Integrated Biomedical Engineering and Business MS

Major: Integrated Biomedical Engineering and Business
Degree Awarded: Master of Science (MS)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Minimum Required Credits: 56.0
Co-op Option: Available for full-time, on-campus master's-level students
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 14.0501
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 17-2031

About the Program

The Master of Science in Integrated Biomedical Engineering and Business is designed for engineers pursuing business/management-oriented careers in biomedical engineering. The program is open for students with previous undergraduate degrees in an engineering discipline. The program provides participants with a biomedical engineering training, but combines it with a multifaceted and transferable skillset of a manager and technology entrepreneur. Colleges participating in this program are Drexel's College of Business and Drexel's Close School of Entrepreneurship. Participants will complete specific courses and have experiences that promote the development of their business skills in terms of management, finance, leadership, communications, and marketing skills, thus helping to ensure graduates’ professional success.

Master students can choose to include a six-month graduate co-op cycle as part of their studies, supported by Drexel's Steinbright Career Development Center. 

The program requires a minimum of 56.0 quarter credits and is a non-thesis program that can be completed in 1.5 years as a full time student, or it can be taken on a part-time basis.  

Additional Information

Natalia Broz
Associate Director for Graduate Programs
School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems
Email: njb33@drexel.edu

Andres Kriete, PhD
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems
Email: ak3652@drexel.edu

For more information, visit the The School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems website.

Admission Requirements

Acceptance into the MS in Integrated Biomedical Engineering and Business program requires a four-year bachelor's degree in engineering from a regionally accredited institution in the United States or an equivalent international institution. Regular acceptance typically requires a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 for the last two years of undergraduate work. The average for any graduate work must be at least 3.0.

Applicants must also fulfill the following requirements for consideration:

  • Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
  • Official test scores from Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
  • References from at least two instructors or professionals
  • Essay and resume

International applicants (non-United States citizens) must meet the same requirements for admission as students from the United States. Applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate the ability to speak, write, and understand the English language by submitting an acceptable score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). An evaluation by World Education Services (WES) is required for transcripts from institutions outside the United States.

Online applications are accepted all year-round, but all admitted students initiate their studies in the following fall term. Students are encouraged to apply no later than July 1 for consideration for admission the following fall term. Students may defer admission by one year.

Program Contact Information:

For questions about how to apply to the program, please contact:

Carolyn Riley
Associate Director of Professional Programs and Graduate Advising
School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems
Email: cr63@drexel.edu

Andres Kriete, PhD
Associate Dean for Academic Operations
School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems
Email: ak3652@drexel.edu

Degree Requirements

Required Biomedical Engineering Core
BMES 501Medical Sciences I3.0
BMES 510Biomedical Statistics4.0
BMES 511Principles of Systems Analysis Applied to Biomedicine I3.0
BMES 534Design Thinking for Biomedical Engineers3.0
BMES 538Biomedical Ethics and Law3.0
BMES 588Medical Device Development3.0
COOP 500Career Management and Professional Development for Master's Degree Students1.0
COOP 501Co-op Experience for Master’s Degree Students9.0
Required Business Classes
BUSN 501Measuring and Maximizing Financial Performance3.0
BUSN 502Essentials of Economics3.0
MGMT 601Managing the Total Enterprise3.0
MKTG 601Marketing Strategy & Planning3.0
ORGB 625Leadership and Professional Development3.0
Required Entrepreneurial Classes
BMES 509Entrepreneurship for Biomedical Engineering and Science3.0
ENTP 540Approaches to Entrepreneurship3.0
Biomedical Engineering Elective Courses (Choose 6.0-10.0 credits)6.0-10.0
Pharmacogenomics
Tissue Engineering I
Biomedical Mechanics I
Biomaterials I
Neural Signals
Medical Instrumentation
Hospital Administration
Independent Study in BMES
Total Credits56.0-60.0

Biomedical Technology Development Concentration (Optional)

Students enrolled in this concentration will develop an understanding of critical regulatory, economic, and legal issues in addition to the project management skills that facilitate the development of new medical devices and positive working relationships with intellectual property lawyers, insurance companies, and the federal government.

