The Doctor of Philosophy degree in Biomedical Engineering trains and prepares graduates for successful careers in research and development in the biomedical industry, in academia, and in government research laboratories and agencies. The PhD in Biomedical Engineering graduates will have the advanced ability to apply their knowledge of mathematics, engineering, and science to formulate and solve relevant biomedical engineering problems and conduct high-quality research at the interface of engineering and medicine, the ability to communicate scientific and technical research effectively in writing and oral presentations, and the ability to conduct independent cutting-edge research and contribute to the existing body of knowledge.
The Doctor of Philosophy degree in Biomedical Engineering is intended for students with a master's or a bachelor's degree in in Biomedical Engineering (BSBME), BS in Aerospace Engineering (BSAE), BS in Mechanical Engineering (BSME), Materials Science and Engineering, Chemical Engineering or a closely related discipline.
The PhD in BME degree offers the following gateways into the program:
- a PhD in BME for students with formal training in engineering or biomedical engineering who have earned an MS degree and are seeking higher level graduate education and research training.
- a PhD in BME with a MSBME along-the-way to engineering students who are admitted into the PhD program with a BS in biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering or a closely related discipline.
This program has potential ties to professional licensure or certification in the field. For more information on how this program may prepare you in that regard, please view the licensure disclosure for the Biomedical Engineering PhD program.
Degree Requirements
Core Courses
21 Total Credits
- Complete the following:
- BME5216C - Mechanics of Biostructures I (3)
- BME5217C - Mechanics of Biostructures II (3)
- BME6500C - Bioinstrumentation (3)
- BME6935 - Topics in Biomedical Engineering (3)
- BME6231 - Continuum Biomechanics (3)
- BME5742 - Modeling Techniques and Methodologies in Bioengineering (3)
- ESI5219 - Engineering Statistics (3)
Representative Elective Courses
36 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- Earn at least 36 credits from the following:
- BME5267 - Biofluid Mechanics (3)
- BME6268 - Applied and Computational Biofluids (3)
- BME6215 - Advanced Biomechanics (3)
- BME5572 - Biomedical Nanotechnology (3)
- BME6525 - Methods in Neural-Machine Interfaces (3)
- EML5060 - Mathematical Methods in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (3)
- EML5237 - Intermediate Mechanics of Materials (3)
- EML6067 - Finite Elements in Mechanical, Materials, and Aerospace Engineering I (3)
- EML6068 - Finite Elements in Mechanical, Materials, and Aerospace Engineering II (3)
- EML6725 - Computational Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer I (3)
- EML6726 - Computational Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer II (3)
- EML6712 - Mechanics of Viscous Flow (3)
- EAS6185 - Turbulent Flow (3)
- EML5291 - MEMS Materials (3)
- EML6299 - Advanced Topics on Miniaturization (3)
- EMA5584 - Biomaterials (3)
- EMA5588 - Biocompatibility of Materials (3)
- EMA5060 - Polymer Science and Engineering (3)
- EEL5272 - Biomedical Sensors (3)
- EEE5265 - Biomedical Effects and Applications of Electromagnetic Energy (3)
- CAP5510 - Bioinformatics (3)
- CAP5516 - Medical Image Computing (3)
- IDS5127 - Foundation of Bio-Imaging Science (3)
- IDS6253 - Bioanalytical Technology (3)
- ESI5219 - Engineering Statistics (3)
- ESI6247 - Experimental Design and Taguchi Methods (3)
- ESI6609 - Industrial Engineering Analytics for Healthcare (3)
- BSC5418 - Tissue Engineering (3)
- STA5206 - Statistical Analysis (3)
- STA5176 - Introduction to Biostatistics
- GMS6860 - Statistics for Biomedical Scientists (3)
- BME6908 - Independent Study (1 - 99)
- OSE6111 - Optical Wave Propagation (3)
- Students can also take BME 7919 - Doctoral Research as part of their available Electives.
Qualifying Examination
0 Total Credits
- The Biomedical Engineering (BME) PhD Qualifying Examination (QE) is structured as a proposal-based examination. This format is to evaluate the topical and technical skills of the student required to conduct the proposed research. This proposal is to be a reflection of the student’s work and understanding. This examination is taken within the first two years into the PhD in BME program and must be successfully completed prior to the Candidacy Examination and Dissertation Proposal Defense.
Candidacy and Dissertation Defense Examinations
0 Total Credits
- In addition to the Qualifying Examination discussed above, the student must pass a Candidacy Examination and a Dissertation Defense Examination. The Candidacy Examination is taken near the end of the course work and consists of a written and oral presentation of a research proposal. The MAE department requires that a PhD student submits the candidacy exam the academic semester immediately following successfully passing the PhD Qualifying Exam.
Dissertation
15 Total Credits
- Earn at least 15 credits from the following types of courses: BME 7980 - Doctoral Dissertation
MAE Department Graduate Seminar Requirement
0 Total Credits
- EML 5090 is a zero (0) credit hour (S/U) course that is offered each fall and spring academic semesters. Prior to graduation, all MAE graduate students who are pursuing a PhD dissertation are required to register, participate, and receive a satisfactory (S) for four (4) semesters of MAE Graduate seminar, with at least two of these taken prior to candidacy.
Grand Total Credits: 72
Application Requirements
Application Deadlines
Financial Information
Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.
Fellowship Information
Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student's graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.
The Doctor of Philosophy degree in Biomedical Engineering requires successful completion of a minimum of 72 credit hours at the graduate level beyond the BS (a combination of 5000, 6000, and 7000 level classes) and the successful defense of a PhD dissertation. Specifically, the PhD in BME program requires:
(1) 57 hours coursework beyond the BS (comprised of a minimum of 27 hours of formal coursework exclusive of Independent Study (BME 6908), dissertation, and doctoral research hours, and 15 hours Doctoral Dissertation. At least one-half of the credit hours used to meet program requirements must be in 6000-level or 7000-level courses, including the allowed number of research and dissertation hours
(2) Successful completion of the BME PhD Qualifying Examination.
(3) Successful completion of the Candidacy examination.
(4) Successful defense of the doctoral dissertation.
(5) Completion of four (4) zero credit hour MAE Seminars.
Because biomedical engineering is highly interdisciplinary and covers many areas of science and engineering, the specialized training of PhD in BME is best suited by a curriculum that has a strong foundation of required courses complemented by a rich number of Representative Electives which enables tailored education that best suits the research specialization of the PhD student. The curriculum consists of a core set of 7 required courses (21 hours) and an additional 12 elective courses (36 hours). The additional 12 elective courses could include independent study and directed research but must include a minimum of 6 hours of formal coursework chosen from a selection of graduate elective courses.
