The Graduate Program in Bioengineering:
Introduction and Degree Options
Welcome to the Graduate Program in Bioengineering at the A. James Clark School of Engineering, University of Maryland. Our program presents the strong intellectual interdisciplinary infrastructure and collaborative culture that links engineering, biology and medicine at our university.
Students have access to well-equipped bioengineering research laboratories and the associated departmental facilities of the department's faculty. Core, shared facilities—including bioprocess scale-up, DNA sequencing, DNA microarray, GC/MS, animal, and microscopy (TEM, SEM, AFM)—are also available to bioengineering students. See our Laboratories page for a selection of facilities.
With strong research programs and funding, and innovative partnerships with the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, and the University of Maryland Medical School, the Graduate Program in Bioengineering is an exciting place to be a student. We encourage you to expand your perspective of the graduate program activities of the faculty and students, as well as educational programs, research areas and course selections, by exploring our web site.
For Questions About the Graduate Program:
E-mail: bioe-grad@umd.edu
Phone: (301) 405-8268
Fax: (301) 405-0523
Program Degree Options
Students in the Graduate Programs in Bioengineering are students in the Graduate School at the University of Maryland, and are subject to the Graduate School's requirements for the conferral of graduate degrees, in addition to the Graduate Program in Bioengineering's degree requirements. Prospective and current students are urged to refer to our BIOE Graduate Program Student Handbook (PDF) and the Graduate School's web site for additional information.
We rarely admit students who only wish to pursue a terminal master's degree (M.S.) in Bioengineering. Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply to the Ph.D. program. Please visit our Admissions and Financial Aid page for more information. You may also contact the Graduate Program Academic Coordinator (bioe-grad@umd.edu) with any questions about our admissions policies.
Prospective students may wish to consider the Master of Science/Doctor of Medicine (M.S./M.D.) dual degree program we offer with the University of Maryland School of Medicine, or the Professional Master of Engineering (M.Eng.), administered by the Office of Advanced Engineering Education.
The Ph.D. in Bioengineering Program
The Ph.D. in Bioengineering Program offers research and educational opportunities leading to the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Bioengineering. The program is housed in and administered by the Fischell Department of Bioengineering. Its faculty includes all faculty holding a tenured or tenure-track appointment in the Fischell Department of Bioengineering, as well as faculty holding Affiliate and Adjunct appointments with the Department.
The program's objective is to combine the principles and applications embedded within engineering with the sciences of biology, medicine, and health. It is our belief that developments at the interface of biology and engineering will advance the efficacy of health care by developing new paradigms for the diagnosis of disease, and the development and delivery of new therapeutics. Our bioengineering students will gain the knowledge base and skill sets to quantitatively measure, and rationally manipulate cells, tissues, and integrated systems. Bioengineers must bring problem solving skills and design methodologies to the study of biology in an effort to translate the biological sciences into medical practice in an analogous manner to the transformation of chemistry into industrial practice that occurred in the 20th century.
Our program provides a basic understanding of bioengineering at the molecular and cellular level, focusing on:
- biomolecular and cellular rate processes
- biomaterials and tissue engineering
- drug delivery
- cellular and tissue biomechanics
- electrophysiology of the cell
- cellular and physiological transport phenomena
- biomedical imaging
- biosensors
- medical diagnostics systems
- bio-devices
- vaccines
To learn more about the Ph.D. program, please visit:
Our department does not offer a M.S. Degree in Bioengineering. We do offer the following program in addition to the Ph.D. program listed above:
TopThe Master of Science/Doctor of Medicine (M.S./M.D.) Program
The Master of Science/Doctor of Medicine (M.S./M.D.) Program is a dual degree program offered with the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMB-SOM).
Students applying to the M.S./M.D. Program must first be admitted to the M.D. program at the School of Medicine, and should indicate their interest in the dual-degree program when applying to UMB.
The objective of this program is to broaden the educational and research scope of medical doctors in significant fields of bioengineering. The program should be attractive to those clinicians interested in areas including clinical research, biomaterials, biomedical imaging, medical device innovation, medical device development, and drug development. Graduates of the combined program will receive a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine as well as a Master of Science degree from the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park.
To learn more about the dual degree program, please visit:
- The Master of Science/Doctor of Medicine (M.S./M.D.) Requirements page »
- The School of Medicine's Combined MD/Masters and Year-Off Fellowship Programs overview (external site) »
