Biomedical Engineering

Main Content

The School of Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering (ECBE) offers a program of study and research leading to the Master of Science (M.S.) degree (thesis/non-thesis) in Biomedical Engineering (BME).

The School provides a rich environment for educational, research, and professional advancement in the following areas:

  1.  Biomechanics and Mechanobiology: Biomechanics, cellular mechanotransduction, tissue development, cellular engineering, biomechanical design, human movement analysis, computational biomechanics.
  2. Biosensors and Medical Embedded Systems: Biosensors, bio-MEMS, medical electronics, biosensor signal acquisition and processing, medical embedded systems, artificial intelligence in biosensors and embedded systems.
  3. Biophotonics, Medical Imaging, and Medical Instrumentation: Biophotonics, biomedical optics, optical coherence imaging, imaging guided surgery, medical image reconstruction, medical instrumentation, artificial neural networks, control and medical robots, deep learning and instrumentation.
  4.  Bioinformatics and Computational BME: Healthcare software, bioinformatics, biomedical modeling, machine learning, statistical analysis in BME, signal and language processing, computational techniques in BME.

The BME program provides a balance between formal classroom instruction and research and is tailored to the individual student’s academic and professional goals. Graduates of the program enjoy excellent employment opportunities and are highly recruited worldwide in industry, government, and academia.

Admission, degree requirements, graduation, and time limits are subject to the general guidelines of the Graduate School.

Academic Objectives

The program, consistent with the mission and priorities of the University, is designed to achieve the following academic objectives:

  • To provide high quality education in the field of biomedical engineering and to prepare the graduates for successful and rewarding employment as engineers or for continuing their education through the doctoral level.
  • To provide the students with the training necessary to successfully apply the fundamental concepts and methods of biomedical engineering to selected areas of employment or research and development.
  • To enhance the research environment and productivity of the School for the benefit of the students.

Master of Science (M.S.) in Biomedical Engineering

Objectives

The Master of Science (M.S.) in Biomedical Engineering program has two tracks: i) The non-thesis track is coursework-oriented; ii) The thesis track is research-oriented. The applicants must indicate whether they are pursuing the thesis or the non-thesis track degree option.

Admission

Individuals holding a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in engineering, science, or related field may apply. Qualified applicants with Bachelor’s degree in other areas may be able to enroll in the program with additional preparation (approved by the School on a case-by-case basis). The applicants must indicate whether they are pursuing the thesis or the non-thesis track degree option.

The applicant must have earned a grade point average (GPA) of 2.70 or better (A = 4.00) on the entire last undergraduate GPA earned at the time of application. An applicant who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and whose GPA is below 2.70 may be admitted as a nondeclared student and may later apply to a degree program when 9 or more graduate semester hours are completed with a "B" average or above. Any applicant who has completed 9 or more semester hours of graded graduate work at an accredited U.S. educational institution, and who has a GPA of 3.00 or better on all graduate work, will be exempted from the 2.7 undergraduate grade point average requirement. Any student with fewer than 9 hours of graduate work may be admitted to the Graduate School on the basis of undergraduate GPA only. Exceptions can be made on a case-by-case basis.

GRE scores are not required for admission. However, they are important to qualify for the High Achievers Tuition Rate, https://tuition.siuc.edu/highachievers2.html. Also, GRE scores, especially Quantitative, may be considered for fellowships, assistantships, or scholarships. The English proficiency requirement and any applicable exemptions will be determined according to Graduate School guidelines.

Curriculum

The Master of Science (M.S.) in Biomedical Engineering program requires a total of 30 hours of graduate-level credit. For the non-thesis track, at least 6 credit hours must be in BME 500-level courses that do not have significant overlap/similarity with BME 300/400-level courses, as stated in their catalog description. At least 18 credit hours must be selected from the BME courses. BME 592 and ECE 580 (seminar) will not count towards the degree. The remaining courses can be selected from the BME or ECE 500-level courses. With the approval of the School, a maximum of three credit hours from academic units outside the School may be applied toward the degree.

For the thesis track, six credit hours of thesis (BME 599) are required. At least 18 credit hours must be selected from the BME courses. The remaining courses can be selected from the BME or ECE 500-level courses. A maximum of three credit hours of BME 592 could be counted towards the degree requirements. ECE 580 (seminar) will not count towards the degree. With the approval of the School, a maximum of three credit hours from academic units outside the School may be applied toward the degree. Students in this track will develop a program of study in consultation with their thesis advisor. The M.S. thesis shall be supervised by a committee of three members of the graduate faculty (including the advisor) and approved by the School and Graduate School. The student must submit a properly formatted written thesis to the thesis committee. A student will be recommended for the degree according to the guidelines of the Graduate School.

