Biomedical Engineering Graduate Degree Program

MAIN AREAS OF RESEARCH

Biomedical engineering is the application of engineering tools for solving problems in biology and medicine. It is an engineering discipline that is practiced by professionals trained primarily as engineers, who specialize in medical and biological applications. This area of study combines fundamentals of the biomedical sciences with advanced engineering methods of analysis and design, and brings together these two fields in order to contribute to the design of new medical instruments and devices, apply engineering principles for understanding and repairing the human body and other biological systems, and use engineering tools for decision making and cost containment. Biomedical engineering faculty and affiliated faculty come from the various colleges and professional schools throughout the university. They specialize in biomedical engineering areas as diverse as biomechanics, bioinstrumentation, biomedical imaging and biophotonics, micro and nanotechnology, systems biology, biomaterials, cellular engineering, tissue engineering, neuroengineering, and rehabilitation and human performance. A list of biomedical engineering faculty, affiliated faculty, and their respective areas of specialization is available from the department website.

PROGRAM FUNDING

It is our experience that nearly all doctoral students in the BME department obtain funding, but there are no guarantees. A limited number receive fellowships.

Research assistantships are available from individual faculty based on their research funding and awarded when grants are funded and after applications for BME admission are accepted. Sometimes there are project assistantships, teaching assistantships, and traineeships also available.

ADMITTED WITH FUNDING

We have a limited number of university or departmental fellowships to offer each year. In addition, there are research assistantships that are offered to grad applicants from individual faculty members. Teaching assistantships (TA) are possible through specific departments with more opportunity in lower-level courses, such as calculus, chemistry, and physics. Often, funding matches with specific faculty occur during the Visit Wisconsin Weekend in the spring.

ADMITTED WITHOUT FUNDING

If you are admitted without funding, please know that you will be considered by BME faculty for potential support. You are also encouraged to contact faculty in BME whose research is of particular interest. Please wait to hear from us about your admission without aid before contacting faculty for support. You may also apply to BME specific TA positions after being admitted or other TA positions on campus.

ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS

Applicants should have a bachelor’s degree in engineering (biomedical, chemical, electrical, industrial, mechanical, etc.) or science (biology, biochemistry, chemistry, genetics, immunology, physics, etc.). Each application is judged on the basis of:

• Official academic transcripts
• Three letters of recommendation
• Statement of purpose
• Resume

All applicants must satisfy requirements that are set forth by the Graduate School. Students admitted to the program may be required to make up deficiency course requirements.