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Doctorate in Biomedical Engineering

The Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering program involves intensive research training with our world-class faculty. Doctoral students have the opportunity to collaborate on exciting research projects with clinicians, industry representatives and other expert researchers across disciplines.

Highlights

  • Cutting-edge research facilities
  • Faculty experts from both academia and industry
  • Specialized areas of interest to focus research efforts
  • STEM-designated Program

Build upon a strong interdisciplinary foundation to engage with advanced theoretical concepts and complex methodologies in specialized areas, including tissue engineering, biomechanics, bioimaging and neurotechnology.

View this program in the University Catalog

Course Outcomes

In the Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering program, our curriculum immerses you in advanced knowledge of scholarly inquiry, including:

  • Experimental design
  • High dimension data analysis
  • Biomedical physiology
  • Molecular and cellular biology
  • Biophysics
  • Physical biochemistry

Areas of Specializations

In the Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering program, you will select from three specialty areas to focus your study and practice in research.

  • Basic research in engineered tissue model systems

    This area focuses on cell and engineered tissue mechanics with a particular focus on cardiovascular regenerative medicine. The goal is to understand and control the molecular and mechano-regulation of cellular phenotypes within tissues for therapeutic benefit.

    Research in this area includes the development of non-invasive strategies to restore normal tissue function and design and synthesis of living tissue replacements.

  • Diagnostic bioimaging and sensor systems

    This area involves developing non-destructive optical and mechanical technologies for disease detection and tissue injuries in vivo, with a focus on one-dimensional (i.e. point detection) and multi-dimensional (i.e. imaging) techniques, optical imaging based on principles of near-infrared light propagation in scattering media (i.e. biological tissues) and use of external fluorescent contrast agents for tissue differentiation.

    This area’s research requires an understanding of transport phenomena in biological systems, application of experimental skills towards instrument development, incorporation of optimization and mathematical tools towards image reconstructions, and development of biomedical aspects of engineering towards practical applications, such as cancer diagnostics, drug delivery, and general body imaging.

  • Therapeutic and reparative neurotechnology

    This area focuses on biologically inspired technologies to interface with the nervous system to repair and promote recovery of lost function after trauma or disease. Research in this area includes behavioral studies, electrophysiology techniques, computational neuroscience, and machine learning.

    Research also spans both pre-clinical (i.e., animal) and clinical (i.e., human) neural engineering and neuropathophysiology. It includes investigations of motor and sensory function before, during, and after neuroprosthetic, pharmacological and physical therapy-based interventions. Current efforts focus on leveraging differential effects of brainstem neuromodulatory centers on the spinal motor and sensory circuits to gain insights into mechanisms underlying neurological impairments. Topics of particular interest include:

    • Pathologies: stroke, spinal cord injury, whiplash-associated disorders, and chronic pain
    • Physiology: neuromodulation (chemical and electrical), cortical and spinal reorganization, function and integrity of motor and sensory pathways post-injury, and activity-dependent neural plasticity
    • Techniques: robotics/quantification of motor deficits, biophysical signal processing, recurrent neural-computer interfaces, neuropharmacology, physical therapy, electrical stimulation of the central nervous system, magnetic resonance imaging

Program Information

  • Application Requirements
    • Submit the FIU Master’s Program Online Application.
    • Official transcripts of all previously earned college or university credits
    • A statement of research interests and goals
    • Three letters of recommendation
    • Resume or CV
    • GRE required with no minimum score, but higher scores will be given preference
    • 4-year bachelor’s or a master’s degree in biomedical engineering or a closely related field from an accredited institution
    • An overall GPA of at least 3.0/4.0 or a GPA of at least a 3.0/4.0 in the last 60 credits of the applicant’s bachelor’s degree and a GPA of at least 3.3/4.0 in the applicant’s master’s degree are required.

    For all Admissions Requirements, please consult the University Catalog.

  • Funding

    Ph.D. applicants may be considered for teaching assistantships, research assistantships and fellowships depending on qualifications and performance within the program. For more information regarding funding opportunities and deadlines, please visit the University Graduate School Funding page.

  • International Students

    International students should refer to the FIU International Admissions site for additional instructions on how to apply or enroll as a first-time or transferring international student.

  • STEM Designation

    The Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering is a STEM-designated program. After program completion, international students have the opportunity of Optional Practical Training (OPT), which allows students to work within the U.S. for up to 36 months (one year of OPT + two years of STEM OPT) for STEM designated programs.

Requirements for Awarding of Degree

Students must demonstrate graduate knowledge acquisition in three incremental stages to be awarded a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering. For more information, please consult the University Catalog and the BME Graduate Program Handbook.

  • Qualifying Exam

    The Qualifying Exam is offered twice a year: one at the end of Fall semester and the other at the end of Spring semester.

    Students entering the doctoral program with a master’s degree must pass the Qualifying Exam within the first year of the Ph.D. program. Students entering the doctoral program with a bachelor’s degree must pass the Qualifying Exam within the first two years of the Ph.D. program.

    In the semester prior to taking the Qualifying Exam, the student must declare an intention to take the exam and must declare a major area. In the event a student fails the Qualifying Exam, the student may retake it one more time the next time it is offered. A student who has successfully passed the Qualifying Exam and completed all the course work will be formally admitted to Ph.D. candidacy.

  • Proposal Defense (Oral and/or Written)

    The student will be required to prepare a formal dissertation proposal, and successfully defend the content of the proposal before his/her advisory committee.

    Immediately following the proposal defense, the student’s dissertation committee will vote to pass the proposal, to have the student resubmit the proposal within six months, or to dismiss the student from the Ph.D. program. A student can only resubmit his/her proposal once.

    The dissertation committee should be comprised of at least five members, at least three of whom should be biomedical engineering graduate faculty and at least one FIU graduate faculty member must be from outside biomedical engineering.

  • Final Defense (Oral)

    All students in the Ph.D. program are required to complete a dissertation under the supervision of an advisor and committee.

    When the dissertation research is completed, the student should schedule a final defense with the examining committee. The dissertation, with an approval cover letter from the advisor, should be given to the examining committee for review not less than four weeks before the scheduled defense.

    The candidate should prepare to summarize the dissertation in the manner of a technical paper using appropriate visual aids in 40 minutes or less. Following the presentation, the candidate will answer questions related to the work from the audience and/or the committee. At the conclusion of the defense, the committee will agree upon the outcome pass or fail and report the results to the Graduate School.

    Following the exam, the student will implement the committee’s suggestions for improving the draft document. Each committee member must sign the approval form in the final document.

    Copies of the approved dissertation must be provided to the advisor, Department, and the University Graduate School. Students should become familiar with regulations and deadlines available on the University Graduate School website.

Apply to FIU

Interested students are encouraged to apply to FIU as early as possible. Applicants must submit transcripts from all schools attended, as well as any other supporting documentation required by their program of interest.

Apply