Bioengineering, MS

Department Chair:

Radhakrishna Sureshkumar, 329 Link Hall, 315-443-1931; fax: 315-443-9175

Faculty

Rebecca Bader, Jesse Q. Bond, Katie D. Cadwell, Ruth Chen, Jeremy L. Gilbert, Julie M. Hasenwinkel, James H. Henderson, George C. Martin, Patrick T. Mather, Shikha Nangia, Dacheng Ren, Ashok Sangani, Pranav Soman, Radhakrishna Sureshkumar, Lawrence L. Tavlarides, Angela Zachman

Adjunct/Research Faculty:

Jurgen Babirad, Gino Duca, Bart Farrell, Erik Finkelstein, Shelley Stephens, Kent Ogden, David Quinn, Suresh Santanam, Fred Werner

Affiliate Faculty:

Joseph Chaiken, Andria Costello Staniec, Martin Forstner, Yan-Yeung Luk, Juntao Luo, Cristina Marchetti

Emeritus Faculty:

Gustav Engbretson, John Heydweiller, Philip Rice, Klaus Schroder, Robert L. Smith, S. Alexander Stern, Chi Tien, Josef Zwislocki

Graduate Bioengineering Program Director:

James Henderson, 318 Bowne Hall, 315-443-9739; jhhender@syr.edu

The Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering offers a comprehensive set of graduate programs in bioengineering and chemical engineering, including master’s of science (MS) degrees and doctor of philosophy (PhD) degrees. Graduates of these programs work in the medical profession, the biomechanics and bioinstrumentation industries, the chemical engineering industry, the government, and in education.

The graduate program in bioengineering provides a wide range of opportunities for advanced study in this interdisciplinary field. This graduate program is linked with and focused on research programs in biomaterials and tissue engineering; biomechanics; orthopedic biomechanics; cardiac bioengineering; and neural engineering. Which degree to consider depends on one’s career goals.

Major research laboratories include the Syracuse Biomaterials Institute, the Institute for Human Performance, and laboratories at nearby SUNY Upstate Medical University. Strong collaboration between Upstate Medical University and Syracuse University faculty, students, and staff provides opportunities for bioengineering research in clinical and basic science departments at Upstate, as well as in-depth study at one of the Syracuse University bioengineering research centers.

Major Requirements

The Master’s of Science (MS) in Bioengineering is a flexible program with three options to help students develop careers in this field. The MS can be a terminal degree or an introduction to research before pursuing the PhD.

There are three options that students can choose. Plan 1 has a minimum requirement of 30 credit hours of graduate study, including 24 credits of coursework plus 6 credits of thesis. A master’s thesis must be completed and defended in an oral examination. Plan 2 also has a minimum requirement of 30 credits with at least 27 credits of coursework plus 3 credits of independent study. Plan 3 is a non-thesis program with cognate field. It requires a total of 36 credits with a minimum of 24 credits of technical coursework and 12 credits of tailored, non-technical concentrations. All three programs are designed to be completed in about two years.

The requirements for the three MS degree options are as follows:

Master’s of Science with Thesis (Plan 1)

30 total credits
15 credits of Bioengineering (BEN) courses,
3 credits of Ethics (Bio-ethics or engineering ethics);
6 credits of thesis;
remaining 6 credits selected from science, technology, engineering, or mathematics courses;
student must complete a thesis and defend it in an oral examination (see below);
no more than 50% of coursework at 500-level;
minimum GPA of 3.0 for coursework included on the Program of Study for the degree;
minimum GPA of 2.8 for all credits earned.

Master’s of Science Non-Thesis (Plan 2)

30 total credits
15 credits of Bioengineering courses,
3 credits of Ethics (Bio-ethics or engineering ethics);
3 credits of Independent Study (BEN 690);
remaining 9 credits selected from science, technology, engineering, or mathematics courses;
student must complete an oral comprehensive examination based on the independent study and the coursework (see below);
no more than 50% of coursework at 500-level;
minimum GPA of 3.0 for coursework included on the Program of Study for the degree;
minimum GPA of 2.8 for all credits earned.

Master’s of Science Non-thesis with Cognate Field (Plan 3)

36 total credits (minimum of 24 credits of technical coursework and 12 credits of tailored concentrations)
24 credits of technical coursework must include:
- 15 credits of Bioengineering courses;
- 3 credits of Ethics (Bio-ethics or engineering ethics);
- remaining 6 credits selected from science, technology, engineering, or mathematics courses;
12 credits of tailored concentrations in areas such as Technology Transfer and Law (College of Law), Engineering Management (College of Engineering and Computer Science), or a customized sequence of courses of a non-technical nature;
a capstone project (see below);
student must complete an oral comprehensive examination based on the Capstone Project and the coursework (see below);
no more than 50% of coursework at 500-level;
minimum GPA of 3.0 for coursework included on the Program of Study for the degree;
minimum GPA of 2.8 for all credits earned.

General Information for MS Degree Programs

Residence Time:

The MS degree typically requires three or four semesters to complete.

Graduate Seminar:

Attendance at the BMCE Graduate Seminars is expected of students in all graduate programs.

Capstone Project Requirements (Bioengineering only):

The capstone project is based on an independent study project done under the guidance of a faculty member, typically over the course of one semester, or a report from a Cognate Field option. A report describing the project must be submitted to, and approved by, the project supervisor and one other BMCE faculty member in order to fulfill the requirements of the degree. A copy of the final approved report must be submitted to the Department.

Oral Comprehensive Examination:

Oral Comprehensive Examination (Bioengineering and Chemical Engineering): After completion of the coursework, the student must pass an oral comprehensive examination based on the independent study and the coursework.

Effective Fall 2012, the Oral Comprehensive Examination will be in poster format. All eligible students will prepare posters for display and discussion during a poster session. One poster session will be held toward the end of each semester (Fall, Spring, and Summer) at a specific date and time determined by the Department. An examination committee composed of program faculty, as determined by the student’s advisor and the Graduate Program Director, will be assigned. Students will be expected to present information about their projects and coursework to the examination committee and answer related questions during the poster session, but all program faculty can participate. The examination committee will meet separately to determine if the student has passed the examination and the students will be informed of the decision. Students are required to submit an electronic copy and a printed copy on standard size paper of each poster to the Department prior to the poster presentation.

Thesis Defense Requirements:

Completion of the MS degree with thesis requires a written MS thesis and an oral defense. Students must submit a Request for Examination Form to the GEMC at least three full weeks prior to the oral defense. The thesis document must be delivered to the MS thesis defense committee at least two weeks prior to the date of the oral defense.

Defenses must comply with the requirements of the Graduate School as described in the Graduate Course Catalog. The MS thesis defense committee consists of four members. The committee must include the thesis advisor, no fewer than two tenure-track members of the BMCE faculty, and the Chair of the Oral Examination Committee. If a proposed committee member is not a full-time or adjunct faculty member at Syracuse University (e.g. from SUNY-ESF, Upstate Medical University, etc.), the student must petition the Department to allow this person to serve as a committee member. The Chair of the Oral Examination Committee must be a Syracuse University tenured or tenure-track faculty member outside the department or program.

All students must submit a copy of the final version of the thesis, with the signed title page, to the Department in fulfillment of the requirements for the MS degree.