PhD in Biomedical Engineering

Students pursuing a doctorate in biomedical engineering at Washington University in St. Louis will pursue research in one of seven interdisciplinary research programs that represent frontier areas of biomedical engineering and leverage strengths of our faculty and resources.

Our core faculty and more than 130 affiliated faculty work together in interdisciplinary research centers and pathways offering students the opportunity to learn in a diverse and rich spectrum of biomedical engineering research areas.

Students pursuing the PhD in biomedical engineering must complete a core curriculum, fulfill a distribution requirement, satisfactorily complete one research rotation, pass the qualifying examination, pass the thesis proposal, complete the mentored teaching experience, and complete a research dissertation.

Below is an overview of the program requirements. For more information, please refer to the Policies and Regulations Governing PhD Students in the Department of Biomedical Engineering.

Full Support & Funding

Our PhD students are fully funded, including full tuition support and health and dental insurance. As a doctoral candidate, you will also receive a generous stipend to cover living expenses. This support is guaranteed as you continue to make satisfactory progress towards your degree.

Coursework

The doctoral degree requires a minimum of 72 credits beyond the bachelor's level, with a minimum of 36 consisting of course credits (including the core curriculum) and a minimum of 24 credits of doctoral dissertation research.

The core curriculum that must be satisfied by all PhD students consists of the following:

• One graduate course in the area of life science (≥ 3 credits)
• One graduate course in the area of mathematics (≥ 3 credits)
• One graduate course in the area of computer science or exemption by proficiency (≥ 3 credits)
• Four BME courses from the approved list in the policy manual

Three units of BME 8992 Research Rotation; up to three units of BME 5999 Independent Study; and up to three units of BME 8887 Graduate Seminar may be counted towards your degree. Therefore, at least nine additional graduate courses (about 27 credits), including the core curriculum that represents six to seven courses, are required for the PhD degree. Of these courses, up to two 4000-level courses may be counted towards the coursework requirement.

Graduate courses may be transferred in (up to 24 credits) but must be evaluated and approved by the Director of Doctoral Studies and the McKelvey School of Engineering.

Advising

Each entering student is guided by the director of Doctoral Studies. The director will help in the selection of courses in the first year of study and provide guidance where needed.

As a student progresses through the doctoral program, the adviser's role is replaced by the dissertation mentor to reflect the increasing focus on an area of specialization. By the time research is completed, students will have assembled an advisory group consisting of their dissertation committee.

Research Rotations

A research rotation serves two important purposes:

• To inform students in their choice of a doctoral research mentor or research project
• To gain skills and knowledge in the conduct of laboratory research.

While also enrolled in classes, within the first year of matriculation, students are required to complete one rotation. The rotation can be performed under the mentorship of any of the graduate group faculty — core BME faculty and affiliated faculty. A written report, co-signed by the rotation mentor signifying completion of the rotation, is required at the end of the rotation.

Qualifying Exam and Thesis Proposal

Students are required to take and pass both written and oral qualifying examinations by May 31^st of program year 1. The written portion consists of a rotation report, while the oral portion covers the fields of research encompassed by the research done in the rotation.

A written and oral thesis proposal normally should be completed within two years of completion of the qualifying exam.

Teaching

Doctoral students serve as assistants to instructors for one semester after they have passed their qualifying examinations. Those desiring an academic career are strongly encouraged to spend at least one additional semester (with the permission of their thesis mentor) as an assistant to instructors in one of the department's courses.

Dissertation Research

After the thesis proposal is approved, no later than two years after successfully completing the qualifying examination, dissertation research occupies the bulk of the student's effort. Upon completion of the dissertation, students will defend the dissertation. After this defense, presentation to and acceptance by the registrar's office of the final dissertation completes the degree requirements.

Academic Progress

All students in the PhD program are expected to satisfy the academic performance requirements of the McKelvey School of Engineering.

In addition, all doctoral students are expected to satisfy the department's additional academic performance requirements, which are described as written in the "Policies and Regulations Governing Doctoral Students in the Department of Biomedical Engineering" manual.

Seminars

All doctoral students are required to attend research seminars sponsored by the department (or with permission, an affiliated department), These seminars provide exposure to state-of-the-art research by scientists both within and outside of WashU. Regular attendance over the duration of a student's tenure provides an invaluable educational experience.

Journal Clubs

Many laboratories sponsor a journal club, whose purpose is to critically analyze recent journal publications of interest to investigators in that field. Students and postdoctoral fellows conducting research in that laboratory, are required to attend these sessions. Generally, a student volunteers to read and present a recent paper of wide interest. Questions from faculty and other students bring out the significance of the paper's findings and possible weaknesses in its arguments.

Journal Club is an important stepping stone as a student moves into the research phase of their doctoral program. In particular, it provides excellent preparation for the dissertation defense.

Joint MD/PhD Program

The MD/PhD in biomedical engineering, given jointly with the top-ranked School of Medicine, gives students in-depth training in modern biomedical research and clinical medicine. The typical MD/PhD career combines patient care and biomedical research but leans toward research.

Students pursuing the combined MD/PhD in biomedical engineering must complete the degree requirements for both schools. MD/PhD students typically complete the first two years of the medical school pre-clinical curriculum while performing one or more research rotations, then the remaining requirements for the doctoral degree, and finally the clinical training years of the medical degree. The department generally gives graduate course credits for some of the medical school courses toward fulfillment of course requirements for the PhD degree. This is arranged on an individual basis between the student, his or her academic adviser and the director of doctoral studies.