Biomedical Engineering MS

Major: Biomedical Engineering
Degree Awarded: Master of Science (MS)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Minimum Required Credits: 45.0 
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 curriculum develops graduates who can identify and address unmet clinical, diagnostic, and healthcare needs. As future leaders in designing analytical and therapeutic systems, the curriculum prepares graduates in the tools and broad knowledge of modern biomedical engineering and science, understanding of biological or physiological systems, and recent technological breakthroughs.

Master's 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.

Students may also choose to enroll in a concentrations such as biomedical device development, bioinformatics, pediatric engineering or neuroengineering (note - concentrations are not eligible for federal financial aid) or may pursue a dual-degree MS option. Graduating students work in industry in such fields as medical devices, healthcare, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, continue academic careers (PhD), or continue to medical schools. 

Additional Information

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

Carolyn Riley
Associate Director of Professional Programs
School of Biomedical Engineering and Science
Email: cr63@drexel.edu

Andres Kriete, PhD
Associate Director for Graduate Studies
School of Biomedical Engineering and Science
Email: ak3652@drexel.edu

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

Admission Requirements

Application Requirements

  • No GRE examination scores required to apply!
  • Provide official transcripts from all colleges or universities attended (student must have a previous BS degree or equivalent)
  • Personal essay
  • Resume
  • Two letters of recommendation

For more information about the application, financial aid, cost of study, and length of program, please visit the Graduate Admissions website. 

Degree Requirements (MS)

The core requirements for the Master in Biomedical Engineering encompass approximately 45.0 course credits (most courses carry 3.0 credits each). Students who choose the non-thesis option cannot register for thesis or research credits.

The curriculum includes room for specializations and concentrations in several areas of biomedical engineering.

Concentrations

Five optional concentrations are available:

  1. Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering
    Biomaterials and tissue engineering 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.
  2.  
  3. Bioinformatics
    This specialization emphasized a systems engineering approach to provide a foundation in systems biology and pathology informatics. Students are provided 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, machine learning, stochastic analysis, and biostatistics.
  4.  
  5. Biomedical Technology Development
  6. This concentration area aims to provide engineers with the comprehensive education and training necessary to succeed in careers in business, industry, non-profit organizations, and government agencies involving biomedical technology development.
  7.  
  8. Pediatric Engineering
    ​This concentration provides a foundation for future scientific and technical careers in pediatric engineering, healthcare, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
  9.  
  10. Neuroengineering
  11. This concentration aims to train students to develop a fundamental understanding of neural systems, operational principles of neurotechnologies, and approaches to apply scientific and engineering concepts to repair nervous system for clinical applications or enhance its functional performance.
  12.  
  13. Cell and Gene Therapy Engineering

  14. This concentration provides students with the foundations of cell and gene engineering, involving various techniques to modify or manipulate the characteristics of living cells for treatment purposes, including immune engineering and gene therapy.

  15.  

The sum of electives, core credits, and/or thesis credits must total 45.0 credits. Elective choices would depend upon the student's area(s) of focus or concentration but must be within the fields of science, engineering, or medicine. A concentration may substitute for elective credits. 

