Bioengineering, MS

Program Description

Bioengineering is the application of engineering and scientific principles to understand and solve medical problems. As medical technology has rapidly developed over the past four decades, the demand for qualified bioengineers has dramatically increased. Career opportunities for bioengineers range from teaching and conducting basic research in academia, to research and development work in the growing medical product industry. Employment opportunities are also available in independent research laboratories, hospitals and federal agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration or the National Institutes of Health.

The basic requirement for admission to a bioengineering advanced degree program is a bachelor’s degree from an accredited undergraduate engineering program. Students will most commonly be trained in biomedical engineering/bioengineering, materials science and engineering, chemical engineering, electrical/computer engineering or mechanical engineering, although students from other traditional engineering disciplines are also accepted. Exceptional students in physics, chemistry and the life sciences are also considered. Students must demonstrate knowledge in Calculus of Several Variables and Ordinary Differential Equations, as well as biology and physiology at a minimum.

Students can enter the department prior to demonstrating these competencies if approved by the admissions committee. These students are responsible for demonstrating competencies such as completing a course addressing their knowledge in a topic during their enrollment in addition to the requirements stipulated for the graduate degree. Undergraduate Course credits to meet competencies are not applied toward a graduate degree.

Students interested in obtaining a doctoral degree are encouraged to apply directly to the PhD program from their BS degree program, with the PhD program typically requiring about five years to complete following the BS degree or about four years following the MS degree. The selection of courses for the doctoral degree is flexible and depends on the background and objectives of each candidate. More detailed information is available in the website: http://www.clemson.edu/bioengineering.

Combined Bachelors/Graduate Programs

The Department of Bioengineering offers a combined BS/Graduate plan. Under the plan, Clemson students may reduce the time necessary to earn both a BS degree in Bioengineering or Biological Sciences and a graduate degree in Bioengineering/Biomedical Engineering by applying graduate credits to both undergraduate and graduate program requirements.

Students are encouraged to obtain the specific requirements for the dual degree from the undergraduate department or the Department of Bioengineering as early as possible in their undergraduate programs to ensure that all prerequisite and other program requirements are met. Enrollment guidelines and procedures can be found at http://www.clemson.edu/cecas/departments/bioe/academics/bs-graduate.html.