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Biomedical Engineering BMEN

Contact Information

Location: ENA 121C
Faculty number: 403.220.3835
Fax: 403.210.8119
Email address: bmegrad@ucalgary.ca
Web page URL:

1. Degrees and Specializations Offered

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Master of Science (MSc), thesis-based
Master of Engineering (MEng), thesis-based

Specializations:

Medical Imaging (Interdisciplinary)*

* MSc and PhD degrees only. See the Calendar section on Interdisciplinary Specializations for further information.

The curriculum is designed for students with degrees in Engineering, Medicine, Physical Sciences, or Life Sciences. Background experience and qualifications, as well as areas of interest of the applicants will be taken into account at the time of admission. The appropriateness of the undergraduate preparation of the applicant must be supported by the proposed supervisor(s). Students in the MSc and PhD degree programs are normally considered full-time.

The MEng (thesis-based) will focus on Engineering Healthcare Systems Management, and is intended to be taken full-time, although part-time schemes are available.

2. Admission Requirements

Students will be admitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies on the recommendation of the Admissions Committee for the Biomedical Engineering program. Minimum GPA requirements are 3.00 for the MEng (thesis-based) program, 3.20 for the MSc program, and 3.50 for the PhD program, all on a four-point scale.

For admission to the MEng (thesis-based), MSc or PhD program, students must provide two reference letters with their application package.

For admission to the MEng (thesis-based) program, students must have an approved undergraduate degree in engineering.

MEng (thesis-based), MSc and PhD students can only be accepted upon identification of one or more approved Biomedical Engineering Program graduate supervisors who are willing to supervise and fund the applicant.

International students are required to demonstrate proficiency in the English language, in accordance with the guidelines of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. All students must meet the admission requirements of both the Faculty of Graduate Studies and the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program.

Transfer of appropriately qualified MSc students directly into the PhD program is encouraged. Students wishing to transfer must do so between 8 and 16 months of first registration. For transfer a minimum GPA (over a minimum of three half-course equivalents, including Biomedical Engineering 612 (or 601) and 614 (or 603)) of 3.50 is required. In addition, a research proposal, approved by the supervisory committee, must be submitted to the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program. Applications for transfer must be supported by both the supervisor and the supervisory committee.

3. Application Deadline

Students applying for MSc and PhD programs may be admitted for September, January, or May. Students applying for the MEng (thesis-based) program may be admitted for September start only. For all programs, deadlines are three months prior to the start of the semester (i.e., June 1 for September admission, etc.) for students holding a degree from a recognized Canadian or US University, and six months prior to the start of the semester (i.e., March 1 for September admission, etc.) for students holding a degree from another recognized international University.

4. Advanced Credit

Credit may be granted with approval of the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program. Advanced standing will not be granted for Biomedical Engineering 612 or 614.

5. Program/Course Requirements

Master of Science/Doctoral of Philosophy
For a Master of Science degree, all students are required to take a minimum of four half courses as approved by the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program. Note the sequence of Biomedical Engineering 611 and 612 as well as Biomedical Engineering 613 and 614 each count as one half-course equivalent.

For a Doctor of Philosophy, two further half courses are required beyond the Master of Science requirements. For students who transfer from an MSc program, six graduate half courses are required beyond the BSc, or equivalent, degree.

All MSc and PhD students are required to take two half-course equivalents of Core Courses plus a BME program seminar course (either Biomedical Engineering 605 or 607). The Core Courses are offered as quarter courses (Biomedical Engineering 611, 612, 613 and 614). Students who have an acceptable MSc degree and can demonstrate that they have covered equivalent material to Biomedical Engineering 611 and 613 may opt out of one or both of these courses but must replace these two quarter courses with an elective half course to meet the overall course requirements.

Other courses may be chosen from the listing of Additional Courses or approved courses from other departments (see website for most recent information: ). Other relevant courses, not on the Additional course list or Program's website, require the approval of the supervisor and the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program. Students may be required to take senior undergraduate courses as deemed by their Supervisory Committee, but graduate credit will only be granted for senior undergraduate courses as approved by the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program.