BMES 509Entrepreneurship for Biomedical Engineering and Science3.0
BMES 534Design Thinking for Biomedical Engineers3.0
BMES 538Biomedical Ethics and Law3.0
BMES 588Medical Device Development3.0
BMES 596Clinical Practicum3.0
Total Credits15.0

Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Concentration (Optional)

This concentration is designed to provide students with advanced training in cellular and molecular biology relevant to tissue engineering and behavior of materials used in biomedical applications.

BMES 631Tissue Engineering I4.0
BMES 632Tissue Engineering II4.0
BMES 660Biomaterials I4.0
BMES 661Biomaterials II4.0
BMES 675Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering III4.0
Total Credits20.0

Bioinformatics Concentration (Optional)

This concentration emphasizes a systems engineering approach to provide a foundation in systems biology and pathology informatics. Students are provided students with hands-on experience in the application of genomic, proteomic, and other large-scale information to biomedical engineering as well as experience in advanced computational methods used in systems biology: pathway and circuitry, feedback and control, cellular automata, sets of partial differential equations, stochastic analysis, and biostatistics.

BMES 543Quantitative Systems Biology4.0
BMES 544Genome Information Engineering4.0
BMES 547Machine Learning in Biomedical Applications3.0
or BMES 549 Genomic and Sequencing Technologies
BMES 551Biomedical Signal Processing3.0
BMES 604Pharmacogenomics3.0
Total Credits17.0

Pediatric Engineering Concentration (Optional)

This concentration aims to train students: 1) to develop a fundamental understanding of childhood injury and disease, healthcare, and treatment, and 2) to apply scientific and engineering concepts, methods, and approaches to address healthcare challenges with direct relevance to pediatric patients.  

BMES 528Pediatric Engineering I3.0
BMES 529Pediatric Engineering II3.0
BMES 538Biomedical Ethics and Law3.0
BMES 509Entrepreneurship for Biomedical Engineering and Science3.0
Total Credits12.0

Neuroengineering Concentration (Optional)

This concentration aims to train students: 1) to develop a fundamental understanding of neural systems from cellular to whole brain level, 2) operational principles of neurotechnologies that can interface with nervous systems, and 3) to apply scientific and engineering concepts to repair nervous system for clinical applications or enhance its functional performance.

BMES 710Neural Signals3.0
BMES 711Principles in Neuroengineering3.0
BMES 715Systems Neuroscience and Applications I3.0
BMES 718Brain Computer Interfaces3.0
BMES 725Neural Networks3.0
Total Credits15.0

Sample Plan of Study

Note: Some terms are less than the 4.5-credit minimum required (considered half-time status) of graduate programs to be considered financial aid eligible. As a result, aid will not be disbursed to students these terms.

First Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
BMES 5013.0BMES 5113.0BMES 5383.0COOP 5019.0
BMES 5104.0BMES 5343.0BMES 5883.0 
COOP 5001.0BUSN 5013.0BUSN 5023.0 
MGMT 6013.0   
 11 9 9 9
Second Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCredits 
BMES I7993.0ENTP 5403.0BMES 5093.0 
 MKTG 6013.0ORGB 6253.0 
 BMES Elective / Specialization Course (Choose One):3.0  
   
   
   
