M.S. Degree Requirements

To be eligible for the M.S. in Biomedical Engineering students must satisfy the following requirements.

Credit Hours

Biomedical Engineering M.S. students must meet the University of Utah Graduate School requirements with a minimum of 30 semester credit hours at the 5000 level or above. A maximum of 9 semester credit hours can be taken as nonmatriculated and a maximum of 6 credit hours can be transferred from another institution. Up to 6 credit hours can be petitioned undergraduate classes. Students must register for a minimum of 3 credit hours per semester to maintain enrollment. The minimum allowable grade for any course counted toward the requirements for your graduate degree in Biomedical Engineering is a B-.

To be eligible for a M.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering, students must complete the biomedical engineering core curriculum or approved substitute courses (at least 13 credit hours) as well as elective courses. A program of study including courses focused within a well-defined area of specialization must be approved by the research supervisory committee and the biomedical engineering Director of Graduate Studies. It is important to consult with your thesis advisor and committee before selecting specific courses.

Research supervisory committee

All M.S. students form a supervisory committee (pdf form) consisting of at least three University of Utah faculty members. The chair of the committee must have a faculty appointment in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and at least two of the committee members must be tenure-track members of the Biomedical Engineering faculty. The advisor and committee must be approved by the Biomedical Engineering Associate Chair for Graduate Studies.

Thesis Option M.S.

Thesis Option M.S. The Thesis Option M.S. program requires 9 credit hours of thesis research (BME 6970) and submission of a Master of Science Thesis to the Graduate School in the required format. M.S. students will defend their thesis research in a public forum. The public defense is followed by an oral comprehensive examination administered by the supervisory committee.

MS students must effectively apply the scientific method, demonstrate the significance of their contribution to the field, and professionally communicate the results in both written and oral form. The thesis option M.S. candidate must successfully defend his/her thesis in a public forum in accordance with the rules of the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Graduate School. The thesis title, location, date, and time of the defense must be publicly announced at least 2 weeks in advance of the event. The oral presentation is followed by general questions from the audience, then an oral comprehensive examination administered in closed session by the thesis committee.

To successfully defend the thesis, the candidate must effectively apply the scientific method, demonstrate the significance of his/her contributions to the field, and professionally communicate the results in both written and oral form. Following the defense, the supervisory committee meet in private to discuss the candidate’s work and defense. The vote to pass the candidate is taken by the committee alone. Based on the results of the vote, the committee will choose to a) pass the candidate, b) pass the candidate contingent upon the candidate successfully responding to issues with their defense, or c) fail the candidate. M.S. candidates have two opportunities to pass the thesis defense. Changes and improvements to the thesis, recommended or required by the committee members, are incorporated into the document prior to obtaining final reading approval from the committee chair and the department chair for submission to the thesis editor.

University Thesis and Dissertation Regulations are available in “A Handbook for Theses and Dissertations” which can be downloaded from the Graduate School Thesis Office website.

Course Option M.S.

In lieu of a thesis, the Course Option M.S. program requires the successful completion of at least 9 credit hours of advanced coursework (6000 level or above) within a Biomedical Engineering track specialization. To demonstrate depth of knowledge within the field, the course option M.S. also requires students to pass an oral examination administered by the M.S. supervisory committee or the written portion of the Ph.D. qualifying examination within the student’s track specialization.

Project Option M.S.

In lieu of a writing and defending a thesis, the Project Option M.S. program requires the successful completion of at least 9 credit hours of advanced coursework (6000 level or above) within a Biomedical Engineering track specialization. A project is selected by the student to serve as the basis for a scholarly body of work commensurate with their M.S. degree. The basis of the project can be from a class, laboratory or work and should be related to the  student’s field of study. To demonstrate depth of knowledge within the field, the Project Option M.S. also requires students to present their project to their supervisory committee and pass an oral exam administered by the M.S. supervisory committee. The presentation should demonstrate that the student can integrate the scope and necessary details from their technical training into a cogent, professional presentation. Following the presentation, the MS committee examines the candidate with questions in order to examine the breadth and depth of knowledge. The committee can use the candidate’s presentation materials, spoken words and program of study as the basis for the examination questions.  No public presentation is required.

MS-MBA Dual Degree Program

A combined MS and MBA degree program is available. Follow this link for more information.