Coordinating Board approves UTSA degrees in mechanical, biomedical engineering

By Christi Fish
Public Affairs Specialist

(Feb. 18, 2011)--The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has approved a Doctor of Philosophy degree in mechanical engineering and a Bachelor of Science degree in biomedical engineering at The University of Texas at San Antonio. Both programs will begin this fall.

"San Antonio is home to nearly 1.4 million people, five Fortune 500 firms and numerous companies in the biotech, manufacturing, aerospace and energy industries," said Mauli Agrawal, dean of the UTSA College of Engineering. "There are many opportunities for engineering graduates in the region. Yet until now, San Antonio institutions have not offered a bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering and you couldn't find a doctoral program in mechanical engineering anywhere in South Texas. We expect there to be a great demand for these programs of study. "

Mechanical engineers integrate engineering design, physics, mathematics, systems theory and materials science principles to design, develop, produce and operate mechanical systems as diverse as machinery, rockets, aircraft, cars and air conditioning systems.

UTSA's doctoral program in mechanical engineering will prepare students and professionals to become scholars and leaders in the industry by introducing them to advanced mechanical engineering concepts offering research opportunities. The program's curriculum will be delivered by 18 tenured or tenure-track faculty members in the UTSA Department of Mechanical Engineering, nine UTSA support faculty and nine Southwest Research Institute support faculty, and will culminate in a written, research-based dissertation and an oral exam.

Biomedical engineers address topics at the intersection of engineering and biology to advance human health and solve challenges caused by the interaction of living and nonliving materials and systems.

UTSA's undergraduate biomedical engineering program will prepare students for industry and government jobs, and for graduate and health profession education. The biomedical engineering curriculum will be delivered by 10 UTSA tenured or tenure-track faculty and 12 clinicians/scientists from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

In addition to the degree program's required courses in science and engineering, UTSA biomedical engineering undergraduates will uniquely be required to take "Clinical Internships in Biomedical Engineering" and "Biomedical Engineering Technology and Product Development." The classes, in combination with the other biomedical engineering classes in the program, will prepare graduates to be innovative, forward-thinking and workforce-ready.