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2014-2015 University Catalog
Bioengineering, PhD (pending SCHEV approval)
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Banner Code: VS-PHD-BIOE
Note: as of catalog publication in April, the program described below has been approved by the Board of Visitors and sent to the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia for consideration as a new degree program. The university cannot accept applications or enroll students in this program until SCHEV approval has been granted. Check the college/school website for current program status.
School: Volgenau School of Engineering
Department: Bioengineering
The doctoral program in bioengineering is designed to prepare future leaders in bioengineering. The terms bioengineering and biomedical engineering often have been used synonymously, referring to the application of engineering techniques to solve problems in biology and medicine. Rapid advances in understanding the molecular bases of disease have opened up new opportunities to advance human health through research that integrates knowledge in modern biology, engineering, physics, and computer science. The doctoral program will prepare leaders in bioengineering in this broader, integrative sense of the discipline. A major distinguishing feature of the curriculum is that it is designed to educate leaders who understand and appreciate how biomedical technology is translated from the bench to the bedside. Regardless whether they will eventually serve at universities, industry or government, they will understand that new types of devices and processes resulting from advanced research not only need to be “better”, but that they must be “cost-effective” to reach the public. As demanded by their leadership positions, they will recognize that entrepreneurial considerations are essential for determining whether a planned diagnostic or therapeutic approach is likely to be practical and useful for society.
Four concentration areas are offered, aligned with current faculty research interests: biomedical imaging, data-driven biomechanical modeling, nano-scale bioengineering, and neuroengineering.
The bioengineering PhD program requires successful completion of a course of study, a qualifying examination, a written comprehensive exam, a dissertation proposal and defense, and a final dissertation and defense. Additional training requirements include seminar attendance, ethics training, translational bioengineering mentorship, and a teaching assignment. All the general requirements for doctoral degrees at Mason apply to this program as well.
Admission Requirements
Applicants must have completed a baccalaureate degree in engineering or the sciences from an accredited program with a reputation for high academic standards and an earned GPA of 3.3 or better in their 60 highest-level credits.
In addition to fulfilling Mason’s admission requirements for graduate study, applicants must:
- Have demonstrated interest in combining engineering and the natural sciences with discovery and application in the life science; i.e. via a degree which reflects the desired combination (such as bioengineering, biophysics); a degree in engineering or the natural sciences which includes course work in life sciences; a degree in biology which includes course work in mathematics, physics, or engineering; a project or research experience with combined complementary expertise.
- Provide three letters of recommendation, preferably from academic references or references in industry or government who are familiar with the applicant’s professional accomplishments.
- Provide a detailed statement of career goals and professional aspirations.
- If their native language is not English, students must earn a minimum TOEFL score of 575 for the paper-based exam or 230 for the computer-based exam.
- Official GRE scores.
Reduction of Credit
Students must complete a minimum of 72 graduate credits, which may be reduced by a maximum of 30 credits from a related master’s degree. Reduction of credit requires the approval of the program director or designee and the dean or designee of the school. They determine how many credits are eligible for the reduction of credit.
For students to remain eligible for the PhD program, they must maintain a “B” average. Grades of “C” or lower in courses cannot be counted towards degree completion. |
Degree Requirements
The doctoral program consists of a minimum of 72 credit hours, distributed among the following categories: Core Science (9-10 credits)
Biology Core (3-4 credits)
Select one from the following: Computation/Mathematics Core (6 credits)
Select two courses from the following: Core Bioengineering (6 credits)
Technical Electives (15 credits)
These courses develop additional technical expertise in a student’s PhD concentration, and provide background for career skills in the student’s chosen path for professional development. A maximum of only 6 credits can be at the 500-level. Scientific and/or Technical Skills (12 credits):
Four courses will be scientific/technical and are to be chosen under the guidance and approval of the student’s advisor. Career Skills (3 credits):
One course will be focused on developing career skills relevant to college level teaching, entrepreneurship, or health care policy. For the career skills elective, students select a 3 credit hour course from one of the following options: Concentration Areas (18 credits)
Students must choose one from the following four areas: ▲ Concentration in Biomedical Imaging (BMI):
Required Courses (9 credits):
Electives (9 credits):
Three more upper-level courses are to be chosen under the guidance and approval of the student’s advisor. At least two of the three classes must be at the 700-800 level. ▲ Concentration in Data-Driven Biomechanical Modeling (DDMB):
Required Courses (9 credits):
Electives (9 credits):
Three more upper-level courses are to be chosen under the guidance and approval of the student’s advisor. At least two of the three classes must be at the 700-800 level. ▲Concentration in Nano-Scale Bioengineering (NBNR):
Required Courses (9 credits):
Electives (9 credits):
Three more upper-level courses are to be chosen under the guidance and approval of the student’s advisor. At least two of the three classes must be at the 700-800 level. ▲ Concentration in Neuroengineering (NRNG):
Required Courses (9 credits):
Electives (9 credits):
Three more upper-level courses are to be chosen under the guidance and approval of the student’s advisor. At least two of the three classes must be at the 700-800 level. Qualifying Examination
All students entering the Bioengineering PhD program will be required to pass a qualifying exam which consists of two phases: a Technical Qualifying Exam (TQE) and a Research Qualifying Exam (RQE). The TQE is an in-class written exam that tests knowledge of core bioengineering concepts as well as competency in mathematics and computation. A score of at least 80% is required to pass. The RQE consists of a written report and oral presentation and aims to assess the ability of the student to communicate effectively. Students will be required to define a research problem and explain the significance, critically review the literature related to the research problem, describe appropriate research methods to study the problem, and interpret and communicate their results. The RQE topic will be defined by the faculty advisor in consultation with the student. The topic may be related to the eventual thesis topic. A committee of at least three faculty members which includes the advisor will evaluate the written report and the oral presentation. During the presentation the student will be expected to answer questions about their project and about fundamental concepts related to the research. The committee will vote to determine whether or not the student has successfully passed the RQE.
