A Ph.D. in Bioengineering student performs original research guided by an advisor and contributes to the knowledge base in the scientific community. Students may be involved in the design and regulatory approval of advanced medical technologies, as well as the manufacturing of health care products. Funding opportunities include research or teaching assistantships and fellowships. Lab rotations, funded as graduate research assistantships, are available for top Ph.D. candidates and offer a one-year opportunity for students to rotate through research labs within the School of Biomedical Engineering to find the ideal match of research project and advisor for their dissertation research.

The Ph.D. curriculum includes core courses in advanced mathematics and statistics, biomedical engineering, and biotechnology, as well as technical electives chosen from numerous engineering and life science courses. The curriculum is designed to provide flexibility and support the chosen research specialty. Students are required to complete a Ph.D. qualifying process, present a research plan in a preliminary exam, and defend completed research in a final exam/dissertation defense.

Strengths of the program include the following:

  • Opportunities to develop major advances in the health care field
  • Nationally and internationally recognized faculty from over a dozen departments
  • Practical and academic experience with regulatory issues and approval processes with animal and human subjects
  • Conducting research in state-of-the-art facilities, including the nationally renowned Veterinary Teaching Hospital
  • Community of innovators on the cutting edge of research in cancer, orthopedics, cardiovascular disease, nanotechnology, biosensors, and more

Intra-University in Colleges of Health and Human Sciences, Engineering, Natural Sciences, Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Effective Fall 2021

Core Course Requirements
BIOM 533/CIVE 533Biomolecular Tools for Engineers3
BIOM 570/MECH 570Bioengineering3
BIOM 576/MECH 576Quantitative Systems Physiology4
BIOM 592Seminar 14
BIOM 799Dissertation15-18
Select three credits from the following:3
Mathematics for Scientists and Engineers
Foundations of Applied Mathematics
Partial Differential Equations I
Numerical Methods in Science and Engineering
Linear Algebra
Linear Algebra for Data Science: Matrices and Vectors Spaces
Linear Algebra for Data Science: Geometric Techniques for Data Reduction
Linear Algebra for Data Science: Matrix Factorizations and Transformations
Linear Algebra for Data Science: Theoretical Foundations
Select four credits from the following:4
Data Wrangling/Visualization for Researchers
Multivariate Analysis for Researchers
Design and Data Analysis for Researchers II
Regression Models for Researchers
Experimental Design/Analysis for Researchers
Generalized Regression Models for Researchers
Mixed Models for Researchers
Machine Learning for Researchers
M.S. Earned30
Electives 26-12
Program Total Credits:72

A minimum of 72 credits are required to complete this program.3

1

BIOM 592 must be taken in four semesters.

2

Select a minimum of 6 credits of Engineering courses 500-level or above (either as a master's student or Ph.D. student) with approval of advisor.

3

Program Total Credits must include a minimum of 42 semester credits earned at CSU (while in the graduate program), a minimum of 32 semester credits earned after admission to CSU, and a minimum of 12 semester credits earned at CSU (post-master's degree) in 500-level or above courses (not including dissertation and independent study). 10 credits earned after a master's degree is acceptable with approval from the student's advisor, the Bioengineering program, and the Graduate School. Completion of the Ph.D. also requires successfully completing a qualifying exam, a preliminary exam, and a dissertation defense.