Bioengineering

Admission Requirements

Admission requirements for the MS and PhD in the Department of Bioengineering and the PhD in Biomedical Engineering differ slightly in the coursework background required and in the test score requirements.

Admission for MS and PhD in Bioengineering

The graduate programs (MS and PhD) in the Department of Bioengineering are open to all qualified individuals with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) or Master's of Science (M.S.) in Engineering. Students with a B.S., B.A., or M.S./M.A. degree in a related field are also eligible provided they meet the minimum prerequisite coursework requirement of:

  • two (2) years of calculus through differential equations; and
  • one (1) year of engineering physics.

To be competitive for admission, all applicants should have a grade point average of at least 3.0/4.0 for all previous undergraduate work and 3.3/4.0 for all previous graduate work. In some cases, additional prerequisite courses related to the program of study may be required (see Provisional Admission). Course credits for meeting undergraduate prerequisites are not applied toward the graduate degree.

The GRE exam is required of all students, and international students are expected to complete the TOEFL exam. The minimum scores for the GRE are set by the Department of Bioengineering; the minimum scores for the TOEFL exam are set by the College of Graduate Studies. The minimum scores considered are:

  • GRE - 300 combined for the verbal and quantitative sections
  • TOEFL - 550 (PBT); 213 (CBT); 80 (IBT)

Admission for the Biomedical Engineering PhD program

The PhD degree in Biomedical Engineering is open to qualified students with either degrees in engineering or in science fields such as biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, or computer science. Since prospective students are expected to have a variety of backgrounds, the requirements for admission will also vary.

To be competitive for admission to this program, students must have a grade point average of at least 3.0/4.0 for all previous undergraduate work and 3.3/4.0 for all previous graduate coursework. All non-MD applicants are required to submit the results of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Students who are candidates for the MD program in the UT College of Medicine may submit MCAT scores. These scores will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. In addition, international students must submit the results of the TOEFL exam with a required minimum score of 550 (paper-based test), 213 (computer-based test), or 80 (internet-based test). Students with non-engineering undergraduate degrees desiring entry into this PhD program must have completed:

  • one (1) year of engineering physics;
  • one (1) year of biology;
  • one (1) year of chemistry;
  • two (2) years of calculus through differential equations; and
  • at least 12 semester credit hours of undergraduate engineering/science course work (appropriate to the area of research interest of the candidate) to be considered for admission.

Examples of course requirements for some of the existing research areas are summarized in Table 1. Credit received for undergraduate coursework required for admission will not be applied toward the graduate degree.

Table 1: Undergraduate Coursework for Students with Non-engineering BS Degrees. All students must take the core courses, or have received a 3.0/4.0 GPA or better in equivalent courses. The 12 credit hours of engineering/science courses will depend on each student's research area, and two examples are provided below.

Core Science Courses Hrs Engineering/Science Courses Hrs
Sciences: 
BIOL 2150 Fund. Life Sci. I 
BIOL 2170 Fund. Life Sci. II 
CHEM 1230 General Chemistry I 
CHEM 1240 General Chemistry II 
PHYS 2130 Engineering Physics I 
PHYS 2140 Engineering Physics II 

Mathematics: 
MATH 1850 Calculus I 
MATH 1860 Calculus II 
MATH 2850 Multivariate Calculus 
MATH 2860 Differential Equations
  







  



3
Biomechanics Option: 
BIOE 2200 Biomaterials 
CIVE 1150 Statics 
CIVE 1160 Strength of Materials 
MIME 2300 Dynamics 

Bioinstrumentation Option: 
EECS 2300 Electric Circuits 
MATH 2890 Linear Algebra 
BIOE 3300 Biomedical Electronics 
BIOE 4120 Biosignal Processing
  





  



4

Students interested in the MD/PhD in Biomedical Engineering program should first apply and be admitted to the College of Medicine. They should also state their interest in the Biomedical Engineering PhD program on the COM Secondary Application. Either simultaneously or within the first year of their studies at COM, they should apply for admission to the Biomedical Engineering Doctoral program through the College of Graduate Studies.

 

Graduate Program Navigation Menus:
Bioengineering Home
Schedules: 
Course Schedules / Elective Schedules / Seminar Schedules / News & Events 
Facilities:  
ECORE and NSFI/UCRC / CMSC
Prospective Students:
Admission Requirements / Provisional Admission / Application Information / Financial Assistance / Transfer Credit
MS Programs:  
BSMS Early Admission Program / MSBE Thesis / MSBE Coursework
PhD Programs: 
PhD in Engineering / PhD in Biomedical Engineering
Current Graduate Students:  
Advising / Registration / Residency / Grade Requirements / Degree Time Limits
Graduate Student Forms:  
Advisor Selection / Defense Announcement / PhD Qualifying Exam / PhD Dissertation Proposal / MS Thesis Defense / 
PhD Dissertation Defense / Exit Interview

Last Updated: 6/27/22