PhD in Biomedical Engineering

Students must complete a minimum of 108 semester hours beyond the baccalaureate degree in order to complete the PhD program.

Coursework requirements Heading link

student working at a machine

Students admitted with a prior master’s degree in biomedical engineering or a related field must complete at least 24 hours of coursework, 12 hours of which must be bioengineering courses. In addition, at least 12 hours must be at the 500 level (excluding BME 595, 596, and 599). A maximum of 4 hours of BME 590 may be applied toward the degree, provided that credit for BME 590 or a similar course was not applied toward a prior MS degree.

Students who are directly admitted after a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering, bioinformatics, or a related field must complete at least 48 hours of coursework, at least 24 hours of which must be biomedical engineering courses. At least 20 hours must be at the 500 level (excluding BME 595, 596, and 599). A maximum of 4 hours of BME 590 may be applied toward the degree.

One semester hour of BME 595 is required for all PhD in Biomedical Engineering students. Each student is required to present at least one seminar in BME 595 prior to graduation.

PhD students must earn at least 60 semester hours in BME 599, in which they conduct original research and write their dissertation. See examples of recent dissertations on our dissertations page.

Having the opportunity of connecting with so many world class scientists, engineers, and healthcare professionals for my PhD project has been a greatly rewarding experience and contributed greatly to my learning curve. Besides learning new technology and learning to work with advanced equipments, I am also getting first-hand experience of working in a clinical set-up at UI Health, which gives me huge exposure in understanding the real-world relevance of my work.

Priyanka Roy  |  PhD student

Preliminary examination Heading link

PhD students must pass an oral preliminary examination on their proposed dissertation topic. In this examination, students must demonstrate a capacity for independent research on an original dissertation topic within the selected field of study. Visit the Preliminary Examination page for full details.

Dissertation Heading link

Upon completion of all degree requirements and the dissertation, students must orally defend their work before the committee. Visit the Dissertation Process page for full details.

Additional resources for PhD in Biomedical Engineering students Heading link

If you have any further questions about the program that aren’t answered here or on our Graduate FAQ page, please email bmegrad@uic.edu.