A student pursuing the M.S. in Biomedical Engineering degree could switch (non-thesis to thesis or vice versa) upon recommendation of ECBE faculty and with the approval of the School and Graduate School.

Retention

Any student whose cumulative grade point average falls below 3.0 on courses that count towards the degree will be placed on academic probation. Any graduate student on academic probation whose grade point average remains below 3.0 on courses that count towards the degree for two consecutive semesters in which they are enrolled, excluding summer sessions, will be permanently suspended from the program, unless the School grants an exception.     

Accelerated Master’s Program in Biomedical Engineering

Objectives

The Accelerated Master’s Program is designed for high-achieving students who are currently enrolled in an undergraduate program in the School of Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering at SIUC. The program will allow students to earn both Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree within 5 years by completing 147 credit hours (instead of 156 credit hours if pursuing Bachelor’s and Master’s studies separately).

Admission

Apply as early as the beginning of the first semester of 3rd Year for acceptance into the program. Work with the undergraduate Academic Advisor (and a potential graduate faculty advisor, if needed) to develop a program of study identifying 9 credit hours that may be counted towards both the Bachelor’s degree and the Master’s degree.

Students are considered undergraduates until all requirements for the Bachelor’s degree have been fulfilled. For the Master’s degree, they can select either the M.S. in Biomedical Engineering (thesis/non-thesis) or the M.E. in Biomedical Engineering degree.

Curriculum

3rd Year/4th Year - Complete up to 9 graduate-level ECE credit hours during the 3rd Year/4th Year taken from the School of Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering (excluding ECE 492, ECE 592, and BME 592). At most 9 graduate-level ECE credit hours will be counted towards both the Bachelor’s and the Master’s degree requirements. Graduate Year - Complete the remaining Master’s coursework within one year of full-time graduate study.

Retention

Any graduate student whose cumulative grade point average falls below 3.0 on courses that count towards the Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering will be placed on program academic probation.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Biomedical Engineering

Objectives

The program is designed to achieve the following academic objectives:

  1. to fulfill the obligation of the School of Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering to provide high-quality education through the doctoral level as is mandated by the mission statement of the University;
  2. to provide the students with the training necessary to successfully apply the fundamental concepts and methods of biomedical engineering to specific areas of research and development;
  3. to provide the graduates with the ability to independently organize and conduct research in biomedical engineering;
  4. to provide the graduates with the ability to concisely disseminate existing and new knowledge and to accurately present their research plans in writing.

Program Structure

The program offers the following areas of study:

  1. Biomechanics and Mechanobiology: Biomechanics, cellular mechanotransduction, tissue development, cellular engineering, biomechanical design, human movement analysis, computational biomechanics.
  2. Biosensors and Medical Embedded Systems: Biosensors, bio-MEMS, medical electronics, biosensor signal acquisition and processing, medical embedded systems, artificial intelligence in biosensors and embedded systems.
  3. Biophotonics, Medical Imaging, and Medical Instrumentation: Biophotonics, biomedical optics, optical coherence imaging, imaging guided surgery, medical image reconstruction, medical instrumentation, artificial neural networks, control and medical robots, deep learning and instrumentation.
  4. Bioinformatics and Computational BME: Healthcare software, bioinformatics, biomedical modeling, machine learning, statistical analysis in BME, signal and language processing, computational techniques in BME.

Admission

Admission to the program will normally require a Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering or a related field. Applicants with exceptional research potential or outstanding academic qualifications may be considered for direct entry into the program after completion of a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering or a related field. Students enrolled in a Master’s program in the School of ECBE may be considered for accelerated entry into the program upon the recommendation of the faculty in the School. For applicants lacking the required specific background, the program offers conditional admission status until completing prerequisite courses.

Individuals holding a Master’s degree with a GPA of 3.25/4.0 or higher may apply. For direct and accelerated entry, a Bachelor’s degree with a GPA of 3.0/4.0 or higher is required. Exceptions can be made on a case-by-case basis and will be reviewed by the ECBE Graduate Affairs Committee. All applications for admission must include the following: a statement of research interest, transcripts, official GRE scores, and three reference letters. The English proficiency requirement and any applicable exemptions will be determined according to Graduate School guidelines.

