How do I Earn a Biomedical Engineering PhD?

A biomedical engineering PhD combines the principals of engineering with those of medicine and leads to many different careers in research or teaching. Some universities offer study in this area, though the degree is not extremely common and competition may be stiff to enter grad school. Students will need to meet many requirements when they apply to doctoral programs in biomedical engineering. These may differ slightly, depending upon the school.

The standard undergraduate degree requirement for the biomedical engineering PhD is generally a bachelor of science (B.S) in engineering. Occasionally, degrees in related fields are permissible if students have extensively studied calculus, engineering, and chemistry. Many programs do admit students who only have a bachelor’s degree, but some schools prefer a master’s degree or simultaneously admit students who have either degree. The one advantage of possessing a master’s degree is that it may slightly shorten study time for the doctorate by about a year.

Due to the competitive nature of the biomedical engineering PhD, students are expected to have very strong grades. Many schools won’t consider admitting a student with a grade point average less than 3.0, and the top schools generally expect a 3.5 or better. Students might also need to take examinations like the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) in general and subject areas. Strong scores would be needed on this exam, but are not the sum of evaluations that go into selecting students to be admitted. Schools also look at letters of recommendation, research writing examples, work experience, and personal statements when deciding which students best fit with their program.

Those who have the necessary requirements and create strong applications are likely to find themselves invited to complete a biomedical engineering PhD. Students should be prepared for rigorous studies. Most programs require about 90 credit hours, or 90 semester units, which are usually completed through a combination of core and elective coursework in the first three years. Master’s students might only need to complete about 60 units.

During the first couple of years, students also have to prepare to take a comprehensive examination. This exam weeds out those students who don’t have sufficient subject knowledge, and often may be retaken once, if it is not passed on the first try. Once students do successfully pass the exam and fulfill all coursework, they begin work on the biomedical engineering PhD dissertation.

A dissertation is a work of original research and an advisor must approve the topic before work begins on it. It usually takes a couple of years, at minimum, to finish this work, and students may have to fulfill school requirements at the same time to work as teachers or research assistants. A completed dissertation is presented to faculty and must be approved prior to the student receiving the PhD. Average time to complete doctoral studies in this area for full-time students is about four to six years.