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DEPARTMENT OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Biomedical Engineering

A Doctor of Philosophy degree in Biomedical Engineering (BME) is offered through a joint graduate program with The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA). A matrix of academic tracks are offered based on segments of biomedical engineering or areas of clinical emphasis. Specifically, the program has emphases in the following areas: biomaterials, biomechanics, and bioimaging. The biological areas covered are orthopedics/dental tissues, cardiovascular systems, and neurological systems. The Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering will be awarded to candidates who have displayed an in-depth understanding of the concepts that are necessary for critically judging scientific literature, for formulating novel hypotheses, designing experimental protocols to test the hypotheses and interpreting their results subject matter, and moreover, have demonstrated the ability to make an original contribution to knowledge in the field.

The regulations for this degree comply with the general University regulations (refer to Chapter 3, General Academic Regulations, and Chapter 6, Doctoral Degree Regulations).

Admission Requirements. The minimum requirements for admission to the Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering degree program are as follows:

Students who hold an undergraduate or master’s degree may apply to the program.

  • Applicants must have a grade point average of 3.0 or better in the last 60 semester credit hours of coursework with a major in a recognized science or engineering discipline. All students should have had sufficient background in engineering, chemistry, biology, or physics prior to being admitted to the program. It will be expected that these students will have B.S. degrees with emphasis in engineering, physical, or biological disciplines. The Committee on Graduate Studies in BME may also consider applicants who have a strong educational or research background in bioengineering.
  • Applicants with a master’s degree must have a grade point average of 3.0 or better in their master’s degree program. Applicants with a Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering or in a related field may apply a maximum of 30 semester credit hours of previously earned graduate credit toward their doctoral degree. The Doctoral Studies Committee will evaluate each student’s transcript and credit will be designated on a course-by-course basis to satisfy the formal coursework requirements of the degree. A maximum of 6 semester credit hours may be awarded for a master’s thesis.
  • A satisfactory score, as specified by the Doctoral Studies Committee for Biomedical Engineering, is required on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Students whose native language is not English must achieve a minimum score of 550 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL; paper version). Applicant’s performance on a standardized test will be considered with other criteria when making admissions or competitive scholarship decisions and will not be used as the sole criterion for consideration of the applicant or as the primary criterion to end consideration of the applicant.
  • Letters of recommendation, preferably three, attesting to the applicant’s readiness for doctoral study.

A complete application includes the application form, official transcripts, letters of recommendation, GRE scores, a résumé, a statement of research experience, interests, goals, and the TOEFL score for those applicants whose native language is not English. Admission is competitive. Satisfying these requirements does not guarantee admission.

Degree Requirements and Program of Study. Typical doctoral studies will consist of 81 semester credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree. Undergraduate courses, general education courses, and prerequisites for graduate courses cannot be counted toward this total. For students with a master’s degree, the number of hours will be decided on a case-by-case basis. In the joint degree program, courses are also offered throughout the course of study at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA). To enroll in UTHSCSA courses, students must complete a course card obtainable from the UTHSCSA Office of Admissions.

  1. 28.5 semester credit hours of Required Core Courses. Regardless of their specialized areas, all students are required to take the following core courses:

    Required Core Courses offered at UTSA

    BME 6001 Laboratory Rotations (Equivalent to ORTO 6002 Laboratory Rotation, UTHSCSA)
    BME 6011 Research Seminar
    BME 6203 Physiology for Engineers
    BME 6703 Biomedical Image Processing
    BME 6803 Biomechanics I
    BME 6903 Biomaterials
    EGR 6013 Analytic Techniques in Engineering Analysis

    Required Core Courses at UTHSCSA

    CSBL 5013 Gross Human Anatomy
    CSBL 5095 Experimental Design and Data Analysis
    INTD 6002 Ethics in Research
    ORTO 6003 Introduction to Clinical Practices
    ORTO 6004 Biology for Bioengineers

    Upon approval of the supervising professor and the program director, students may substitute:

    EGR 5093 Special Topics in Engineering Analysis, for EGR 6013 Analytic Techniques in Engineering Analysis (at UTSA)

  2. 9 semester credit hours (minimum) of Prescribed Elective Courses selected from the following (any course from these lists can be taken with the approval of the program director, supervising professor, and course instructor):

    UTSA Prescribed Elective Courses

    BIO 5433 Neurophysiology
    BIO 5483 Computational Neuroscience
    BIO 5503 Sensory Physiology
    BME 6093 Topics in Biomedical Engineering
    BME 6513 Mechanical Behavior of Living Tissues
    BME 6713 Biomedical Signal Processing
    BME 6793 Topics in Image and Signal Processing
    BME 6823 Biomechanics II
    BME 6893 Topics in Biomechanics
    BME 6923 Tissue Engineering
    BME 6993 Topics in Biomaterials
    CHE 5263 Advanced Analytical Chemistry
    EE 5243 Topics in Systems and Control
    EE 5263 Topics in Digital Signal Processing and Digital Filtering
    EE 5353 Topics in Multimedia Signal Processing
    EE 5463 Artificial Neural Networks
    EE 6343 Advanced Topics in Systems and Control
    EE 6363 Advanced Topics in Signal Processing
    ME 5013 Topics in Mechanical Engineering
    ME 5133 Mechanical System Identification
    ME 5413 Advanced Solid Mechanics
    ME 5473 Viscoelasticity
    ME 5483 Finite Element Methods
    ME 5613 Advanced Fluid Mechanics
    ME 5653 Computational Fluid Dynamics
    STA 5103 Applied Statistics