Advisement

The student must have an advisor with the academic program within the first semester of enrollment. The advisor will assist the student in defining the area of research, and developing a plan of study. Students should also make themselves familiar with the degree timeline, program requirements, expected scholarly outcomes, parameters used to assess the performance at various stages, and the opportunities of (and expectations for) fellowships or scholarships.

Retention

Any graduate student whose cumulative grade point average falls below 3.25 on courses that count towards the degree will be placed on academic probation. Any graduate student on academic probation whose grade point average remains below 3.25 on courses that count towards the degree for two consecutive semesters in which they are enrolled, excluding summer sessions, will be permanently suspended from the program unless the School grants an exception.

Curriculum

The curriculum consists of the following elements:

  1. Nine credit hours of BME 500-level courses (excluding BME 592 and BME 599) that cover at least three different areas in the BME program and that do not have significant overlap/similarity with BME 300/400-level courses, as stated in their catalog description. These courses define the core of the program of study.
  2. For applicants with a Master’s degree, 12 credit hours of other graduate-level BME or ECE courses (excluding BME 599, ECE 599). For direct and accelerated entries, 18 credit hours of other graduate-level BME or ECE courses (excluding BME 599). A maximum of nine credit hours of ECE courses could be counted towards the degree requirements.
  3. Three credit hours of graduate-level mathematics course offered by the University and approved by the School; and
  4. 24 dissertation credit hours.

A maximum of three credit hours of BME 592 could be counted towards the degree requirements. BME 580 (seminar) and ECE 580 (seminar) will not count towards the degree. Candidates must have completed a 2 credit-hour course in life sciences during or beyond their undergraduate degree and a course that includes medical ethics.

Qualifying Examination

A student will take the Qualifying Examination within the first year of residency in the program. The written examination, given by three different ECBE voting faculty members with graduate status, covers at least three research areas of BME. The student must score at least 75 percent in each area tested. If not successful, the committee may allow the student to repeat the whole or part of the examination. The Qualifying Examination, in whole or in part, cannot be taken more than two times. The examination is administered by the ECBE Graduate Studies Committee.

Preliminary Examination

Following the successful completion of the Qualifying Examination and the core courses (which satisfy the research tool requirement of the Graduate School), the student will be allowed to take the Preliminary Examination. Before taking the examination, the student must form a preliminary examination committee consisting of five faculty members with at least one (but not more than two) outside the School. The student’s faculty advisor shall be one of the five members and shall chair this committee.

The student must prepare and submit a formal written proposal of original research, defining the proposed line of inquiry, rationale, a solid plan to conduct the proposed research, and the expected outcomes. The student subsequently must make an oral presentation of the proposal to the members of the preliminary examination committee. The student is expected to address and respond to any questions related to the materials covered by the relevant courses taken during their doctoral studies or to the background necessary for the specific area of the proposed research. In addition, the student is expected to defend the research methodology and the proposed line of inquiry. The Preliminary Examination, in whole or in part, cannot be taken more than two times.

Candidacy

Admission to candidacy requires: (a) passing the Qualifying Examination and completion of the core courses (which satisfies the research tool requirement of the Graduate School), (b) passing the Preliminary Examination, and (c) successful completion of 24 credit hours (which satisfies the residency requirement of the Graduate School). Students need to have their five-member committee approved by the Graduate School.

Dissertation Committee

The dissertation committee is the same as the preliminary examination committee.  A non-ECBE faculty member with Direct Dissertation status may serve as a co-Supervisor.

Dissertation

Students in the program will be expected to work towards their Ph.D. dissertation research as soon as they are admitted to candidacy. The dissertation must be prepared in accordance with the guidelines of the Graduate School. Dissertation approval is based on the successful defense of the research performed in terms of originality, relevance, and presentation (written and oral).

Dissertation Defense

Upon completion of the dissertation, which must demonstrate the ability of the candidate to conduct independent research, the committee will administer the final oral examination. The objective of the final oral examination, conducted in an open forum, will be the defense of the dissertation. Upon satisfactory completion of the dissertation and the final oral examination, the committee will recommend the candidate for the doctoral degree.

Technical writing and oral presentation skills are important, particularly for a possible academic career. The dissertation committee shall evaluate the candidate’s skills both in technical writing and oral presentation. A student will be recommended for the degree according to the guidelines of the Graduate School.

Graduation

The student must complete the curriculum with a minimum grade point average of 3.25 on courses that count towards the degree, as stated in the Curriculum section.