Biomedical Engineering Master of Science Degree

RIT’s biomedical engineering master’s degree produces professionals who can innovate solutions for today’s most pressing health care challenges.


Overview for Biomedical Engineering MS

Why Study RIT's RIT’s Biomedical Engineering Master’s Degree

  • Design equipment, devices, and processes such as artificial internal organs and prosthetics, pharmaceutical development and manufacturing processes, and machines for diagnosing medical problems or performing robotic-assisted surgery.
  • Pipeline to graduate study or an immediate gateway to a dynamic biomedical engineering career.

The biomedical engineering master’s degree produces nimble professionals who can leverage the power of technology, design, and engineering to make positive, powerful impacts on human health and patient care. 

Biomedical Engineering Is Critical to the Future of Health Care

Biomedical engineering applies the principles and theories of engineering to solve problems in the wide-ranging fields of medicine and health care. Biomedical engineers can be found working alongside scientists, other engineering professionals, and medical practitioners to evaluate the complex, interdependent systems of the human body in order to develop and research effective solutions to improve or enhance a patient’s quality of life. These solutions can range from life-saving devices such as pace-makers and artificial organs; to life-enhancing mechanisms like prosthetics, artificial joints, and wearable medical devices; to medical instrumentation, such as next-generation MRI, CT, that enable more efficient medical procedures; to manufacturing processes involving live cells.

Biomedical Engineering Courses

Through core courses and electives, RIT’s biomedical engineering master’s program will provide the knowledge you need to develop and define your knowledge of biomedical engineering principles and practices to prepare you to design biomedical engineering systems that result in applications that improve and enhance the health and well-being of patients. The degree culminates in a two-course sequence in a biodesign project and presentation. You will   conduct an assessment of a medical problem or challenge and develop a solution taking into account stakeholder and market analysis, and regulatory and intellectual property considerations. In the second course, you will use the knowledge gained in the first course to inform an advanced biodesign strategy that includes the design and fabrication of product concepts using rapid prototyping tools. 

Careers in Biomedical Engineering

Biomedical engineering is a rapidly growing field with a variety of career opportunities for students with an interest in combining engineering with medicine. It’s a branch of engineering that uniquely leverages the vast knowledge base of biology and medicine to solve problems focused on health care and the human body. Biomedical engineers combine their knowledge of engineering with biology, anatomy, and physiology to create devices and systems for a variety of health care issues.  The need for sophisticated diagnostic and therapeutic equipment, as well as manufacturing processes that use cell culture and tissue culture techniques has fueled the demand for biomedical engineers who commonly work in multidisciplinary teams to develop devices, equipment, and processes for a number of applications.

Biomedical engineers can be found working in a variety of settings to work performed by a to improve the health and well-being of others, including biocompatibility testing, engineering artificial organs and tissues, developing new drug delivery systems, creating or modifying innovative medical devices, enhancing medical imaging techniques, or designing procedures to meet regulatory requirements: . Positions are available in academia, hospitals and clinics, laboratories, manufacturing settings, and more. Biomedical engineers will find dynamic careers in which they are uniquely qualified to:

  • Design systems and products, such as artificial internal organs, artificial devices that replace body parts, and machines for diagnosing medical problems
  • Work with life scientists, chemists, and medical scientists to research the engineering aspects of biological systems of humans and animals
  • Collaborate with pharmaceutical companies to develop new drug therapies
  • Evaluate the safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of biomedical equipment

Master’s in Biomedical Engineering: A Pathway To An Immediate Career or Advanced Study 

The MS in biomedical engineering equips you to launch a career immediately after earning the degree, or to pursue advanced study in any number of graduate or professional programs, including engineering, science, medicine and health care professions. 

Loading...

Careers and Cooperative Education

Cooperative Education

What makes an RIT education exceptional? It’s the opportunity to complete relevant, hands-on engineering co-ops and internships with top companies in every single industry. At the graduate level, and paired with an advanced degree, cooperative education and internships give you the unparalleled credentials that truly set you apart. Learn more about graduate co-op and how it provides you with the career experience employers look for in their next top hires.

Cooperative education is optional but strongly encouraged for graduate students in the biomedical engineering master’s program.