    UTHSCSA Prescribed Elective Courses

    INTD 5005 Biochemistry
    INTD 5006 Molecular Biology
    INTD 5041 Neuroscience – Medical
    MICR 5016 Concepts and Techniques in Biotechnology
    MICR 5051 Introduction to Immunology
    PHAR 5013 Principles of Pharmacology
    PHYL 5040 Cell and Neural Physiology
    PHYL 6091 Selected Topics in Physiology
    RADI 5015 Physics of Diagnostic Imaging I
    RADI 6014 Physics of Dental Imaging
    RADI 6016 Physics of Diagnostic Imaging II
    RADI 6017 Human Behavioral Imaging
    RADI 6019 Medical Image Processing
    RESD 6102 Advanced Dental Materials

  3. 9 semester credit hours (minimum) of free electives can be selected from any graduate course offered at UTSA or UTHSCSA with the approval of program director, supervising professor, and course instructor.
  4. 15 semester credit hours (minimum) of biomedical engineering research: doctoral dissertation, seminar, laboratory rotation, and supervised teaching.

The entire program of study must be approved by the student’s dissertation advisor, dissertation committee, and doctoral studies committee and must be submitted to the Dean of the Graduate School for final approval. The courses are intended to focus and support the individual’s mastery of his or her particular area of expertise.

Advancement to Candidacy. All students seeking a doctoral degree at UTSA must be admitted to candidacy. One of the requirements for admission to candidacy is passing a doctoral qualifying examination. Students should consult the University’s Doctoral Degree Regulations in Chapter 6 of this catalog for the other requirements.

Satisfactory Performance on the Doctoral Qualifying Examination for Admission to Candidacy. The qualifying examination will be administered before the student commences the chosen dissertation research. This examination will be comprehensive in nature and may be written, oral, or both. Topics covered will include not only information provided in courses taken by the student but also the basic knowledge necessary for work in the student’s chosen area of study. The Committee on Graduate Studies (COGS) will determine the format of the examination and the composition of the Qualifying Examination Committee (QEC), with the provision that both UTSA and UTHSCSA will be represented. The QEC will administer the examination, evaluate the student’s performance, and report its judgment to the Committee on Graduate Studies. Admission to candidacy will be contingent on passing the qualifying examination. Students who do not pass the qualifying examination may be accommodated with a terminal degree through existing master’s programs.

Doctoral Dissertation. A dissertation will be required of every candidate and must be an original contribution to scholarship, based on independent investigation (doctoral research) in the major area. The doctoral research will be conducted by the student under the guidance of the Supervising Professor and advised by the Dissertation Committee. Prior to starting the doctoral research, each student will submit a dissertation proposal to the COGS for approval. The doctoral dissertation will be the responsibility of the student and the Supervising Professor. Registration for the dissertation must be for a period of more than one semester. During each semester or term that a student receives advice and/or assistance from a faculty member or supervision by the Dissertation Committee or uses UTSA or UTHSCSA resources, he or she will be required to enroll in the appropriate dissertation course. The form and format of the dissertation will be guided by rules already in effect at the two institutions.

Composition of the Dissertation Committee. The Dissertation Committee will consist of at least six members, including the Supervising Professor and three members of the BME Graduate Faculty. No more than three members of the Dissertation Committee may be from the same institution (UTSA or UTHSCSA). The Dissertation Committee will also include a member of the graduate faculty outside of the BME Graduate Faculty from either institution and one member from outside both institutions. The student’s dissertation proposal and the proposed composition of the Dissertation Committee will be evaluated and approved by the COGS. The Program Director or designee will sit as a member of the UTHSCSA Graduate Faculty Council and report on the result of that evaluation.

Final Oral Examination (Defense of Dissertation). A satisfactory final oral examination will be required for the approval of a dissertation. Acceptance of the dissertation examination will be contingent upon the approval of the Dissertation Committee.

The examination shall cover the dissertation, the general field of the dissertation, and other parts of the student’s program as determined by the committee. Members of the Dissertation Committee must be satisfied that the student has:

  1. Completed the work assigned by the committee.
  2. Passed all examinations required by the program’s graduate studies committee, including the final oral examination.
  3. Completed the minimum requirements for coursework.
  4. Completed a dissertation that is an independent investigation in the major field and constitutes a contribution to the discipline.
  5. Submitted an abstract for publication in Dissertation Abstracts International that meets with the approval of the committee.

Once these requirements are complete, the Dissertation Committee members will sign the approval sheets for the Doctoral dissertation and make an official recommendation to the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the UTHSCSA and the Graduate Council at UTSA that the Doctoral degree be awarded. More than one dissenting vote will constitute failure of the defense.

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