Biomedicine and Digital Media
Major: Biomedicine and Digital Media
Degree Awarded: Master of Science (MS)
Calendar Type: Semester
Minimum Required Credits: 36.0
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 26.9999
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 27-1014
About the Program
The MS in Biomedicine and Digital Media is an online program that intersects science, technology, entrepreneurship, and interactive digital art design and animation. This skills-based program is for individuals interested in media design and production careers with an emphasis in health and science.
Graduates of this program will be prepared to progress into more advanced graduate studies in science or digital media and/or careers in scientifically oriented media/communication jobs in the public or private sector (e.g., academic, scientific publishing and media companies), or lead their new ventures in digital imaging.
Curriculum
This is an interdisciplinary online program offered by the College of Medicine. The science courses are taught by faculty from Drexel University's College of Medicine. Faculty from Drexel University's College of Media Arts and Design teach the digital media courses. Students must complete a minimum of 36.0 semester credits to graduate.
- Non-thesis program (36.0 semester credits are needed to graduate)
- Required and elective courses in each discipline
- Flexible internship elective (experiential learning)
- Customizable plan of study
Format
- Online
- New students admitted each fall and spring semesters
- Classes taught throughout the year (fall, spring, and summer)
- Accelerated: 1-year MS (full-time) or 1.5 years (part-time)
Full-Time and Part-Time Options
Students may meet the degree requirements in either a full-time (at least 9.0 credits per semester) or part-time basis. Full-time students generally complete the program in one year. Part-time students must complete the program within four years. Students must enroll in at least 4.5 semester credits of College of Medicine courses to qualify for financial aid. For information regarding financial aid, please visit Drexel Central.
Additional Information
For questions about the curriculum and program goals, please email Program Director Dr. Sujata Bhatia at skb322@drexel.edu.
For questions about how to apply to the program, please contact an enrollment counselor at duonline@drexel.edu.
Admission Requirements
New students are admitted every fall and spring semester.
Post-college applicants must have completed a four-year degree program. An undergraduate degree in science is preferred but not required. Although a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 is strongly desired, an applicant with a lower cumulative GPA will be considered if other strengths are apparent in the application.
Applicants must also fulfill the following requirements for consideration:
- Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
- Essay/personal statement
- Resume
- References from at least three instructors or professionals
Official test scores from graduate admission exams, such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), are optional but highly desirable.
Three letters of recommendation are required. If you received your degree within the last five years, it is strongly recommended that at least one letter of recommendation be provided by someone familiar with your academic qualifications and potential (e.g., your undergraduate advisor, a course instructor, or your research mentor). If you are requesting a letter from someone at your place of employment, the recommendation should be provided by a supervisor (or another more senior manager) with direct knowledge of your work and should address your scientific aptitude as well as your work ethic.
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). IELTS scores may be submitted in lieu of TOEFL scores. An evaluation by World Education Services (WES) is required for transcripts from institutions outside the United States.
- TOEFL score needs to be at least 90 with at least a 27 in both the reading and writing sections
- IELTS score needs to be above 7
Certain visa types do not permit individuals to enroll in online or hybrid programs. Foreign applicants should check with their visa sponsors for eligibility. Drexel University cannot sponsor F-1 or J1 visas for individuals interested in online, hybrid, or part-time programs.
Online applications are accepted all year-round for consideration for either fall or spring admission. Students may defer admission by one year. All admission decisions are made at the College of Medicine.
Additional Information
For questions about the curriculum and program goals, please contact Program Director Dr. Sujata Bhatia at skb322@drexel.edu.
For questions about how to apply to the program, please contact an enrollment counselor at duonline@drexel.edu or visit the Drexel University Online MS in Biomedicine and Digital Media webpage.
For information regarding financial aid, please visit Drexel Central.
Degree Requirements
Science courses are offered by Drexel University College of Medicine and are taught in semester terms (fall and spring). Digital Media courses are offered by Westphal College of Media Arts & Design and are taught in quarter terms (fall, winter, spring, and summer).
Three (3.0) credit quarter courses confer the equivalent of 2.0 semester credits. The program required the completion of 36.0 semester credits for graduation. Semesters and quarters overlap sufficiently to allow full-time students to meet the degree requirements for this program in two years.
