Biomedical Engineering Program

Contact Information

Dr. Robb M. Winter, Ph.D.
BME Program Coordinator
Professor and Head
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
501 East Saint Joseph Street
Rapid City, SD 57701
(605) 394-1237
E-mail: Robb.Winter@sdsmt.edu

BME Steering Committee

The members of the BME Steering Committee are: Drs. Tim Brenza, Grant Crawford, Prasoon Diwakar, Adam Piper, Scott Wood and Robb Winter

Associated Faculty

Chemistry and Applied Biological Sciences: Drs. Hao Fong, David Gilley, , Rajesh Sani, Richard Sinden, Zhengtao Zhu

Chemical and Biological Engineering: Drs. Tim Brenza, Rajesh Sani, Travis W. Walker

Industrial Engineering: Drs. Carter J. Kerk, Adam Piper

Mechanical Engineering: Dr. Karim Muci

Materials and Metallurgical Engineering: Dr. Grant Crawford

Nanoscience and Nanoengineering: Drs. Congzhou Wang, Scott Wood

MS and PhD in Biomedical Engineering

Biomedical engineering (BME) is the application of engineering principles and design strategies to the fields of human biology and medicine to advance the delivery of human health care. In biomedical engineering elements of chemical engineering, electrical engineering, industrial engineering, metallurgical and materials engineering, nanoengineering, chemistry, computer science, nanoscience and mathematics are integrated with human biology to enhance human health.

Both the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees are cross-disciplinary degrees. The objective of the MS program is to prepare a student for research and development careers in biomedical industry and further research at the doctoral level. The PhD program will prepare a student for a career as a researcher who advances the frontiers of biomedical science and engineering with attention to generating new ideas for commercialization.

The BME programs are offered jointly with University of South Dakota (USD).

Research Areas

Current focus areas of faculty research within the program are:
biomaterials (nanomaterials, bioadhesives, etc.),
computational biomedical engineering (biomechanics, imaging, advanced modeling/simulations, etc.),
assistive technology/rehabilitation engineering (advanced prosthetics, control, biomimetics, etc.),
celluar and tissue engineering, and
biodevices and imaging (sensors, instruments, etc.).

Degree Options

Degrees offered are:

MS in Biomedical Engineering, thesis option
MS in Biomedical Engineering, non-thesis option
PhD in Biomedical Engineering

Accelerated Master’s Option

The accelerated master’s degree programs will enable a student to complete both a BS and MS degree in as little as 5 years. Up to 12 credits applied toward the BS program may be used to satisfy graduate credit requirements. A minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required at the time the student applies to the program.

Course Requirements

Courses must be taken at the 400/500/600 level. Courses taken at the 400 level are subject to the other requirements listed in the catalog. Only courses taken at SD Mines are eligible for dual credit. No transferred courses will be allowed to count toward the accelerated MS degree.

An additional 12 semester hours of graduate level credits taken as an undergraduate and not used to fulfill requirements for the undergraduate degree may be used toward a graduate degree (courses must be approved by the student’s graduate student advisory committee or advisor).

The following restrictions apply.

The courses must be taken at the 400/500/600 level as an undergraduate. Dual-listed courses taken at the 500-level can be applied to both the BS and MS degrees. Dual-listed courses must be taken at the 500-level.
The student must apply to, and be admitted to, the accelerated program prior to taking courses to be credited toward the accelerated program.
No courses taken prior to admission to the accelerated program may be counted toward an accelerated graduate degree. No exceptions to this policy will be approved.
Courses that are “double counted” must be approved by the program coordinator for inclusion in the accelerated MS advising plan prior to registration for the course or the credits will not be applied toward the accelerated graduate degree. No exceptions to this policy will be approved.
Only courses taken at the student’s home institution are eligible for dual credit. No transferred courses from other institutions will be allowed to count toward the accelerated master’s degree.

Additional policies concerning accelerated MS degrees can be found in the requirements and policies applied to all graduate degrees by the Council of Graduate Education.

Outcomes

At completion of the degree program, Biomedical Engineering Graduate Students will have:

knowledge of Biomedical Engineering fundamentals appropriate for the discipline and in-depth knowledge of their chosen specialization;
an ability to conduct original, independent research and the ability to analyze, interpret, and evaluate scientific and engineering data;
an ability to explore and evaluate scientific and technical literature;
an ability to communicate technical information effectively (both written and oral);
an ability to conduct themselves in a professional and ethical manner consistent with the graduate level.

Financial Support

A limited number of fellowships and assistantships are available to qualified students. All applicants are automatically considered for assistantships.

Background Requirements

Students are expected to have a bachelor’s degree in science or engineering from accredited four-year colleges or universities. The applicant must have an adequate background in biomedical engineering or an appropriate closely related field. In most instances, candidates for admission who have earned a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering or a closely related field possess adequate preparation for the graduate program. It is highly recommended that candidates who do not have a bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline have a strong background in mathematics that includes coursework up to and including Calculus III or its equivalent. Appropriate courses may need to be taken by the applicant to remove any academic deficiencies. A Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required.

Applicants should have undergraduate courses that prepare them for required graduate courses in Biomaterials, Anatomy & Physiology for Engineers, Molecular Biology for Engineers, Biomedical Engineering, and Experimental Design & Analysis.

The following represent a solid foundation for all areas of biomedical engineering:

Background in Biomedical or Biological Sciences: Courses may include Anatomy and Physiology, Molecular Biology and/or Molecular Genetics, Cell Biology and/or Genetics.

Background in mathematics: Courses may include Calculus III and Differential Equations.

Background in engineering: Courses may include Statics and Dynamics, Intro to Thermodynamics or Metallurgical Thermodynamics, Introduction to Solid Mechanics, and Thermo Fluid Mechanics or Transport Phenomena

Admission Requirements

Admission will be based on the established graduate admission standards at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. The Graduate Record Examination (GRE), three letters of recommendation, and a GPA of 3.00 or better are expected of all applicants for the program. The TOEFL exam is required for students whose native language is not English. Students seeking exceptions warranted by special circumstances are requested to contact the biomedical engineering graduate program coordinator. The GRE is generally waived for SD Mines students.

Transfer credits

Policies for transferring credits from outside institutions can be found in the requirements and policies applied to all graduate degrees by the Council of Graduate Education. All transfers are subject to approval by the student’s advisor or advisory committee.