Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering
Academic Advisor: Mesut Sahin
Students may enter this joint Ph.D. degree program (“Joint Degree Program”) with diverse backgrounds. The Joint Degree Program acknowledges this diversity; course credit requirements vary depending on the student’s prior degree. In all cases, students shall complete at least 12 course credits at the advanced graduate level, with total credits determined by prior degree. The total of all graduate-level coursework shall be completed with a cumulative GPA or 3.0 or higher.
Courses
Course credit requirements vary based on the student's prior degree and the specific life science introductory sequence (5 or 6 credits) selected at Rutgers.
1. Students entering the Joint Degree Program after they have earned an M.S. degree in Engineering shall complete at least 12 (or 13) course credits in graduate-level courses.
2. Students entering with an M.S. degree not in Engineering shall complete up to an additional 24 graduate-level course credits, for a total ranging from a minimum of 12 (or 13) course credits to 36 (or 37) course credits. The specific number of additional graduate-level course credits shall be determined on an individual basis by the Admissions Committee in consultation with the student’s thesis advisor.
3.Students may also be admitted directly to the Joint Degree Program after earning a B.S. or B.A. degree. In this case, they shall complete an additional 24 graduate-level course credits compared to students entering the program with an M.S. degree in Engineering. Students in this category require a minimum of 36 (or 37) course credits.
4. Some course credits may be waived if the student has earned a prior M.D., D.M.D., D.V.M., or other medical/clinical doctorate.
5. There is no stipulated minimum requirement for dissertation research credits. The student, however, shall follow the requirements for registration for dissertation research credits as it pertains to his/her primary institution.
Laboratory Rotations
Each student shall undergo at least 2 laboratory rotation experiences, one at each partnering institution. Each laboratory rotation shall be structured to require a level of time commitment, workload, and effort commensurate with that of a 3-credit academic course and shall provide substantive educational or training experiences. Rotations may be completed at any point prior to graduation but shall not be deferred to the final semester.
Research Seminars
Each student shall register for and satisfactorily attend seminars as required by the primary institution.
Qualifying Examination (a.k.a. Qualifier, held each June, with a make-up the following January)
Before becoming doctoral candidates, students shall demonstrate their ability to think independently and apply analytical skills in a Qualifying Exam. Typically, students take the Qualifying Exam at the end of their 2nd year, although students with a prior M.S. degree may take the Qualifying Exam at the end of their 1st year.
Students shall take the Grantsmanship course (GSND 5006Q) prior to taking the Qualifying Exam. Any other course may be taken either before or after the Qualifying Exam.
The format and requirements for the Qualifying Exam may be updated from time to time by the Joint Degree Program’s Steering Committee subject to approvals by the partnering institutions through their normal processes. Any updates to the format or requirements shall be communicated to enrolled students at least one semester in advance. Currently, the Qualifying Exam consists of 2 parts: (1) a written research proposal in the NIH proposal format, and (2) an oral defense of the written proposal before a joint committee.
-Written Research Proposal for the Qualifying Exam
Written part of the Qualifying Exam follows an NIH style research grant format:
- Maximum length of 12 pages single-spaced, excluding references and Specific Aims
- Research Proposal Topic/Problem can be from the student's research area
- Background and Significance:
- Show knowledge of breadth of literature underlying proposed research
- Address engineering and life science concepts
- Can include supporting data not generated by the student (cited appropriately)
- Specific Aims (1 page maximum)
- Specific Aims shall include at least one original Aim developed by the student and cannot be a part of the research mentor's or other faculty members' current or pending research grants, or developed as part of coursework (e.g. Research and Scholarship: GSND 5006Q or other courses).
- Specific Aims (at least 2) shall be pre-approved by the Qualifying Exam Committee. Specific Aims should include brief rationale, hypothesis, and an overview of experimental approaches.
- Approach/Experimental Design:
- Include expected results, potential problems, and alternative results/hypotheses
- Preliminary Data - not required but can be included if available
Students shall complete the written proposal approximately 2 weeks after Specific Aims are approved. Students shall not seek assistance from their research advisors in preparing the Qualifying Exam proposal.
-Oral Exam
- The oral exam shall be scheduled after the written proposal is received.
- The student shall give a brief overview of proposed research (25 minutes).
- The Exam Committee shall evaluate the student's competency and preparedness to undertake Ph.D. research.
- The Exam Committee shall be appointed by the Ph.D. Program Director. The Exam Committee shall be composed of a minimum of 3 voting members (research advisor can attend as an observer only) and shall include at least 2 faculty members from the NJIT Department of Biomedical Engineering and 1 faculty member affiliated with the Joint Ph.D. Program from Rutgers University. (This committee can potentially become the core of the student's Dissertation Committee.)