In addition to the course requirements, all MSc and PhD students are required to complete a research project and to submit a written thesis in compliance with the regulations of the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

Medical Imaging Specialization
This specialization is open to MSc and PhD students and requires completion of a course sequence in Medical Imaging plus additional specialization requirements (see MEDI entry). MSc students must take a minimum of two courses (the core and a foundational course). PhD students would take three courses (including the core, a foundational and an elective course). PhD students previously completing the MSc Specialization in Medical Imaging will be required to complete one elective course in medical imaging. These requirements are in addition to the core program requirements of the BME Graduate Program. The Medical Imaging courses would count towards BME Graduate Program elective courses.

Master of Engineering (thesis-based)
For a Master of Engineering (thesis-based), normally eight half courses are required, in accordance with the rules of the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program and the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

All Master of Engineering (thesis-based) students are required to take two half-course equivalents of Core Courses plus a BME program seminar course (either Biomedical Engineering 605 or 607) plus a project management course at the graduate level (usually Civil Engineering 691), a health economics course at the graduate level (usually Economics 679) and a clinical trials and biomanufacturing course at the graduate level (usually Medical Science 669). The Core Courses are offered as quarter courses (Biomedical Engineering 611, 612, 613 and 614). One of the remaining three courses must be chosen from the Additional Courses approved by the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program for Master of Engineering (thesis-based) students (see website for most recent information: ). The remaining two courses must include at least one Biomedical Engineering or Engineering course.

In addition to the course requirements, all Master of Engineering (thesis-based) students are required to complete a research project and to submit a written thesis in compliance with the regulations of the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

Core Courses
1. Biomedical Engineering 611 - Fundamentals of Biomedical Engineering â€“ Core Areas
2. Biomedical Engineering 612 - Fundamentals of Biomedical Engineering â€“ Research Areas
3. Biomedical Engineering 613 - Frontiers of Biomedical Engineering â€“ Scientific Communication
4. Biomedical Engineering 614 - Frontiers of Biomedical Engineering â€“ Research Methods

Note that the four listed core course are quarter courses, though the intention is that most students would take Biomedical Engineering 611 and 612 sequentially in the Fall term, and Biomedical Engineering 613 and 614 sequentially in the Winter term. Biomedical Engineering 611/612 and 613/614 may be taken out of sequence for students first registering in the Winter term.

Additional Courses
1. Biomedical Engineering 605 â€“ Research Seminars of Biomedical Engineering
2. Biomedical Engineering 607 â€“ Research Seminars of Biomedical Engineering
3. Biomedical Engineering 609 â€“ Anatomy and Physiology for Biomedical Engineers
4. Biomedical Engineering 619.XX â€“ Special Problems in Biomedical Engineering

Additional Courses for MEng (thesis-based)
1. Medical Science 668 â€“ Biotechnology Commercialization
2. Medical Science 672 â€“ Biotechnology Business Aspects
3. Medical Science 658.02 â€“ Health Economics II

Additional Courses in Theme 1: Bioelectrical Engineering
1. Electrical Engineering 663 - Numerical Electromagnetic Field Computation
2. Electrical Engineering 631 - System Identification and Parameter Estimation
3. Electrical Engineering 665 - Bioelectromagnetism

Additional Courses in Theme 2: Biomechanics
1. Biomedical Engineering 619.02 â€“ Special Topics in Biological Tissue System Mechanics
2. Civil Engineering 651 - Finite Element Modeling
3. Civil Engineering 653 â€“ Theory and Application of the Finite Element Method
4. Mechanical Engineering 653 - Continuum Mechanics
5. Mechanical Engineering/Kinesiology/Medical Science 663 - Advanced Biomechanics (Muscle)

Additional Courses in Theme 3: Cell and Tissue Engineering (Biomaterials)
1. Chemical Engineering 659 â€“ Advanced Cell and Tissue Engineering

Additional Courses in Theme 4: Medical Imaging
1. Electrical Engineering 697 - Digital Image Processing
2. Medical Science 689.01â€“ Medical Imaging Techniques
3. Medical Science 689.02â€“ Advanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging
4. Medical Science 689.03â€“ Advanced Medical Image Processing
5. Medical Science 689.04 - Advanced Molecular Imaging

Additional Biomedical Engineering related courses may be listed under other departmental listings - see website for most recent information: .

