THE PhD in BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING & BIOTECHNOLOGY (BMEBT)

This new doctorate brings together the allied disciplines of Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology. It will be open to a wide range of baccalaureate degree recipients with strong quantitative skills and with engineering/physical science, life/clinical science and related backgrounds.

The program will emphasize a multidisciplinary, team approach in course/seminar presentations across the UMass campuses, laboratory rotations, and joint research projects prior to dissertation specialization.

Applicants who have earned degrees in the following fields will be strong candidates for the program:

• Biology
• Chemical Engineering
• Chemistry
• Clinical Lab Science
• Computer Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Mathematics
• Mechanical Engineering
• Physics
• Plastics Engineering
• Polymer Science

Qualified applicants will be admitted directly in the PhD program. A Masters of Science degree will be awarded along the way to the doctorate after successful completion of 31 credits including a capstone project/directed study.

Although individuals will apply to and conduct their dissertation research on one of the four UMass campuses, intercampus faculty mentoring of dissertations, enrollment in any of nearly 300 relevant graduate courses across the campuses (on campus, distant learning, online) and resource sharing/library access will be available and encouraged. Biomedical industry graduate internships will also be developed.

For curriculum click here

Admission Requirements

• Submission of the graduate admissions application form.
• A distinguished undergraduate transcript with at least a 3.0 overall average.
• A bachelor's degree or its equivalent, from a college or university of recognized standing.
• Official transcripts of all graduate and undergraduate work. (Two copies of each transcript must be sent directly to the University's Office of Graduate Admissions and Records. A final transcript showing that the bachelor's degree has been awarded must be received before the student can enter the program.)
• It is expected that entering students will have completed (or will soon complete) the following courses or their equivalents:
  • Biol 252 Genetics
  • Chem 253/Chem 254 Organic Chemistry
  • Biol 334 Microbiology
  • Biol 371-372 Cell Biology and Biochemistry I and II
  • Biol 373-374 Methods in Cell Biology and Biochemistry I and II
  • CS 110 Introduction to Computing
  • Physic 107/Physic 108 College Physics I and II
  • Physic 181/Physic 182 Physics Laboratory I and II
• Three letters of recommendation.
• Submissions of scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Combined Aptitude Test.
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL official test score) is required for international applicants
• The stated interests of a prospective student must coincide to an acceptable degree with the faculty specialties represented in the program. The biology Graduate Committee in conjunction with the Director of Graduate Programs in Biology is responsible for reviewing applications and for recommending candidates to the Dean of Graduate Studies.
• Acknowledgment of acceptance by the applicant. Acknowledgment should be sent to the Office of Graduate Admissions and Records. Applicants who do not acknowledge acceptance may forfeit admission to the program.

Interested students may apply for the PhD program in Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology to any ONE of the four UMass campuses (Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell, Worcester) depending upon their research interests. Upon degree completion, all campuses will be listed on the student's diploma.

Transfer Credit Policy

Applicants who have completed appropriate graduate course work at other accredited institutions may transfer the equivalent of six credits toward UMass Boston graduate degree requirements from courses in which the applicant received a grade of B or higher, provided these are courses that have not been used to fulfill requirements for another degree, and were completed no more than seven years before the applicant's matriculation at UMass Boston.

Transfer credit is subject to the final approval of the graduate program director and the dean of graduate studies.

Costs and Financial Aid

The costs of attending UMass Boston are moderate, especially-since UMass Boston is a public university-for students who qualify as residents of Massachusetts. Financial aid is available in the form of grants, loans, and a limited number of assistantships that provide a stipend and remission of tuition. For information about grants and loans, please write or call:

Office of Financial Aid Services
University of Massachusetts Boston
100 Morrissey Blvd.
Boston, MA 02125
617-287-6300

further information

For more information or an application, please contact:

Rick Kesseli, Graduate Program Director
rick.kesseli@umb.edu
Department of Biology
University of Massachusetts Boston
100 Morrissey Blvd.
Boston, MA 02125
617-287-6627

Please note:
All information in this publication is subject to change.
This publication is neither a contract nor an offer to make a contract