There are several ways to customize the internship or experiential learning component (2.0 - 6.0 semester credits) so that it satisfies both the degree requirements and, especially, the student’s own personal needs and career aspirations. The duration of the internship may vary. Shorter rotations may require that the student enrolls in elective courses to meet the semester credit requirements for the degree.
| Required Courses | ||
| Science Requirements | ||
| MIIM 503S | Biomedical Ethics | 2.0 |
| or IDPT 500S | Responsible Conduct of Research | |
| MIIM 518S | Foundations of Applied Biomedicine * | 3.0 |
| MIIM 519S | Commercialization of Biomedical Technology ** | 3.0 |
| MIIM 631S | Biomedical Innovation Development and Management | 5.0 |
| Digital Media Requirements *** | ||
| DIGM 505 | Design and Interactivity Bootcamp | 3.0 |
| DIGM 506 | Animation and Game Design Bootcamp | 3.0 |
| Electives | ||
| Choose at least 1 program-specific science elective and 2 digital media electives | 5.0 | |
| Science, Program-Specific | ||
| Applied Statistics for Biomedical Sciences | ||
or IDPT 501S | Biostatistics I | |
| Biomedicine Seminar | ||
| Biomedical Career Explorations | ||
| Experiential Learning | ||
| Special Topics in Microbiology & Immunology | ||
| Science, Clinical Research | ||
| Emerging Trends in Medical Device Regulation | ||
| The History of Misconduct in Biomedical Research | ||
| World Wide Regulatory Submissions | ||
| Intro to Clinical Trials | ||
| Scientific Writing and Medical Literature | ||
| Current Federal Regulatory Issues in Biomedical Research | ||
| Pharmaceutical Law | ||
| Compliance & Monitoring Issues | ||
| Designing the Clinical Trial | ||
| Science, Basic Science & Research | ||
| Fundamentals of Molecular Medicine I | ||
or MIIM 515S | Concepts in Biomedicine I | |
| Fundamentals of Molecular Medicine II | ||
or MIIM 516S | Concepts in Biomedicine II | |
| Molecular Medicine Journal Club I | ||
| Molecular Medicine Journal Club II | ||
| Biotechniques I: Molecular and Genomic Methods | ||
| Biotechniques II: Immunological Methods | ||
| Immunology, Immunopathology and Infectious Diseases | ||
| Viruses and Viral Infections | ||
| Bacteria and Bacterial Infections | ||
| Mycology and Fungal Infections | ||
| Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases | ||
| Introduction to Infectious Diseases | ||
| Microbiology and Immunology Seminar | ||
| Emerging Infectious Diseases | ||
| Clinical Correlations in Infectious Disease | ||
| Digital Media *** | ||
| New Media: History, Theory and Methods | ||
| Digital Cultural Heritage | ||
| Interactivity I | ||
| Interactivity II | ||
| Animation II | ||
| Game Design II | ||
| Spatial Data Capture | ||
| Game Development Foundations | ||
| Serious Games | ||
| Experimental Games | ||
| Game Design from the Player’s Perspective | ||
| Special Topics in Digital Media | ||
| Entrepreneurship *** | ||
| Learning from Failure | ||
| Innovation & Ideation | ||
| Innovation in Established Companies | ||
- *
Substitutions: MIIM 515S and MIIM 516S; or MIIM 530S or MIIM 531S
- **
- ***
Science courses are offered on a semester basis; digital media and entrepreneurship courses are offered on a quarter basis. Semesters and quarters overlap. Credits shown for digital media and entrepreneurship courses are quarter credits (3 quarter credits = 2 semester credits). This program requires a minimum of 36.0 semester credits to meet the degree requirements. This requirement can be met through a combination of science, digital media and entrepreneurship courses.
Additional Information
For more information, please email Program Director Dr. Sujata Bhatia at skb322@drexel.edu.
Sample Plans of Study
These are samples of customizable plans of study. Variations may occur depending on course availability and each student's interest. This program is available as an online program, starting in the fall semester.
