Graduate Studies
The Department of Bioengineering is driven by the conviction that the interface of engineering and medicine will be one of the great intellectual adventures of the 21st century. To prepare students for this adventure, the department strives to create an atmosphere of innovation and creativity that fosters excellence in instruction and research and provides a foundation for programs that drive forward the cutting edge of knowledge while establishing translational collaborations with clinical and industrial researchers.
Bioengineering is a relatively new field built on the recognition that engineering of biological systems or systems that interface with living systems requires a multidisciplinary approach that takes into account the mechanical, electrical, chemical, and materials properties of the biological system. Students with backgrounds from biochemistry to computer science and many fields in between are attracted to bioengineering as a field with the potential to make a great impact on human health.
The MS and PhD programs are designed to integrate students with very different backgrounds and provide them with the course work and research experience that will take advantage of their unique backgrounds and, where appropriate, fill in gaps in their backgrounds to help them grow into a more broadly informed student.
Recognizing the breadth of disciplines that contribute to bioengineering projects, the MS program allows students to choose one of four concentrations to develop deep expertise in an area of particular interest and encourages individual research through a one-semester master’s project or two-semester master’s thesis in one of the following research areas.
The PhD program spans four core research areas for which the department has particular strengths:
- Biomedical Devices and Bioimaging
- Biomechanics, Biotransport and Mechanobiology
- Molecular, Cell and Tissue Engineering
- Systems, Synthetic and Computational Bioengineering
Course work is designed to strengthen student backgrounds in those areas most relevant to the interests of each student.
The MS degree program options include full-time, full-time one-year accelerated, and part-time, and has select online courses for working professionals. The PhD degree program is full-time only. Candidates pursuing an MS or PhD are able to select thesis topics from a diverse range of faculty research. New graduate students may learn about ongoing research topics from individual faculty members, faculty websites, and bioengineering seminars.
More Information
For more information on graduate studies at Northeastern’s College of Engineering, please see the Graduate School of Engineering or contact the Director of Graduate Studies.