct 15th students must submit a ranked list that contains at least 3 potential advisors. Advisors also submit a ranked list of students (blind to student ranking). The BME Graduate Director will match the student to a Faculty Advisor before the end of October. The Faculty Advisor will be the primary contact of the student for questions and advice on his/her thesis research throughout the remainder of the program. The student will develop a plan of study for the program with the Faculty Advisor by the end of the second semester of their first year. Any changes to a student’s program of study must be approved by the Faculty Advisor and the BME Graduate Director.

Programs

• Biomedical Engineering (PhD)

• Biomedical Engineering/Business Administration 4+1 (BEE/MBA)