Master of Biomedical Engineering

The Donald P. Shiley School of Engineering offers a graduate program leading to a master of biomedical engineering degree. The interdisciplinary field of biomedical engineering involves the continuous development of new technologies that span the broad field of healthcare, and directly impacts the quality of human life. By necessity, this field requires engineering professionals who are innovative, ethical, and sensitive to the business of healthcare delivery. The graduate program can be completed as part of a 4+1 option for undergraduate students at the University of Portland. The graduate program is also offered as a stand-alone degree and encourages applications from students at other institutions.

Student Outcomes

Outcomes for the graduate program in biomedical engineering have been established so that students:

• Practice real-world experiential learning.
• Are skilled in the broad technical field of biomedical engineering including biomaterials, biomechanics, and bioinstrumentation. 
• Understand the business and patient care aspects of the healthcare industry.
• Can holistically analyze complex biomedical engineering issues. 
• Demonstrate excellent communication skills across a variety of media.

Admission Requirements

1. Statement of Goals
2. Current Resume
3. Two recommendation forms and letters
4. A bachelor's degree or its equivalent from an accredited college or university recognized by the University of Portland
5. A bachelor's degree in engineering, mathematics, physical science, or life sciences
6. International Applicants: All foreign degrees will be evaluated by International Student Services prior to an admissions decision
7. Official transcripts from all previously attended academic institutions
8. Official GRE scores
9. International Applicants: an official score from either the TOEFL (minimum score of 80) or IELTS (minimum score of 7.0) exam is required
10. International Applicants: Proof of financial support will be required to attend the University of Portland, but is not required for application review.
11. Prerequisites (see below)

* The biomedical engineering program does not have specific minimum acceptance standards for GPA and GRE. All application materials are viewed in aggregate. The GPA for accepted students range from 2.9-3.9 and the average GPA is 3.42

Admission Requirements for Current UP Juniors

1. Statement of Goals
2. Current Resume
3. Enrolled in a bachelor's degree program in engineering, mathematics, physical science, or life science
4. Official transcripts from all previously attended academic institutions
5. GRE and recommendation letter are not required, but may be submitted
6. Prerequisites (see below)
   
   

Prerequisites

To complete the biomedical engineering program in twelve months, the prerequisites listed below (or their equivalents) are required. Students who do not have all the prerequisites may apply to be conditionally accepted to the program. However, they cannot start with the graduate cohort until the necessary prerequisites are completed. These prerequisites must be completed within one year of acceptance or a new application will need to be submitted for review. Since this graduate program is very structured over a 12-month period, students may only start the program in either the summer or fall term once they have completed all of the prerequisites.

The prerequisites for the master of biomedical engineering degree include the following courses at University of Portland or their approved equivalents at University of Portland or other institutions:

MATH 201 Calculus I
MATH 202 Calculus II
MATH 321 Ordinary Differential Equations
A Statistics course
BIO 207/277 Cell Biology
CHM 207/277 General Chemistry I
PHY 204/274 General Physics Lecture & Laboratory
PHY 205/275 General Physics Lecture & Laboratory
A computer programming course
EGR 211 Engineering Mechanics: Statics
EGR 212 or 214 Engineering Mechanics: Dynamics
EE 261/271 Electrical Circuits
EE 262 Signals & Systems

Degree Requirements

12-Month (On-Campus) Requirements List

Thirty semester hours of graduate coursework are required. Any undergraduate courses taken to make up deficiencies do not count towards these hours. The curriculum includes twenty-seven semester hours of required coursework and three semester hours of a professional elective as follows:

BME 550	Anatomy & Physiology for Biomedical Engineers	3
BME 551/BUS 551	Introduction to the Healthcare Industry	3
BME 555	Design of Biomedical Experiments	3
BME 561	Biomaterials	3
BME 562	Biomechanics	3
BME 563	Digital Signal Processing	3
BME 564	Biomedical Instrumentation & Computer Interfaces	3
BME 578	Management of Technology for Medical Devices	3
BME 580	Biomedical Engineering & Society Capstone	3
	Professional Elective	3

Applied Internship

All students must also secure, complete, and report on a zero credit applied internship experience. The internship requirement may be met in the following ways: a) between junior and senior year, b) before the graduate program starts if all prerequisites met, or c) at the end of program. To meet the requirement, the internship must follow the University's documentation rules for internships and be approved by the Graduate Program Director for the Shiley School of Engineering. The Director of Industry and Community Partnerships may help identify potential internship positions.

 

Other

If a student has completed any of the core curriculum courses prior to matriculation, the student must complete the equivalent number of credits with professional elective courses.

 

Professional Elective Courses

Professional elective coursework includes the following:

CS 521	Artificial Intelligence	3
CS 523	Computational Biology	3
CS 534	Database Management Systems	3
EE 504	Automatic Control Systems	3
EE 538	Introduction to Digital VLSI Design	3
EE 551	Advanced Analog Electronics	3
EE 564	Real-time Digital Signal Processing	3
ME 521	Failure Analysis	3
ME 522	Composite Materials	3
ME 543	Systems and Measurement	3
ME 553	Mechanical Vibrations	3