Full-time, Fall Start
| First Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| Required Course(s) | Required Course(s) | Elective Course(s) | |||
| MIIM 518S | 3.0 | MIIM 519S | 3.0 | MIIM 605S | 2.0-6.0 |
| DIGM 505* | 3.0 | MIIM 503S | 2.0 | CR 525S | 3.0 |
| DIGM 506* | 3.0 | Elective Course(s) | ENTP 641* | 3.0 | |
| Elective Course(s) | DIGM 530* | 3.0 | |||
| MIIM 645S | 2.0 | ENTP 621* | 3.0 | ||
| 11 | 11 | 8-12 | |||
| Second Year | |||||
| Fall | Credits | ||||
| Required Course(s) | |||||
| MIIM 631S | 5.0 | ||||
| Elective Course(s) | |||||
| CR 515S | 3.0 | ||||
| DIGM 525* | 3.0 | ||||
| 11 | |||||
| Total Credits 41-45 | |||||
- *
This is a full-time plan with ≥9.0 semester credits/semester. Digital media and entrepreneurship courses are listed in quarter credits, since they are offered in quarter terms (overlap with semester terms). However, 2.0 semester credits will be awarded for 3.0 quarter credits completed. To qualify for financial aid, each semester students must enroll in ≥4.5 credits in science courses offered by the College of Medicine. Students must enroll in at least 1 College of Medicine course in order to enroll in any course offered by another Drexel College or School. Students graduate after 4 terms (1 year), completing 3-4 courses per term, all terms are eligible for financial aid.
Part-time, Fall Start
| First Year (Part-Time) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| Required Course(s) | Required Course(s) | Elective Course(s) | |||
| MIIM 518S | 3.0 | MIIM 519S | 3.0 | MIIM 605S | 2.0-6.0 |
| DIGM 505* | 3.0 | MIIM 503S | 2.0 | CR 525S | 3.0 |
| DIGM 506* | 3.0 | Elective Course(s) | ENTP 641* | 3.0 | |
| DIGM 530* | 3.0 | ||||
| 9 | 8 | 8-12 | |||
| Second Year (Part-Time) | |||||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
| Elective Course(s) | Required Course(s) | ||||
| MIIM 550S | 3.0 | MIIM 631S | 5.0 | ||
| MIIM 540S | 2.0 | ENTP 621* | 3.0 | ||
| DIGM 525* | 3.0 | ||||
| 8 | 8 | ||||
| Total Credits 41-45 | |||||
- *
This is a part-time plan with <9.0 semester credits/semester. Digital media and entrepreneurship courses are listed in quarter credits, since they are offered in quarter terms (overlap with semester terms). However, 2.0 semester credits will be awarded for 3.0 quarter credits completed.To qualify for financial aid, each semester students must enroll in ≥4.5 credits in science courses offered by the College of Medicine. Students must enroll in at least 1 College of Medicine course in order to enroll in any course offered by another Drexel College or School. Students graduate after 5 terms (1.5 years), completing 2-3 courses per term, all terms are eligible for financial aid
Additional Information
To learn more about part-time options, please contact Program Director Dr. Sujata Bhatia at skb322@drexel.edu.
Program Goals
Upon completion of the degree requirements of this program students would have developed:
- A broad core knowledge in interactive digital media development for application in biomedical science and innovative technologies
- More in-depth analytical, research, and critical thinking skills applicable to the process of biomedical technology development
- Skills to identify professional ethical dilemmas and evaluate appropriate solutions
- Graduate-level communication and leadership skills
- Additional professional soft skills (e.g., teamwork, problem-solving, knowledge of career opportunities, networking)
Drexel Student Learning Priorities (DSLPs)
In the course of meeting these program-level goals, students would have also made progress in all of Drexel’s Student Learning Priorities (DSLPs) to help them build their future:
Core Intellectual and Practical Skills:
- Communication
- Creative and critical thinking
- Ethical reasoning
- Information literacy
- Self-directed learning
Experiential and Applied Learning:
- Global competence
- Leadership
- Professional practice
- Research, scholarship, and creative expression
- Responsible citizenship
Additional Information
For questions about the curriculum and program goals, please email Program Director Dr. Sujata Bhatia at skb322@drexel.edu.