Courses are listed by theme, but students are not restricted to taking courses from within a theme. The supervisor and supervisory committee should be consulted for course selection. Courses not listed under Additional Courses or on the list at require the approval of the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program. Directed studies courses require approval of the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program.

6. Additional Requirements

Not applicable.

7. Credit for Undergraduate Courses

Graduate credit may be given for 500-level courses. No more than one half course of credit will be allowed in MSc/PhD or MEng (thesis-based) program as approved by the supervisory committee, and the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program.

8. Time Limit

In accordance with the Faculty of Graduate Studies regulations, the expected completion time for the MEng (thesis-based) degree is 18 months, for the MSc is 24 months and for the PhD is 48 months. Students transferring from the MSc to the PhD program are expected to complete studies within 60 months. Funding in the MSc and PhD programs may not be available after these expected completion times.

9. Supervisory Assignments

MSc and PhD students need a supervisor for admission to the program. A supervisory committee, approved by the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program, will be established by the supervisor immediately upon entry into the MSc or PhD program. MEng (thesis-based) students will choose a supervisor in consultation with the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program for admission to the program.

The supervisory committee will advise on course selection and research topic for the student. The supervisory committee will usually be cross-disciplinary, as required by the studentâ€™s research topic and deemed necessary by the supervisor in consultation with the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program. The supervisory committee will recommend transfer to the PhD program for MSc students and certify the background preparation for PhD students prior to scheduling of the candidacy exam. All students will follow the guidelines of the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program regarding supervision, frequency of committee meetings, course changes, thesis or project proposals, candidacy examinations, etc. as outlined in the Student Handbook. Membership on candidacy and examination committees requires the approval of the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program.

10. Required Examinations

A written research proposal will be required before the oral candidacy exam can be completed.Â Prior to the oral candidacy exam, the supervisory committee must review and approve the written research proposal and assess the appropriateness of background preparation of the student. The oral candidacy examination is to focus on two areas: 1) the proposed research project, and 2) the preparation of the candidate and the ability of the candidate to carry out research at the doctoral level. The oral candidacy exam must be completed within 16 months of first registration as a PhD student for direct entry with an MSc, and within the first 20 months for students who transfer from an MSc to PhD program.

A public lecture, scheduled by the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program, is required immediately prior to MEng, MSc and PhD final thesis oral examinations.

The supervisor is a non-voting member of the oral candidacy committee, and is a voting member of the final thesis oral examination committee.

11. Research Proposal Requirements

PhD students must present a written research proposal to the supervisor and to the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program no later than twelve months after initial registration. Current practice is for MSc and PhD students to enrol in Biomedical Engineering 614, which requires completion and oral presentation of a research proposal. The proposal, with an approval of the supervisor and the co-ordinator of Biomedical Engineering 614, must be sent to the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program to be placed in the student's file.

12. Special Registration Information

None.

13. Financial Assistance

Students in MSc and PhD programs will not be admitted without self-funding or funding from an interested supervisor. Please see the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program handbook for more details.

Students in the MEng (thesis-based) program do not receive funding, but may be eligible for awards or financial assistance.

For information on awards, see the Awards and Financial Assistance section of this Calendar.

14. Other Information

A Master of Science, Master of Engineering, or Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering does not entitle graduates to a designation of Professional Engineer. The title of Engineer, or Professional Engineer, is restricted to those who are members of a Provincial engineering association.

15. Faculty Members/Research Interests

Faculty members in this program are based in the Schulich School of Engineering, and the faculties of Kinesiology, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and Science. Many BME faculty are cross-appointed to multiple departments. Information about BME faculty research can be found at .

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