The Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) at the University of Massachusetts Lowell offers a doctoral program leading to a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree BME.

At a Glance

  • Flexibility
    Part Time | Full Time
  • Delivery Options
    On Campus
  • Degree
    PhD

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To receive additional information about this program, please complete the Request Information form.

Overview

There are several active research areas in the BME Department, including Computational Biomechanics, Occupational Biomechanics, Cell and Tissue Engineering, Biomedical Optics, and Medical Device Design. Details of the various research groups within the department can be viewed on the research page.
Specific information concerning each faculty member can be viewed on the individual faculty pages. 

Coordinator Contact Information 
Chiara Ghezzi, Ph.D.
E-mail: Chiara_Ghezzi@uml.edu
Telephone: 978-934-3278

Admission Requirements

Applicants to the BME doctoral option are required to have a degree at the level of Bachelor's or Master's in engineering or basic/applied/health sciences with a strong emphasis on mathematics (Calculus I and II), chemistry (Organic Chemistry), and the physical sciences (Physics I, and Physics II), with some exposure to the life sciences (physiology, cell biology, or molecular biology). Students who do not meet all requirements may be admitted into the program pending the successful completion of requisite courses.
Application details are available at the graduate admissions site. 

Financial Support 

Doctoral students will be supported from a variety of sources. It is expected that the bulk of the funding will be from externally funded research grants. As is current practice in the College of Engineering, these will be combined Teaching Assistant/Research Assistant positions for the first two years. In general, continued support after the first two years will be as a Research Assistant. It is anticipated that a number of doctoral students will be supported by fellowships or traineeships in the future.

Course Requirements

As with other options in the Ph.D. in Engineering, the Biomedical Engineering doctoral option will require the satisfactory completion of a total of 63 credit hours, with a minimum of 30 course credits and 21 research credits. The remaining 12 credits can be a mix of research and course credits. Students will have to maintain a minimum GPA of 3.250 to graduate.
  1. Biomedical Core Courses (15 credits)
  2. Track Courses (12 credits)
  3. Elective Courses (3 credits minimum)
  4. Graduate Seminar Course (0 credit)
  5. Dissertation Research (21 credits)
  6. Additional Credits (12 credits)
See the graduate academic catalog and the Ph.D. degree pathway for courses and details.

Dissertation

The Dissertation Research Proposal will also serve as the qualifying exam.
After passing their Dissertation Research Proposal, select students will have the opportunity to apply for an Industrial Internship with an industrial partner.
See the graduate academic catalog for more information.

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