Core Courses
BMES 501Medical Sciences I3.0
BMES 502Medical Sciences II3.0
BMES 510Biomedical Statistics4.0
BMES 538Biomedical Ethics and Law3.0
BMES 546Biocomputational Languages4.0
or BMES 550 Advanced Biocomputational Languages
BMES 864Seminar *0.0
Modeling-Intensive Courses
Select two:6.0
Biological Control Systems
Transport Phenomena in Living Systems I
Biosimulation I
Biosimulation II
Mathematical Modeling of Cellular Behavior
Biocomputational Modeling and Simulation
Neural Signals
BMES Electives
Select 13.0 credits from the list below:13.0
Medical Sciences III
Cardiovascular Engineering
Entrepreneurship for Biomedical Engineering and Science
Experimental Design in Biomedical Research
Intermediate Biostatistics
Interpretation of Biomedical Data
Introduction to Biosensors
Pediatric Engineering I
Pediatric Engineering II
Chronobioengineering I
Chronobioengineering II
Design Thinking for Biomedical Engineers
Introduction to Product Design for Biomedical Engineers
Nano and Molecular Mechanics of Biological Materials
Quantitative Systems Biology
Genome Information Engineering
Structural Bioinformatics and Drug Design
Genomic and Sequencing Technologies
Biomedical Signal Processing
Medical Device Development
Pharmacogenomics
Biological Control Systems
Medical Imaging Systems I
Medical Imaging Systems II
Medical Imaging Systems III
Principles of Neuroimaging
Tissue Engineering I
Tissue Engineering II
Biomedical Mechanics I
Biomedical Mechanics II
Transport Phenomena in Living Systems I
Biomaterials I
Biomaterials II
Techniques in Cell Engineering and Gene Therapy
Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) Manufacturing and Regulatory Requirements
Introduction to Immune Engineering
Advanced Topics in Immune Engineering
Biosimulation I
Biosimulation II
Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering III
Mathematical Modeling of Cellular Behavior
Biocomputational Modeling and Simulation
Experimental Methods in Neuroengineering
Neural Signals
Principles in Neuroengineering
Brain Computer Interfaces
Systems Neuroscience and Applications I
Neural Aspects of Posture and Locomotion I
Neural Networks
Medical Instrumentation
Medical Instrumentation II
Hospital Administration
Science, Engineering, and Medicine Electives **9.0
Thesis Option ***
Research
Master's Thesis
Optional Coop Experience †0-1
Career Management and Professional Development for Master's Degree Students
Total Credits45.0-46.0
*

Must be taken three times.

**

Science, engineering, and medicine electives may include graduate-level courses from appropriate disciplines and departments, including Biomedical Engineering. Please consult with your graduate advisor when formulating your plan of study and choosing electives.

***

Up to 9.0 credits of research and thesis may be applied toward the MS degree requirements. The research for the thesis may include work carried out during an internship.

†

Co-op is an option for this degree for full-time, on-campus students. To prepare for the 6-month co-op experience, students will complete COOP 500. The total minimum required credits for this degree with the co-op experience is 46.0. Students not participating in the co-op experience will need a minimum of 45.0 credits.

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.

Core Courses
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

Core Courses
BMES 631Tissue Engineering I4.0
BMES 632Tissue Engineering II4.0
BMES 660Biomaterials I0.0,4.0
BMES 661Biomaterials II0.0,4.0
BMES 675Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering III0.0,4.0
Total Credits8.0-20.0

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, and 2) operational principles of neurotechnologies that can interface with nervous systems, 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

Cell and Gene Therapy Engineering Concentration (Optional)

This concentration aims to provide students with the foundations of cell and gene engineering involving various techniques and technologies to modify or manipulate the characteristics of living cells for treatment purposes, including immune engineering, and gene therapy involving the introduction, alteration, or replacement of genetic material within an individual's cells to treat or prevent disease.

MIIM 571SCell and Gene Therapy 13.0
MIIM 572SCell and Gene Therapy 23.0
BMES 670Introduction to Immune Engineering 3.0
BMES 671Advanced Topics in Immune Engineering 3.0
BMES 667Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) Manufacturing and Regulatory Requirements3.0
BMES 669Techniques in Cell Engineering and Gene Therapy3.0

Sample Plan of Study 

No co-op

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
FallCredits
BMES 501 Medical Sciences I 3.0
BMES 510 Biomedical Statistics 4.0
BMES 546
or BMES 550
 Biocomputational Languages
or Advanced Biocomputational Languages
 4.0
BMES 864 Seminar 0.0
 Credits11
Winter
BMES 502 Medical Sciences II 3.0
BMES 864 Seminar 0.0
BMES Elective 3.0
Modeling-Intensive Course 3.0
 Credits9
Spring
BMES 538 Biomedical Ethics and Law * 3.0
BMES 864 Seminar 0.0
BMES Elective 3.0
Modeling-Intensive Course 3.0
 Credits9
Summer
VACATION  
 Credits0
Second Year
Fall
Elective Courses and/or Thesis ** 9.0
 Credits9
Winter
Elective Courses and/or Thesis *** 7.0
 Credits7
 Total Credits45
*

Can be taken in any term.

