Master of Biomedical Engineering
The Donald P. Shiley School of Engineering offers a graduate program leading to a master of biomedical engineering degree. Biomedical engineering is an interdisciplinary field that 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.
Student Outcomes
Student outcomes for the graduate program in biomedical engineering are as follows:
- Students practice real-world experiential learning.
- Students are skilled in the broad technical field of biomedical engineering including biomaterials, biomechanics, and bioinstrumentation.
- Students understand the business and patient care aspects of the healthcare industry.
- Students can holistically analyze complex biomedical engineering issues.
- Students demonstrate excellent communication skills across a variety of media.
Admission Requirements
The following should be noted in addition to the general admission requirements for the Graduate School. Typically, candidates who hold a bachelor’s degree in engineering, mathematics, physical science, or life science will be considered for graduate admission. 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 and their equivalents:
MATH 201 Calculus I
MATH 202 Calculus II
MATH 321 Ordinary Differential Equations
A Statistics course
BIO 207/277 Cell Biology
CHM 207/271 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 213 or 214 Engineering Mechanics: Dynamics
EE 261/271 Electrical Circuits
EE 262 Signals & Systems
Degree Reqirements
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 restricted elective coursework as follows:
| BME 550 | Anatomy & Physiology for Biomedical Engineers | 3 |
| BME 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 |
| | Restricted Elective | 3 |
All students must also complete 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.
If a student has completed any of the core curriculum courses prior to matriculation, the student must complete the equivalent number of credits with restricted elective coursework.
Restricted elective coursework
Restricted 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 533 | Microprocessor Interfacing and Communication | 3 |
| EE 538 | Introduction to Digital VLSI Design | 3 |
| EE 551 | Advanced Analog Electronics | 3 |
| ME 521 | Failure Analysis | 3 |
| ME 522 | Composite Materials | 3 |
| ME 543 | Systems and Measurement | 3 |
| ME 553 | Mechanical Vibrations | 3 |