College of Engineering Biomedical Engineering Institute

Graduate Program Director : Richard T. Schoephoerster

Department’s Phone Number : (305) 348-6950
Department’s FAX Number : (305) 348-6954

For More Information, go to

• Program's web site
• Biomedical Engineering Institute web site

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Brief Description of the Program:

        The Biomedical Engineering Institute at Florida International University, with the Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, an affiliate of Baptist Health Systems of South Florida, offer Research and Professional tracks for the Master's Degree. These programs provide an inter-disciplinary education intended to prepare the student for professional practice in Biomedical Engineering. All work counted for the Master's degree must be completed during the six years immediately following the date of admission to the graduate program.

Professional Track

        This track program is tailored for the engineer currently practicing in the biomedical industry. A student shall complete 27 credit hours of course work, a 3 credit hour capstone project, and a one credit hour seminar. The courses are organized into three core areas: Life Sciences, Engineering Management, and Biomedical Engineering. The student will choose three courses from the Engineering Management core based on personal training requirements. The biomedical engineering core includes a two course sequence in one of the three primary technical areas for industry: manufacturing, instrumentation, or materials. While the degree is structured as a non-thesis program, students will be required to conduct an industrial project (3 credit hours).

The project will include contemporary topics and trends in biomedical engineering technology development, and will require a formal report and presentation upon completion. Early in the program (before the end of the second term) the student and advisor will complete a study plan that specifies the courses that will comprise the program. A maximum of three credits of independent study beyond the MS project may be included in a study plan.

Research Track

        The research track is a more traditional program geared to prepare the graduate for further graduate study or a career in biomedical research. A student shall complete a minimum of 24 semester credit hours of course work, a minimum of 6 semester credit hours of Master's Thesis, and one semester of the Biomedical Engineering Seminar. Early in the program (before the end of the second term) the student and advisor will complete a study plan that specifies the courses that will comprise the program. The students will follow a program of study with either an electrical engineering or mechanical engineering emphasis. For students following the mechanical engineering core, one course is required, and three other courses are chosen from classes offered through the mechanical engineering program in the areas listed. For students choosing the electrical engineering core, one course is required, and three other courses are chosen from classes offered through the electrical engineering program in the areas listed. All students are required to complete the biomedical core and a thesis research project under the supervision of an advisor and committee. When the thesis research is completed, the student should schedule a defense with an examining committee appointed through the Graduate School consisting of at least three faculty members (at least two of which have appointments in the Institute). The thesis, with an approval cover letter from the advisor, should be given to the examining committee for review not less than ten days before the scheduled defense. The candidate should prepare to summarize the thesis in the manner of a technical paper using appropriate visual aids in 40 minutes or less. Following the presentation, the candidate will answer questions related to the work from the audience and/or the committee. At the conclusion of the defense, the committee will agree upon the outcome -pass or fail- and report the results to the graduate school. Following the exam the student will implement the committee's suggestions for improving the draft document. Each committee member must sign the approval form bound in the final document. Hard cover bound copies of the approved thesis must be provided to the advisor, Institute, and the library.

Application Requirements:

• A student seeking admission into the program must have a bachelor's degree in engineering, physical sciences, computer science or mathematics from an accredited institution.
• An applicant must have achieved a "B" average in upper level undergraduate work and
• A combined score of 1650 on the Graduate Record Examination with the following minimum scores on the individual components: verbal 350, quantitative 650, analytic 550.
• Applicants who have not satisfied the above will be evaluated for probationary or 10% waiver admission.

       The GPA, GRE, and TOEFL scores specified above are to be considered minimum requirements for admissions. Applicants from science areas other than engineering will be expected to complete undergraduate courses selected to prepare them for graduate courses in their area of interest. Full admission into the graduate program requires the completion of these background courses with no grades below 'C' and a grade point average of 3.0 or better.

Additional Requirements for International Students:

• In addition to the above criteria, foreign students whose native language is not English, must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and obtain a score of 550 or better.