**

 Can include BMES 897.

***

 Can include BMES 897 and BMES 898.

With Co-op

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
FallCredits
BMES 501 Medical Sciences I 3.0
BMES 546
or BMES 550
 Biocomputational Languages
or Advanced Biocomputational Languages
 4.0
BMES 864 Seminar 0.0
COOP 500 Career Management and Professional Development for Master's Degree Students 1.0
Elective/Concentration 3.0
 Credits11
Winter
BMES 502 Medical Sciences II 3.0
BMES 510 Biomedical Statistics 4.0
BMES 864 Seminar 0.0
Elective/Concentration 4.0
 Credits11
Spring
BMES 864 Seminar 0.0
Modeling Intensive Course 3.0
Elective 3.0
Elective/Concentration 3.0
 Credits9
Summer
BMES 538 Biomedical Ethics and Law 3.0
Electives 6.0
 Credits9
Second Year
Fall
COOP EXPERIENCE  
 Credits0
Winter
COOP EXPERIENCE  
 Credits0
Spring
Modeling Intensive Course 3.0
Elective 3.0
 Credits6
 Total Credits46

Areas of Specialization

Areas of specialization can be pursued within the Biomedical Engineering graduate program. Students can plan their own focus area that will give them strength in a particular sub-discipline. Alternatively, the student can specialize by conducting research and writing a thesis.

Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering
Biomaterials and tissue engineering 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.

Biomedical Technology Development
Students pursuing the 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. (This is a formal concentration with specific course requirements.)

Bioinformatics
Bioinformatics emphasizes a systems engineering approach to provide a foundation in systems biology and pathology informatics. Students are provided 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.

Biomechanics and Human Performance Engineering
Biomechanics and human performance engineering is designed to meet two objectives: to acquaint students with the responses of biological tissues to mechanical loads as well as with the mechanical properties of living systems, and to provide students with the background and skills needed to create work and living environments which improve human health and enhance performance. Biomechanics and human performance also involves the study of orthopedic appliances and the broader aspect of rehabilitation engineering and the management of disability.

Biomedical Systems and Imaging
Biomedical systems and imaging focuses on the theoretical and practical issues related to machine vision, image processing and analysis, and signal processing associated with such medical applications as well biomedical instrumentation and product development.

Neuroengineering
Neuroengineering is broadly defined to include the modeling of neural and endocrine systems, neural networks, complexity in physiological systems, evolutionary influences in biological control systems, neurocontrol, neurorobotics, and neuroprosthetics.

Program Level Outcomes

  • Understands the fundamentals of biology and physiology from an engineering perspective to enhance human health
  • Take advantage of cutting edge tools, information and knowledge to address complex problems in the development and delivery of health care solutions.  The graduate evaluates models and hypotheses using the appropriate experimental, mathematical and statistical approaches.
  • Innovate from an analytic and synthetic perspective using multiple approaches, integrating life sciences and engineering with a global and interdisciplinary perspectives
  • Acquire skills and knowledge necessary to specialize in an area of bioengineering, to perform research or design and develop a system.
  • Recognize ethical issues, consider multiple points of view, and use critical ethical reasoning to determine the appropriate behavior to follow in the practice of biomedical engineering in a global context.

Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems Faculty

Fred D. Allen, PhD (University of Pennsylvania) Associate Director, Undergraduate Education. Assistant 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. Research Associate Professor. Optical brain imaging, cognitive neuroengineering, brain computer interface (BCI), functional ner infrared (fNIR), and near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS).
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). 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.
Donald Buerk, PhD (Northwestern University). Research Professor. Biotechnology, physiology, systems biology, blood flow, microcirculation, nitric oxide, oxygen transport
Jamie Dougherty, PhD (Drexel University). Assistant Teaching Professor. Brain-computer interface, neural encoding, electrophysiological signal acquisition and processing.
Lin Han, PhD (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Assistant 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.
Uri Hershberg, PhD (Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel). Assistant Professor. Bioinformatics, immunology, neural computation, system biology, somatic selection, autoimmunity, genetic stability, germline diversity, dendritic cell, transcription elements, pathogens, computational and mathematical modeling, complex systems, cognition and inflammation.
Kurtulus Izzetoglu, PhD (Drexel University) Associate Research Professor. Cognitive neuroengineering, functional brain imaging, near infrared spectroscopy, medical sensor development, biomedical signal processing, human performance assessment, and cognitive aging
Meltem Izzetoglu, PhD (Drexel University). Associate Research Professor. Cognitive neuroengineering, biomedical signal processing, statistical signal analysis, optimal artifact removal, information processing, optical brain imaging, functional near infrared spectroscopy, working memory, attention, learning, reading and mathematical disabilities, cognitive aging, anesthesia awareness, and social anxiety disorders.
Dov Jaron, PhD (University of Pennsylvania) Calhoun Distinguished Professor of Engineering in Medicine. Professor. Mathematical, computer and electromechanical simulations of the cardiovascular system.
Andres Kriete, PhD (University in Bremen Germany) Associate Director for Graduate Studies and Academic Operations. Systems biology, bioimaging, control theory, biology of aging, skin cancer.
Steven Kurtz, PhD (Cornell University). Associate 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.
Ryszard Lec, PhD (University of Warsaw Engineering College). Professor. Biomedical applications of visoelastic, acoustoptic and ultrasonic properties of liquid and solid media.
Peter Lewin, PhD (University of Denmark, Copenhagen-Lyngby) Richard B. Beard Professor, School Of Biomedical Engineering, Science & Health Systems. Professor. Biomedical ultrasonics, piezoelectric and polymer transducers and hydrophones; shock wave sensors.
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.
Karen Moxon, PhD (University of Colorado) Associate Director for Research. Professor. Cortico-thalamic interactions; neurobiological perspectives on design of humanoid robots.
Michael Neidrauer, PhD (Drexel University). Assistant Research Professor. Wound healing, near infrared, spectroscopy, cell culture, data analysis, optical coherence tomography (OCT), matlab, life sciences assay development, confocal microscopy, biomaterials, in-vivo, medical devices
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.
Ahmet Sacan, PhD (Middle East Technical University). Assistant 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). Associate Professor. Neuromuscular adaptation to changes in the myo-mechanical environment.
Rahamim Seliktar, PhD (University of Strathclyde, Glasgow) Vice Director, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science & Health Systems. Professor. Limb prostheses, biomechanics of human motion, orthopedic biomechanics.
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(fNIR) and electroencephalograpy (EEG) and methodology and research design.
Adrian C. Shieh, PhD (Rice University). Assistant Professor. Contribution of mechanical forces to tumor invasion and metastasis, with a particular emphasis on how biomechanical signals may drive the invasive switch, and how the biomechanical microenvironment interacts with cytokine signaling and the extracellular matrix to influence tumor and stromal cell behavior.
Wan Y. Shih, PhD (Ohio State University). Associate Professor. Piezoelectric microcantilever biosensors development, piezoelectric finger development, quantum dots development, tissue elasticity imaging, piezoelectric microcantilever force probes.
Kara Spiller, PhD (Drexel University). Assistant 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). Associate Professor. Computational and experimental fluid dynamics; cardiovascular modeling, including transient, fluid-structure interaction, and patient-specific anatomical studies; bench-to-bedside development of medical devices; artificial organs research; prediction and quantification of blood trauma and thrombosis in medical devices; design of therapeutic alternatives for patients with dysfunctional single ventricle physiology; human factors engineering of mechanical circulatory assist devices
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 (<em>ex vivo </em> 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

Hun H. Sun, PhD (Cornell University). Professor Emeritus. Biological control systems, physiological modeling, systems analysis.