Biomedical Engineering, PhD

Contact Information

Dr. Steve Smith, Professor
Nanoscience & Biomedical Engineering
Office: EP 220 (Electrical Engineering and Physics)
Phone: (605) 394-5268
E-mail: Steve.Smith@sdsmt.edu

Department Website

Students are responsible for checking with their advisors for any program modifications that may occur after the publication of this catalog.

PhD in Biomedical Engineering

Offered jointly with University of South Dakota (USD). Courses are offered at both South Dakota Mines and USD campuses.

Degree requirements

Distribution of credits

Core requirements: 18 credits
Research requirements: 36 credits
Elective requirements: 18 credits
Total credits: 72

At least 36 of the required 72 credits must be taken at the 600-level or above.

Students may apply 24 coursework credits and 6 research credits from a previous MS degree toward the PhD requirements, subject to approval by the student’s committee.

Core requirements

BME 408/508 Biomedical Engineering Credits: (3-0) 3
BME 601 Biomaterials Credits: (3-0) 3
BME 602 Anatomy and Physiology for Engineers Credits: (3-0) 3
BME 603 Molecular Biology for Engineers Credits: (3-0) 3
BME 710 Experimental Design and Data Analysis in Biological Engineering Credits: (3-0) 3
BME 690 Seminar Credits: (1-0) 1 *
OR
BME 790 Seminar Credits: (1-0) 1 *
* A minimum of 3 credits of BME 690 or BME 790 are required. No more than 6 credits of BME 690 or BME 790 are recommended for the degree.

Research requirements

The completion of a doctoral dissertation, approved by the student’s graduate advisory committee and the Dean of Graduate Education, is required for this degree. PhD students are expected to participate in the creation of new knowledge and applications in biomedical engineering.

BME 898D Dissertation Credits: 1 to 9 **
**At least 36 credits of BME 898 are required. No more than 36 credits of BME 898 may be counted toward the degree.

Elective requirements

Each PhD program of study is individually designed to meet the goals of the student. Courses from a variety of areas, for example biology, chemical engineering, chemistry, computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, materials and metallurgical engineering, mathematics, mechanical engineering, may be used to fulfill the elective requirements in a manner intended to complement the student’s research. Elective courses in the area of the student’s intended research are to be selected in consultation with the student’s advisory committee. A list of possible BME electives can be found in the course description section of this catalog.

Electives with a BME prefix, 9 credits total
Additional Electives, 9 credits total

Examinations

Detailed information on examination policies, admission to candidacy, and defense of dissertation may be found in the Graduate Education section of this catalog and the BME Graduate Handbook.

Qualifying examination

The qualifying exam for the BME PhD involves submission of a Comprehensive Progress Report written in the form of a manuscript and an Appendix that describes future research plans. Students will take a qualifying exam after completing two full semesters of research.

Comprehensive examination and admission to candidacy

In the BME PhD Program a research proposal and oral examination constitute the Comprehensive Examination required by the South Dakota Mines Graduate School. Students must prepare and submit their Research Proposal to their Advisory Committee by the end of their second year in the BME PhD Program. Following successful defense of the oral examination the student may apply for admission to candidacy.

Additional requirements

In addition to these degree-specific requirements, the student must also meet the requirements and policies applied to all graduate degrees by the Council of Graduate Education.

Dissertation defense

A dissertation defense and a final oral examination are required for this degree.

Objectives and Outcomes

Student Outcomes:

The ability to communicate effectively in written and oral presentations
Intellectual honesty when working with data and ideas
The ability to make an original contribute to their field