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 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
- Statement of Goals.
- Current Resume.
- Two recommendation forms and letters.
- A bachelor's degree or its equivalent from an accredited college or university recognized by the University of Portland.
- A bachelor's degree in engineering, mathematics, physical science, or life sciences.
- International Applicants: All foreign transcripts will be evaluated by International Student Services prior to an admissions decision.
- Official transcripts from all previously attended academic institutions.
- Official GRE scores (waived for students who completed a bachelor's degree at a US institution.)
- International Applicants: an official score from either the TOEFL (minimum score of 80) or IELTS (minimum score of 7.0) exam is required.
- International Applicants: Proof of financial support will be required to attend the University of Portland, but is not required for application review.
- 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.
Admission Requirements for Current UP Juniors
- Statement of Goals.
- Current Resume.
- Enrolled in a bachelor's degree program in engineering, mathematics, physical science, or life science.
- Official transcripts from all previously attended academic institutions.
- GRE and recommendation letter are not required, but may be submitted.
- Prerequisites (see below.)
Degree Requirements
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 the 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:
MTH 201 | Calculus I | 4 |
MTH 202 | Calculus II | 4 |
MTH 321 | Ordinary Differential Equations | 3 |
| Statistics course | |
BIO 207 | Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology | 3 |
BIO 277 | Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology Lab | 1 |
CHM 207 | General Chemistry I | 3 |
CHM 277 | General Chemistry I Lab | 1 |
PHY 204 | General Physics I | 3 |
PHY 274 | General Physics Lab I | 1 |
PHY 205 | General Physics II | 3 |
PHY 275 | General Physics Lab II | 1 |
| Computer programming course | |
EGR 211 | Engineering Mechanics-Statics | 3 |
EE 261 | Electrical Circuits | 3 |
EE 271 | Electrical Circuits Laboratory | 1 |
EE 262 | Signals and Systems | 3 |
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-four semester hours of required coursework and six semester hours of a graduate level electives. Of the six semester hours of graduate-level electives, a minimum of three semester hours must come from courses offered by the Shiley School of Engineering.
BME 550 | Anatomy & Physiology for Biomedical Engineers | 3 |
BME 562 | Biomechanics | 3 |
BME 563 | Digital Signal Processing | 3 |
BME 578 | Management of Technology for Medical Devices | 3 |
BME 583 | Biomedical Device Planning and Design | 3 |
BME 584 | Biomedical Device Optimization | 3 |
EGR 555 | Design of Engineering Experiments | 3 |
EGR 564 | Instrumentation and Computer Interfaces | 3 |
| Graduate level electives | 6 |
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.
Other
If a student has completed any of the required courses prior to matriculation, the student must complete the equivalent number of credits with professional elective courses.