Our MS program in biomedical engineering equips students with the knowledge and skills needed to advance biomedical research, healthcare technology, and clinical care solutions. Through close collaboration with the University of Rochester Medical Center, students gain real clinical insight and hands-on experience, learning to apply engineering principles in ways that directly improve patient outcomes.
Students with backgrounds in engineering, biology, or related STEM designated fields are well-suited to an MS program in biomedical engineering. For more information about financing and application requirements, visit the applying page.
Customize Your MS Program
The Department of Biomedical Engineering offers several different MS options to meet a variety of students’ needs:
The coursework MS program is designed to offer specialized depth in areas of student interest while building broad expertise across key biomedical applications and technologies.
Required Courses
Coursework MS students will take a total of 30 credit hours of courses.
All the following core courses are required:
BST 467: Applied Statistics in the Biomedical Sciences (three credits)
BME 496: Current Research Seminars (no credit)
Plus 14 elective credits taken in the following approved categories:
Advanced biomedical engineering: four credits minimum
Engineering: four credits minimum
Biology: four credits minimum
Additional coursework (including 6-11 research credits)
Students must also complete a comprehensive oral exam during the spring semester.
For more information on the approved topic courses and electives available and program requirements, see the Graduate Handbook (pdf).
Sample Schedule
Fall semester:
BST 467: Applied Statistics in the Biomedical Sciences
BME 496: Current Research Seminars Electives or research
Electives
Spring semester:
Electives or research
Oral exam
Teaching Assistantships
All biomedical engineering MS students are required to complete one teaching assistantship. This service is required whether or not the student has received financial support from the University.
Medical Technology & Innovation (MTI) MS
The Medical Technology & Innovation (MTI) MS is an intensive, one-year professional master’s program designed to prepare engineers for careers in the medical technology industry.
Students learn the skills needed to contribute across the medical technology development process—from understanding the customer and identifying unmet needs to design, FDA regulation, quality, intellectual property, and commercialization.
Learn Directly from the Customer
Great products start with understanding the customer. MTI students learn Voice of the Customer (VOC) by working directly with physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals.
And they don't learn it from the back of a classroom. MTI students spend time in operating rooms observing complex surgeries and working alongside leading surgeons and clinical teams. Students have gained experience in orthopaedics, cardiovascular surgery, neurosurgery, and many other specialties.
Their job isn't simply to watch. Students learn to observe how clinicians work, ask the right questions, recognize problems and workarounds, identify unmet needs, and understand their root causes.
At Rochester, this clinical environment is just steps away. The Department of Biomedical Engineering is directly across the street from the University of Rochester Medical Center, and MTI students have dedicated program space within the medical center. Students can move easily between customer, clinic, and project work as their understanding and designs evolve.
Learn How MedTech Products Get Developed
Students gain practical experience in:
Voice of the Customer and needs identification
Medical device design and prototyping
Human factors and risk management
FDA regulation and quality systems
Intellectual property and competitive analysis
Commercialization and entrepreneurship
Team-based projects, company visits, industry speakers, and design reviews provide additional experience with the multidisciplinary nature of medical technology development.
Curriculum
The 30-credit MTI curriculum combines engineering and product development with the regulatory, quality, intellectual property, and business knowledge needed in the medical technology industry.
Core courses include:
BME 498 – Clinical Immersion
BME 535 – Medical Device Design
BME 431 – FDA and Intellectual Property
BME 438 – Introduction to Quality Engineering
BME 432 – FDA and IP Commercialization
OPT 481 – General Management of New Venture
BME 495 – Biomedical Engineering Research
Students also select approved graduate electives in biomedical engineering, engineering, and the biological sciences.
*For more information on the approved topic courses and electives available and program requirements, see the Graduate Handbook (pdf).
Sample Schedule
Summer start (July):
Clinical rotation
Fall semester (14 credits):
Seminar series
BME 535: Medical Device Design
BME 431: FDA and Intellectual Property
Graduate biology course (may be moved to spring semester)
Engineering elective (may be moved to spring semester)
Clinical rotation (may be moved to the spring semester)
Spring semester (16 credits):
BME 495: Biomedical Engineering Research
BME 432: FDA and IP Commercialization
BME 438: Introduction to Quality Engineering
OPT 481: General Management of New Venture
Engineering elective or graduate biology elective
Clinical rotation
Final project and exit exam
Teaching Assistantships
All MTI MS students receiving tuition-based scholarships are required to serve as teaching assistants (TA). It may be completed in one semester or spread out over two semesters if the student is serving as a project management liaison for the senior design program.
Prepare for Industry
MTI is a professional pathway into the medical technology industry. Graduates leave understanding both the customer and the technical, regulatory, quality, intellectual property, and business considerations required to move an unmet need toward a successful medical product.
The goal: enter the medical technology industry ready to contribute.
Thesis MS
The thesis MS program is a great option for students looking to get advanced training in research and pursue a research-based thesis. This option generally requires 18 to 24 months and allows the student to develop a high level of expertise in a specialized field.
Required Courses
Thesis MS students will take a total of 30 credit hours of courses.
All the following core courses are required:
BST 467: Applied Statistics in the Biomedical Sciences (three credits)
IND 501: Ethics and Professional Integrity in Research (one credit)
BME 496: Current Research Seminars (no credit)
Plus 14 credits taken in the following approved categories:
Advanced biomedical engineering: four credits minimum
Engineering: four credits minimum
Biology: four credits minimum
Additional credits: six to twelve (including six research credits max)
For more information on the approved topic courses and electives available and program requirements, see the Graduate Handbook (pdf).
Sample Schedule
Fall semester, first year:
BST 467: Applied Statistics in the Biomedical Sciences
IND 501: Ethics and Professional Integrity in Research
BME 496: Current Research Seminars
Electives
Spring semester, first year:
Electives
Research
Fall/spring semester, second year:
Research
Thesis writing
Teaching Assistantships
All biomedical engineering MS students are required complete one teacher assistantship, usually completed in the first year. This service is required whether or not the student has received financial support from the University.
Creating Career Connections at Rochester
The University of Rochester has several different programs that our students can take advantage of to create career connections and expand their skills outside of the classroom.
If you're interested in learning more about biomedical engineering at the University of Rochester, email bmegraduateofc@rochester.edu, or call (585) 275-3891.