Students entering with an MS degree will take the TQE within their first year in the program and the RQE prior to completing 12 credits in the PhD program. Students entering with a B.S. degree will take the TQE after completing 18 credits of coursework and the RQE prior to completing 36 credits in the program.
After a student has taken both the TQE and the RQE, the Bioengineering PhD Committee will review the exam results, the student’s transcript, and a letter of recommendation from the student’s advisor. Based on this information, the PhD Committee will determine whether or not the student is qualified for the PhD program. If the student does not qualify on their first try, the student will be allowed to repeat one or both of the exams in the following year. The TQE and RQE may be repeated once. A student who fails to qualify on their second try will be removed from the program. Dissertation Research (24 credits)
Students are expected to complete 24 credits of BENG 998 and BENG 999 towards their degree. Students cannot enroll in BENG 999 before they have advanced to candidacy. Students who advanced to candidacy after the add period for a given semester must wait until the following semester to register for BENG 999. Students cannot advance to candidacy and defend their dissertation during the same semester. Once enrolled in BENG 999, students must maintain continuous registration in BENG 999 each semester until graduation, excluding summers. Students who defend in the summer must be registered for at least 1 credit of BENG 999 during that summer term.
Select 24 credits from the following: Dissertation Committee Selection
Each student must form a dissertation committee, comprising four or five individuals. A minimum of two members of the committee must be tenured or tenure-track faculty in the Department of Bioengineering. One member must be from outside the department. The chair of the dissertation committee must be tenured or tenure-track faculty in the Department of Bioengineering. The dissertation director can be a member of the Bioengineering graduate faculty with primary appointment outside of the Department of Bioengineering. The committee must be approved by the chair of the Department of Bioengineering. Comprehensive Examination
The comprehensive exam is taken after the student has satisfactorily completed all of the coursework requirements in an approved plan of study filed by the student. The students should pass the comprehensive exam prior to advancement to candidacy. The examiners will include the supervisory committee plus any outside examiners considered appropriate. However, the supervisory committee determines whether the student passes or not. The comprehensive examination will test the students understanding of the relevant literature and methods that are broadly related to the chosen area of dissertation research. If a student fails the comprehensive exam, the student may request a re-examination within 60 days of receiving notice of the exam result. The request should be made in writing to the doctoral coordinator. If the student fails the re-examination or does not request a re-examination within 60 days, the student will be terminated from the PhD program. Dissertation Proposal
Each student must prepare a written dissertation proposal. While preparing this proposal, the student enrolls in BENG 998 - Doctoral Dissertation Proposal . The proposal must be made available to the committee at least two weeks in advance of the presentation. The proposal must be presented to and approved by the dissertation committee. The committee determines whether the proposal has merit and can lead to significant contributions to the area and whether the student has the knowledge and skills to complete the proposed work successfully and in a timely manner. Students may present their dissertation proposal only after passing the comprehensive exam, and the presentation may not be on the same day as the comprehensive exam. If the student fails to defend the proposal, the student may present a dissertation proposal a second time at a later date. Failure in the second attempt results in dismissal from the program. On completing this requirement successfully, the student is advanced to candidacy for the PhD degree. Dissertation Preparation and Defense
While preparing the dissertation, the candidate enrolls in BENG 999 - Doctoral Dissertation . When the work is deemed complete, the dissertation is defended. The public defense is preceded by a pre-defense meeting in which only the candidate, the dissertation committee members, and the director of the PhD in Bioengineering Program (or his or her representative) are present. If the committee approves, the candidate may then schedule the final public defense. There should be at least one month between the pre-defense meeting and the defense, and the defense must be announced at least two weeks in advance. The dissertation must be made available to the committee at least two weeks in advance of the defense. The entire dissertation committee must be present at the defense, unless an exception is approved by the director of the PhD in Bioengineering Program in advance of the defense. The dissertation must make significant contributions to its area and be publishable in refereed journals or conferences. If the candidate fails to defend the dissertation, the candidate may request a second defense, following the same procedures as for the initial defense. There is no time limit for this request other than general time limits for the doctoral degree and a second pre-defense is not required. A candidate who fails a second attempt to defend the dissertation is terminated from the program. Additional Training Requirements
Bioengineering Seminar
All PhD students are required to attend a minimum of 3 departmental seminars per semester. Students will sign an attendance sheet available at the end of each seminar. Ethics Training
Prior to beginning research studies in a Bioengineering laboratory, all PhD students must complete the on-line Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Responsible Conduct of Research course. CITI training modules provide students with an understanding of conflicts of interest, research misconduct, peer review, and authorship. Bioengineering Mentorship
All PhD students are required to participate in mentoring at least one undergraduate Bioengineering senior design team for a duration of 1 year. PhD students work with the faculty advisor for the senior design team and are expected to apply translational and entrepreneurial concepts towards the mentorship of the team. Teaching Requirement
All PhD students are required to participate in teaching activities in consultation with their major advisors. Teaching opportunities include presenting lectures, conducting recitation sessions, serving as a teaching assistant, working as a laboratory assistant, participating in teaching workshops, preparing course materials, and other related activities approved by the student’s advisor. Total: 72-73 credits
Note: Students who elect to take BMED 601 in the Biology Core will complete a minimum of 73 credit hours. |
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