- Outcomes:
- Pass
- Conditional Pass - committee shall require the student to complete additional specified tasks
- Fail - the student may retake the examination one time
After passing the Qualifying Exam, students begin registering for BME 792B (3-credit Research) and BME 791 (Seminar).
Dissertation Proposal (a.k.a. Proposal Exam)
The dissertation represents original research and reflects a student's ability to critically understand the significance of a problem and conduct novel, high quality, and independent research which advances the state of the art.
Prior to undertaking dissertation research, the student shall form a Dissertation Committee, in consultation with and chaired by the student's primary advisor, and prepare a dissertation proposal. The committee must be approved by the Graduate Studies Office. The proposal is organized using the format of an NIH style grant application similar to the Qualifying Examination as described previously. Students shall identify a unique scholarly problem, provide a critical review of related literature, propose an appropriate hypothesis, and present a methodology to address the problem. Unlike the Qualifying Exam, the Proposal Exam requires the candidate to present original preliminary data and a detailed plan for completion of dissertation research. The proposal is defended before the Dissertation Committee.
According to the current agreement:
1. The Proposal Exam shall be completed within one year of passing the Qualifying Exam, no later than the end of the spring semester.
2. The Proposal Exam Committee shall be formed in consultation with the research advisor and shall consist of 2 faculty from NJIT, 2 faculty from Rutgers SGS-BHS, and a 5th member who may be from either institution or from outside the institutions.
3. Students shall register for BME 790A (1-credit Research) and BME 791 (Seminar) after passing the Proposal Exam.
Dissertation Defense
The Dissertation Committee is the same as the Proposal Exam Committee. The Dissertation Committee, chaired by the research advisor, shall oversee the student's progress following the Proposal Exam.
The research shall be supervised jointly by Rutgers SGS-BHS and NJIT graduate faculty, in accordance with the requirements established for the Joint Ph.D. degree. The research shall culminate in the successful preparation of a written dissertation of publishable quality, which must be defended orally at a public meeting. All presentations and defense requirements shall be administered in accordance with the regulations of the student’s primary institution. The protection of the dissertation content and the publication, utilization and protection of the involved research activities shall be subject to the regulations of the primary institution. If required, specific agreements shall be arranged for the allocation and protection of intellectual property.
Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering (Students with prior M.S. Degree in Engineering)
Students entering the Joint Degree Program with a prior M.S. degree in Engineering are required to complete at least 12 (or 13) course credits in graduate-level courses.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Professional and Research Skills Coursework | ||
| Responsible Conduct of Research (GSND 5001Q) | 1 | |
| Professional Skills II: Grantsmanship Skills (GSND 5006Q) | 2 | |
| Research Design and Statistics (GSND 5135Q) 1 | 2 | |
| Life Science Coursework | ||
| Introduction to Biomedical Science (IBMS, GSND 5200Q) 2 | 6, Alternatives are 5 or 6 | |
| Engineering or Science Coursework 3 | ||
| Engineering or Science Course | 2 | |
| Total Course Credits | 12 or 13 | |
| . | ||
| Dissertation Credits (Taken multiple semesters) 4 | ||
| BME 792 | Pre-Doctoral Research | 3 |
| BME 790A | Doctoral Dissertation | 1 |
| Seminar (Taken multiple semesters) 5 | ||
| BME 791 | Graduate Seminar | 0 |
1 GSND 5135Q may be substituted with an equivalent course at NJIT with academic advisor's permission.
2 Alternative 1: Fundamentals of Neuroscience (NEUR 5200Q) and Integrative Human Physiology (CBNP 5165Q); Alternative 2: Fundamentals of Neuroscience (NEUR 5200Q) and Fundamentals of Human Physiology (PHPY 5005Q)
3 700-level courses may be substituted with 600-level courses if the academic advisor appeals on behalf of the student to the Office of Graduate Studies and receives approval.
4 Ph.D. students who have passed the Qualifying Examination (QE) shall register for 3 credits of pre-doctoral research (BME 792B Pre-Doctoral Research) each semester until they successfully defend the Dissertation Proposal. Upon successful defense of the Dissertation Proposal, students shall register for 1-credit of dissertation research (BME 790A Doctoral Dissertation) each semester until all degree requirements have been completed.
5 Following successful completion of the Qualifying Examination, students shall register for the required seminar course in every Fall and Spring semester until degree completion.
Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering (Students with prior M.S. Degree not in Engineering, or who have earned M.D., D.M.D., D.V.M., or other medical/clinical doctorate)
Students who have a prior M.S. degree not in Engineering, or who have earned an M.D., D.M.D., D.V.M., or other medical/clinical doctorate are required to complete a minimum of 12 or 13 and up to a minimum of 36 or 37 course credits of graduate-level courses. The specific number of graduate-level course credits shall be determined on an individual basis by the Admissions Committee in consultation with the student's academic advisor.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Professional and Research Skills Coursework | ||
| Responsible Conduct of Research (GSND 5001Q) | 1 | |
| Professional Skills II: Grantsmanship Skills (GSND 5006Q) | 2 | |
| Research Design and Statistics (GSND 5135Q) 1 | 2 | |
| Life Science Coursework | ||
| Introduction to Biomedical Science (IBMS, GSND 5200Q) 2 | 6, Alternatives are 5 or 6 | |
| Biomedical Engineering Coursework 3 | ||
| Engineering Course | 0-3 | |
| Engineering Course | 0-3 | |
| Engineering Course | 0-3 | |
| Engineering or Science Coursework 3 | ||
| Engineering or Science Course | 2 | |
| Engineering or Science Course | 0-3 | |
| Engineering or Science Course | 0-3 | |
| Engineering or Science Course | 0-3 | |
| Engineering or Science Course | 0-3 | |
| Engineering or Science Course | 0-3 | |
| Total Course Credits | 12 or 13 - 36 or 37 | |
| . | ||
| Dissertation Credits (Taken multiple semesters) 4 | ||
| BME 792 | Pre-Doctoral Research | 3 |
| BME 790A | Doctoral Dissertation | 1 |
| Seminar (Taken multiple semesters) 5 | ||
| BME 791 | Graduate Seminar | 0 |
1 GSND 5135Q may be substituted with an equivalent course at NJIT with academic advisor's permission.
2 Alternative 1: Fundamentals of Neuroscience (NEUR 5200Q) and Integrative Human Physiology (CBNP 5165Q); Alternative 2: Fundamentals of Neuroscience (NEUR 5200Q) and Fundamentals of Human Physiology (PHPY 5005Q)
3 700-level courses may be substituted with 600-level courses if the academic advisor appeals on behalf of the student to the Office of Graduate Studies and receives approval.
4 Ph.D. students who have passed the Qualifying Examination (QE) shall register for 3 credits of pre-doctoral research (BME 792B Pre-Doctoral Research) each semester until they successfully defend the Dissertation Proposal. Upon successful defense of the Dissertation Proposal, students shall register for 1-credit of dissertation research (BME 790A Doctoral Dissertation) each semester until all degree requirements have been completed.
5 Following successful completion of the Qualifying Examination, students shall register for the required seminar course in every Fall and Spring semester until degree completion.
Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering (Students with prior B.S. or B.A. Degree but no M.S. Degree)
Students admitted directly to the Joint Degree Program after earning a B.S. or B.A. degree are required to complete at least 36 (or 37) course credits in graduate-level courses.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Professional and Research Skills Coursework | ||
| Responsible Conduct of Research (GSND 5001Q) | 1 | |
| Professional Skills II: Grantsmanship Skills (GSND 5006Q) | 2 | |
| Research Design and Statistics (GSND 5135Q) 1 | 2 | |
| Life Science Coursework | ||
| Introduction to Biomedical Science (IBMS, GSND 5200Q) 2 | 6, Alternatives are 5 or 6 | |
| Biomedical Engineering Coursework 3 | ||
| Engineering Course | 3 | |
| Engineering Course | 3 | |
| Engineering Course | 3 | |
| Engineering or Science Coursework 3 | ||
| Engineering or Science Course | 2 | |
| Engineering or Science Course | 3 | |
| Engineering or Science Course | 3 | |
| Engineering or Science Course | 3 | |
| Engineering or Science Course | 3 | |
| Engineering or Science Course | 3 | |
| Total Course Credits | 36 or 37 | |
| . | ||
| Dissertation Credits (Taken multiple semesters) 4 | ||
| BME 792 | Pre-Doctoral Research | 3 |
| BME 790A | Doctoral Dissertation | 1 |
| Seminar (Taken multiple semesters) 5 | ||
| BME 791 | Graduate Seminar | 0 |
1 GSND 5135Q may be substituted with an equivalent course at NJIT with academic advisor's permission.
2 Alternative 1: Fundamentals of Neuroscience (NEUR 5200Q) and Integrative Human Physiology (CBNP 5165Q); Alternative 2: Fundamentals of Neuroscience (NEUR 5200Q) and Fundamentals of Human Physiology (PHPY 5005Q)
3 700-level courses may be substituted with 600-level courses if the academic advisor appeals on behalf of the student to the Office of Graduate Studies and receives approval.
4 Ph.D. students who have passed the Qualifying Examination (QE) shall register for 3 credits of pre-doctoral research (BME 792B Pre-Doctoral Research) each semester until they successfully defend the Dissertation Proposal. Upon successful defense of the Dissertation Proposal, students shall register for 1-credit of dissertation research (BME 790A Doctoral Dissertation) each semester until all degree requirements have been completed.
5 Following successful completion of the Qualifying Examination, students shall register for the required seminar course in every Fall and Spring semester until degree completion.
