• Biomedical Engineering Requirements

Biomedical Engineering Requirements

Master of Science, Biomedical Engineering (M.S.B.M.E.)

The Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering is a multidisciplinary degree program designed for students from a multitude of academic areas. Regardless of undergraduate discipline, each candidate for the degree must complete a number of basic undergraduate engineering courses. In general, graduates of engineering programs will have completed most, if not all, of these courses and can expect to be accepted with little or no undergraduate prerequisite requirements. However, the prerequisite requirements for graduates of programs other than engineering can be quite significant.

Program Objectives

The objectives of the M.S.B.M.E. program are to prepare graduates for careers in biomedical engineering practice with government agencies, engineering firms, or industries and to provide a foundation for continued study at the post-master's level.

BENG Admission Requirements

All Graduate Student Applicants must first apply to the University of Arkansas Graduate School. Please visit the website for application materials and requirements.

In addition to the Graduate School Requirements, the following departmental requirements must be satisfied:

1. A TOEFL score of at least 550(paper-based) 213(computer-based) or 80(internet based). This requirement is waived for applicants whose native language is English or who earn a bachelor's or master's degree from a U.S. institution.
2. A GPA of 3.00 or higher on the last 60 hours of the baccalaureate degree.
3. A minimum score of 1100 on the GRE (verbal and quantitative).
4. After tentative approval of the Graduate School Application, official transcript of undergraduate studies, three letters of reference, a statement of purpose, and curriculum vita.
5. Identification of professor (graduate level status II or higher) that will agree to serve as the major professor prior to acceptance into the program.

5.a. An engineering baccalaureate from an ABET-accredited program (or equivalent)
5.b. a baccalaureate in a non-engineering major plus

• A minimum of 15 credit hours of 2000 level or above of engineering courses (with course prefix BENG, CHEG, CVEG, CENG, ELEG, INEG, or MEEG) currently allowed for credit within the BENG undergraduate program.
• Minimum of 3 credit hours of 3000 level or above of BENG engineering design course currently allowed for credit within the BENG undergraduate program.
• Specific deficit courses are to be determined in consultation with the student’s advisory committee. Additional deficiency courses may be required for students with insufficient coursework in a critical area (such as life sciences).

NOTE: Students without ABET accredited undergraduate degrees cannot typically obtain a PE license to practice engineering. The above deficit courses are not sufficient to meet this requirement.

M.S.B.M.E. degree candidates

All M.S.B.M.E. degree candidates, regardless of previous degree status, must demonstrate completion of the Basic Engineering Education and Biomedical Engineering Breadth requirements listed below. Candidates who do not possess a degree from an ABET-accredited program or equivalent must also satisfy the basic engineering topics and demonstrating, to the satisfaction of the student's graduate study committee, that he/she possesses those abilities and characteristics required of graduates from ABET accredited engineering programs. This shall include the completion of a course that concentrates on a major design project and that results in the production of a design report or other design product as appropriate. The design project must build on and require engineering knowledge and skills from precious course work and must incorporate engineering standards and realistic constraints. The course selected to satisfy this requirement is subject to the approval of the student's graduate study committee. Exceptions to these degree requirements may be requested by means of a petition outlining the reasons for the exceptions and presenting an alternate plan for completing the program. The petition shall be subject to the approval of the student's graduate study committee and the Program Director and Department Head. Credit for particular, advanced engineering courses (3000, 4000, and 5000-level at the University of Arkansas) normally will not be accepted for transfer from institutions or degree programs that are not accredited by ABET equivalent. 

• Basic Acceptable Engineering Education Requirements are listed in the University of Arkansas Graduate Catalog. (p.61)

General Degree Requirements
1. Not less than 24 semester hours of course work acceptable to the committee.
2. A minimum of six semester hours of thesis (for a total of 30 credit hours).
3. No grade lower than "C" on graduate coursework.
4. Selection of graduate committee and preparation of written Program of Study within the first semester.
5. Preparation of a paper suitable for submission to a refereed journal from research done for a thesis or BENG 500V.
6. Continued good standing with the Graduate School.

Biomedical Engineering Degree Requirements
The program is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary masters level curriculum consisting of core courses, advanced science courses (such as Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Biophysics, or  Kinesiology), thesis, elective and two courses in one of four concentrations (Bioimaging and Biosensing,Bioinformatics and Computational Biology,Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials, and Bio-MEMS and Nanotechnology). Thesis - total of 6 credit hours. Concentration - total of 6 credit hours.

Core Courses
The core courses are required and will be BENG 5203 Mathematical Modeling of Physiological Systems (3 credits), BENG 5801 Graduate Seminar (1 credit), BENG 5103 Advanced Instrumentation in Biological Engineering (3 credits), BENG 5703 Design and Analysis of Experiments for Engineering Research (3 credits) or BENG 5223 Biomedical Engineering Research Internship (3 credits). Total of 10 credit hours.

Advanced Science Courses
These are selected with the advice of the major professor and graduate committee. Distance Learning options may exist for courses offered at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, Arkansas or the University of Arkansas-Little Rock. Total of 5 or 6 credit hours.

Elective
The student may choose an elective from a list of recommended electives, which may include courses throughout the College of Engineering and other colleges, UAMS and UALR. Total of 3 credit hours.