 3 9 6 
Total Credits 56

Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems Faculty

Fred D. Allen, PhD (University of Pennsylvania) Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education. . Teaching Professor. Tissue engineering, cell engineering, orthopedics, bone remodeling, wound healing, mechanotransduction, signal transduction, adhesion, migration.
Hasan Ayaz, PhD (Drexel University) School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems. Associate Professor. Neuroergonomics for Brain Health and Performance, Functional Neuroimaging, Biomedical Signal Processing, Biomedical Optics, Cognitive Neuroengineering, Brain Computer Interfaces, Neurotechnology, Clinical Neuroergonomics, Systems and Applied Neuroscience, Functional Near Infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), Electroencephalogram (EEG), Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI), Mobile Brain/Body Imaging (MoBI)
Sriram Balasubramanian, PhD (Wayne State University). Assistant Professor. Structural characteristics of the pediatric thoracic cage using CT scans and developing an age-equivalent animal model for pediatric long bones.
Kenneth A. Barbee, PhD (University of Pennsylvania) Senior Associate Dean, Associate Dean for Research. Professor. Cellular biomechanics of neural and vascular injury, mechanotransduction in the cardiovascular system, mechanical control of growth and development for wound healing and tissue engineering.
Paul Brandt-Rauf, MD, DrPH (Columbia University) Dean. Distinguished University Professor. Environmental health, particularly the molecular biology and molecular epidemiology of environmental carcinogenesis, and protein engineering for the development of novel peptide therapies for the treatment and prevention of cancer.
Donald Buerk, PhD (Northwestern University). Research Professor. Biotechnology, physiology, systems biology, blood flow, microcirculation, nitric oxide, oxygen transport
Jaimie Dougherty, PhD (Drexel University). Associate Teaching Professor. Brain-computer interface, neural encoding, electrophysiological signal acquisition and processing.
Lin Han, PhD (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Associate Professor. Nanoscale structure-property relationships of biological materials, genetic and molecular origins soft joint tissue diseases, biomaterials under extreme conditions, coupling between stimulus-responsiveness and geometry.
Kurtulus Izzetoglu, PhD (Drexel University). Associate Professor. Biomedical optics, biomedical signal processing, medical sensor design, functional brain imaging, cognitive neuro engineering, cognitive performance, anesthesia monitoring, brain injury models and assessment.
Andres Kriete, PhD (University in Bremen Germany) Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. Teaching Professor. Systems biology, bioimaging, control theory, biology of aging.
Steven Kurtz, PhD (Cornell University). Part-time Research Professor. Computational biomechanics of bone-implant systems and impact-related injuries, orthopaedic biomechanics, contact mechanics, orthopaedic biomaterials, large-deformation mechanical behavior and wear of polymers, and degradation and crosslinking of polyolefins in implant applications.
Peter A. Lewin, PhD (University of Denmark, Copenhagen-Lyngby) Richard B. Beard Professor. Distinguished University Professor. Biomedical ultrasonics, piezoelectric and polymer transducers and hydrophones; shock wave sensors., power ultrasonics, ultrasonic metrology, tissue characterization using nonlinear acoustics, biological effects of ultrasound (chronic wound healing and noninvasive drug delivery), applications of shock waves in medicine and image reconstruction and processing.
Hualou Liang, PhD (Chinese Academy of Sciences). Professor. Neuroengineering, neuroinformatics, cognitive and computational neuroscience, neural data analysis and computational modeling, biomedical signal processing.
Donald L. McEachron, PhD (University of California at San Diego) Coordinator, Academic Assessment and Improvement. Teaching Professor. Animal behavior, autoradiography, biological rhythms, cerebral metabolism, evolutionary theory, image processing, neuroendocrinology.
Banu Onaral, PhD (University of Pennsylvania) H.H. Sun Professor; Senior Advisor to the President, Global Partnerships. Professor. Biomedical signal processing; complexity and scaling in biomedical signals and systems.
Kambiz Pourrezaei, PhD (Rensselaer Polytechnic University). Professor. Thin film technology; nanotechnology; near infrared imaging; power electronics.