Curriculum for 2023-2024 for Biomedical Engineering MS

Current Students: See Curriculum Requirements

Biomedical Engineering, MS degree, typical source sequence

Course Sem. Cr. Hrs.
First Year
BIME-607
Graduate Biodesign
This course is a graduate-level introduction to the biodesign process used for innovating medical technologies. Student teams will apply a needs-based assessment strategy to identify opportunities in a biomedical related field such as assistive technologies and rehabilitation engineering. Incorporating CAD will culminate in a virtual medical device prototype. Concepts of intellectual property, regulatory considerations, and reimbursement and business models will be introduced. (This course is restricted to Graduate students.) Lecture 3 (Fall).
3
BIME-750
Biostatistics
This course will expose student to the basic properties of data collected from biological systems and issues involved in the statistical analysis of such data. Specifically, this course will review the motivations and rationale behind conventional regression models, issues that arise in applying these methods to biological data, and specific extensions of these methods required to obtain meaningful results. Specific examples of these approaches and their application will be given at different levels of biology. The analysis of such problems will require the use of advanced regression techniques directed at resolving the partial confounding that is typical of living (closed loop regulated) systems, applied under statistical software packages (e.g., spreadsheets, graphing, Matlab, SPSS, Simca). (This class is restricted to degree-seeking graduate students or those with permission from instructor.) Lab 3 (Biannual).
3
BIME-791
Graduate Biomedical Laboratory
This course provides students with a variety of lab experiences across many specialties of biomedical engineering. Experiments emphasize proper data collection and analysis as well as critical reading and scientific writing. (This course is available to RIT degree-seeking graduate students.) Lab 6, Lecture 2 (Fall).
4
BIME-792
Project with Paper
This course is used by students in the Biomedical Engineering MS degree program as a capstone experience following completion of BIME 607 Graduate Biodesign. Students will learn and apply advanced Biodesign strategies related to intellectual property, regulatory approval, and potential commercialization, completing a series of modules with specific learning goals. The course will include the design and fabrication of product concepts using rapid prototyping tools. Students completing an internship may use that experience as motivation for their project in this course. Students must work with a faculty advisor who will approve their topic and review their progress throughout the completion of this capstone experience. A written paper and presentation of the work as well as a prototype are required. (Prereq: BIME-607) Ind Study 6 (Fall, Spring, Summer).
6
BIME-795
Graduate Seminar*
2
CHME-709
Advanced Engineering Mathematics 
The course begins with a pertinent review of linear and nonlinear ordinary differential equations and Laplace transforms and their applications to solving engineering problems. It then continues with an in-depth study of vector calculus, complex analysis/integration, and partial differential equations; and their applications in analyzing and solving a variety of engineering problems. Topics include: ordinary and partial differential equations, Laplace transforms, vector calculus, complex functions/analysis, complex integration. Chemical engineering applications will be discussed throughout the course. (Prerequisites: Graduate standing in Chemical Engineering.) Lecture 3 (Fall).
3
 
BME Grad Elective
6
 
KGCOE Engineering Elective
3
Total Semester Credit Hours
30

*students take BIME-795 twice

 

Admissions and Financial Aid

This program is available on-campus only.

Offered Admit Term(s) Application Deadline STEM Designated
Full‑time Fall February 15 priority deadline; rolling thereafter Yes

Full-time study is 9+ semester credit hours. International students requiring a visa to study at the RIT Rochester campus must study full‑time.

Application Details

To be considered for admission to the Biomedical Engineering MS program, candidates must fulfill the following requirements:

English Language Test Scores

International applicants whose native language is not English must submit one of the following official English language test scores. Some international applicants may be considered for an English test requirement waiver.

TOEFL IELTS PTE Academic
88 6.5 60

International students below the minimum requirement may be considered for conditional admission. Each program requires balanced sub-scores when determining an applicant’s need for additional English language courses.

How to Apply Start or Manage Your Application

Cost and Financial Aid

An RIT graduate degree is an investment with lifelong returns. Graduate tuition varies by degree, the number of credits taken per semester, and delivery method. View the general cost of attendance or estimate the cost of your graduate degree.

A combination of sources can help fund your graduate degree. Learn how to fund your degree

Latest News