Biomedical Engineering

Academic Director: Mary K. Cowman

Goals and Objectives

The goal of the MS in Biomedical Engineering program is to give students an in-depth, advanced education that provides them with the analytical tools to perform fundamental and applied research in biomedical engineering. Alternatively, students gain the requisite technical knowledge to apply to management, marketing, sales and other entrepreneurial activities related to biomedical engineering. Specific objectives include the following:

• Enrolling students who come from many disciplines and bring different skill sets to solve a broad range of biomedical engineering problems. The program accommodates students with a BS or a more advanced degree in biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, computer engineering, physics, chemistry, or biology.
• Providing students with a cutting-edge program that integrates quantitative-engineering skills with biological and medical sciences. Students acquire the skills to engage in technological innovations that give people longer, healthier and more productive lives.
• Merging the coursework, leadership and talents found at NYU Tandon’s engineering departments with research opportunities with biomedical engineering faculty across NYU.
• Giving students an opportunity to focus on a wide range of contemporary topics critical to biomedical engineering. Students choose courses in topics that include biomedical instrumentation, biomaterials, drug delivery, orthopaedic biomechanics and devices, protein engineering, anatomy and physiology, biochemistry, immunology, bioinformatics, systems analysis and mathematics, medical imaging and material science.

In the years ahead, health and human productivity can be improved vastly through major advances in medicine. The successful, seamless integration of biology and modern engineering will drive those advances. Scientists anticipate future breakthroughs ranging from the design of drugs customized to an individual’s genome to the perfection of artificial implantable organs. Aggressive and intelligent integration of engineering with the biological and medical sciences will hasten the realization of these and other innovations, leading to longer, healthier and more productive lives. Scientists now can visualize internal structures with a level of clarity thought impossible only a decade ago. With the improved diagnosis that comes from these advances and those that follow, science will discover further treatments.

Today, miniature devices can be manipulated through endoscopes, making it possible to perform minimally invasive surgery that reduces patient trauma. In the future, the micro-fabrication of biomedical devices at Tandon and elsewhere will enhance surgical technology and increase the functionality and quality of life of the physically-impaired in applications ranging from congenital defects to improving major organ function (heart, kidneys and liver). Other areas show similar promise. Breakthroughs in human tissue research point to the possibilities of replacing damaged or diseased bone, cartilage and other tissues with newly engineered materials. Bioresorbable materials will substitute for permanent implants to allow tissue recovery followed by clearance of the degraded implant material. New imaging modalities are emerging that provide advanced information and monitoring capabilities. Wireless technology will integrate medical devices and home-care systems with primary healthcare providers, and facilitate the storage and retrieval of patient data. Over the coming decades, these and other extraordinary developments will dramatically affect lives.

By merging NYU Tandon’s leadership and talents in its programs in engineering, chemistry, biology, computer science, management and humanities programs with NYU’s expertise in medical sciences, the NYU Tandon Biomedical Engineering Program provides students with a broad range of research opportunities. The collaboration between NYU Tandon and NYU School of Medicine is leading to a new model of biomedical education and to developing students with practical and fundamental knowledge. Students move freely among the institutions, taking advantage of faculty and associated research programs. NYU Tandon’s goal is to provide the best in-classroom and laboratory education to develop the skills to succeed in a wide range of opportunities after graduation.

Full- and Part-time Students

Students entering this master’s program may wish to complete their degree rapidly by taking a full course load, or proceed at a slower pace if they are working professionals who have other full- or part-time commitments. The curriculum structure and class schedule accommodates part-time and full-time students. Thus, most 3-credit courses are given as two-and-a-half hour lectures one evening a week during a 15-week semester. Research opportunities are available to all interested students.

Admission and Degree Requirements

The Master of Science degree is for students from various backgrounds seeking the in-depth knowledge and quantitative skills required for biomedical engineering. Students may apply to the master’s program if they have one or more of the following: (1) BS or a more advanced degree in any engineering discipline, (2) BS or more advanced degree in mathematics or computer science or (3) BS or more advanced degree in any of the natural sciences. Entering students should have a minimum of two semesters of college-level calculus (see NYU Tandon course descriptions for mathematics courses MA-UY 1024   and MA-UY 1124 ); and two semesters of calculus-based physics (see NYU Tandon course descriptions for physics courses

For International Students:

Applications can only be considered from international students who have completed all of the undergraduate math and science courses listed above.

For Domestic Students:

Applicants pursuing a career change and lacking some of the undergraduate courses listed above may be admitted conditionally if they present a strong record of achievement in their undergraduate field of study and agree to enroll in the missing undergraduate courses to raise their level of knowledge so that they are better prepared for the analytically rigorous course work that is part of the BME MS program. Such undergraduate courses do not count toward the MS degree’s credit requirements.

Programs

Master of Science

• Biomedical Engineering, Biomaterials Track, M.S.  
• Biomedical Engineering, Medical Imaging Track, M.S.  
• Biomedical Engineering, Bioinstrumentation Track, M.S.  

Doctor of Philosophy

• Biomedical Engineering (not currently accepting students)