Christopher Rodell, PhD (University of Pennsylvania). Assistant Professor. Biomaterials, supramolecular chemistry, and drug delivery. Therapeutic applications including the etiology of disease, organ injury, cardiovascular engineering, immune engineering, and biomedical imaging.
Ahmet Sacan, PhD (Middle East Technical University). Associate Teaching Professor. Indexing and data mining in biological databases; protein sequence and structure; similarity search; protein structure modeling; protein-protein interaction; automated cell tracking.
Joseph J. Sarver, PhD (Drexel University). Teaching Professor. Neuromuscular adaptation to changes in the myo-mechanical environment.
Mark E. Schafer, PhD (Drexel University). Research Professor. Diagnostic, therapeutic, and surgical ultrasound.
Patricia A. Shewokis, PhD (University of Georgia). Professor. Roles of cognition and motor function during motor skill learning; role of information feedback frequency on the memory of motor skills, noninvasive neural imaging techniques of functional near infrared spectroscopy(fNIRS) and electroencephalography (EEG) and methodology and research design.
Adrian C. Shieh, PhD (Rice University). Associate Teaching Professor. Mechanobiology, mechanotransduction, tumor microenvironment, cell and tissue biomechanics.
Wan Y. Shih, PhD (Ohio State University). Professor. Piezoelectric microcantilever biosensors development, piezoelectric finger development, quantum dots development, tissue elasticity imaging, piezoelectric microcantilever force probes.
Kara Spiller, PhD (Drexel University). Professor. Macrophage-biometerial interactions, drug delivery systems, and chronic would healing. Cell-biomaterial interactions, biomaterial design, and international engineering education.
Marek Swoboda, PhD (Drexel University). Assistant Teaching Professor. Cardiovascular engineering, cardiovascular system, diagnostic devices in cardiology, piezoelectric biosensors, and pathogen detection.
Amy Throckmorton, PhD (University of Virginia). Professor. Computational and experimental fluid dynamics; cardiovascular modeling, including steady, transient, fluid-structure interaction, lumped parameter, microelectromechanical systems, and patient-specific anatomical studies; artificial organs research; and engineering.
Bhandawat Vikas, PhD (Johns Hopkins School of Medicine). Associate Professor. Sensorimotor integration, whole-cell patch clamp and imaging in behaving animals, optogenetics, neuromechanics, locomotion.
Margaret Wheatley, PhD (University of Toronto) John M. Reid Professor. Ultrasound contrast agent development (tumor targeting and triggered drug delivery), controlled release technology (bioactive compounds), microencapsulated allografts (ex vivo gene therapy) for spinal cord repair.
Ming Xiao, PhD (Baylor University). Associate Professor. Nanotechnology, single molecule detection, single molecule fluorescent imaging, genomics, genetics, genome mapping, DNA sequencing, DNA biochemistry, and biophysics.
Yinghui Zhong, PhD (Georgia Institute of Technology). Assistant Professor. Spinal cord repair, and engineering neural prosthesis/brain interface using biomaterials, drug delivery, and stem cell therapy.
Leonid Zubkov, PhD, DSc (St. Petersburg State University, Russia). Research Professor. Physiology, wound healing, physiologic neovascularization, near-infrared spectroscopy, optical tomography, histological techniques, computer-assisted diagnosis, infrared spectrophotometry, physiologic monitoring, experimental diabetes mellitus, penetrating wounds, diabetes complications, skin, animal models, radiation scattering, failure analysis
Catherin von Reyn, PhD (University of Pennsylvania). Assistant Professor. Cell type-specific genetic engineering, whole-cell patch clamp in behaving animals, modeling, and detailed behavioral analysis to identify and characterize sensorimotor circuits.

Emeritus Faculty

Dov Jaron, PhD (University of Pennsylvania) Calhoun Distinguished Professor of Engineering in Medicine. Professor Emeritus. Mathematical, computer and electromechanical simulations of the cardiovascular system.
Rahamim Seliktar, PhD (University of Strathclyde, Glasgow). Professor Emeritus. Limb prostheses, biomechanics of human motion, orthopedic biomechanics.
Hun H. Sun, PhD (Cornell University). Professor Emeritus. Biological control systems, physiological modeling, systems analysis.
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