Master of Science in Bioengineering

Bioengineering faculty have established highly interdisciplinary collaborations with faculty members from the College of Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biology, Chemistry, Physical Therapy, and more.

Students select from four concentrations, with related research areas, a thesis option, project option, or course-only option.

Concentrations 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 MS in Bioengineering offers part- and full-time enrollment options and a selection of asynchronous online classes.

The MS in Bioengineering can be completed in two semesters (fall and spring) without a cooperative education experience, or up to two years with cooperative education included. Learn more about the 1-year master’s plan for our concentrations.

The Boston campus is located directly adjacent to the world-renowned Longwood Medical Area in Boston with the world’s prestigious hospitals, and nearby Cambridge, a hub for pharmaceutical research, providing an excellent opportunity for students to combine engineering, medicine, and biology through education, research, and professional experience as part of Northeastern’s top-ranked cooperative education program.

The MS in Bioengineering provides significant opportunities for student research, working with accomplished faculty. With a premier location in downtown Boston, as well as in Portland, Maine, research in the department leverages the wealth of collaborations with neighboring universities, hospitals, medical centers and industry.

Bioengineering research enjoys strong support from multiple government agencies. NIH has historically led all other agencies in budget increases, consuming today roughly 50% of all non-defense research spending. Healthcare spending expanded from 6% of the GDP in 1960 to 15% in 2000 and has climbed to 20% in 2020, in part due to the aging of the baby-boom generation. The COVID-19 pandemic was another chief driver of healthcare needs.

Biomedical advances are increasingly dependent on quantitative approaches as exemplified by bioengineering, and the general perception is that government support for this research will continue to rise (or, at the very least, erode more slowly than other areas). The energy crisis and global climate change threats have also fostered interdisciplinary research across bioengineering with other fields such as biofuel cells, bio-batteries, bioremediation, bio-carbon sequestration, etc., and many agencies such as EPA, DOE, DOD and DARPA support these research directions.

• An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems.
• An ability to explain and apply engineering design principles, as appropriate to the program’s educational objectives.
• An ability to produce solutions that meet specified end-user needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
• To develop and demonstrate rigorous knowledge in relevant areas of Bioengineering including i) Biomedical Devices and Bioimaging, ii) Molecular, Cell, and Tissue Engineering, and, iii) Biomechanics and Mechanobiology.
• To develop and demonstrate and ability to perform critical analysis of scientific journal articles.
• To prepare students for careers in Bioengineering

Over 15 graduate certificates are available to provide students the opportunity to develop a specialization in an area of their choice. Certificates can be taken in addition to or in combination with a master’s degree, or provide a pathway to a master’s degree in Northeastern’s College of Engineering. Master’s programs can also be combined with a Gordon Engineering Leadership certificate. Students should consult with their faculty advisor regarding these options.