About our Graduate Programs

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) began jointly offering a new Biomedical Engineering Ph.D. program in the Fall of 2003. The objective of the program is to train students in the use of basic biomedical engineering approaches for the investigation of fundamental bioengineering questions associated with the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases. The educational goals of this program are founded on the belief that the basic scientific approach is critical to the fundamental understanding of human health and the treatment of disease.

Our Students

Highly qualified students have been attracted to the program from its inception. Students herald from cities across the United States and worldwide. The racial, ethnic, and gender diversity of the students is one of the strengths of the Biomedical Engineering Program and continues the historic role of both UTSA and UT Health San Antonio  as minority-serving institutions within the state of Texas. Admission into the program is selective with ~45-50% of applicants being offered admission. The average GRE scores of all students matriculating into the program are Verbal 523 and Quantitative 716. The average GPA for the same cohort of students was 3.46 on a 4.0 scale.

Several mechanisms are used to financially support graduate students in the program. This support includes National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation assistantships or training grants, fellowships provided through the Sloan Foundation, industry-sponsored projects, and other private, state and federal funding sources awarded through the supervising professor.

M.S. in Biomedical Engineering

The M.S. program in Biomedical Engineering is jointly offered between UT Health San Antonio and The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). The primary objective of this program is to broadly train students in the principles of biomedical engineering so they are well prepared to participate in the development of new approaches for the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases.

As the program is multidisciplinary, the curriculum is designed to provide a synergistic combination of formal courses, seminars, teaching opportunities, interactions with clinicians, and individualized biomedical engineering research experiences in the laboratories of the biomedical engineering faculty. All students are required to take core courses in Biomaterials, Biomechanics, Bioelectronics/Imaging and Biology, Physiology, Responsible Conduct of Research, and Experimental Design and Data Analysis. In addition to the basic core curriculum, students are required to take additional coursework in the area of specialization. Students have access to the bioengineering and biosciences laboratories at both the Health Science Center and UTSA. This provides a unique opportunity to have learning experiences in medical, dental, bioscience, and engineering environments.

Biomedical Engineering Objectives/Program Outcomes

BME students will demonstrate their understanding of fundamental biology concepts for biomedical applications. Fundamental knowledge of biology is evaluated.
BME students will be able to design and carry out research experiments. Fundamental research skills are evaluated.
BME students will be able to communicate research findings to a diverse audience.
BME students will demonstrate their understanding of biomaterials concepts. Fundamental biomaterials knowledge and the student's abilities to apply the knowledge of biomaterials are evaluated.
BME students will demonstrate their understanding of biomechanics concepts. Fundamental knowledge of biomechanics is evaluated.
BME students will conduct themselves professionally and ethically in all biomedical engineering research.
BME students will critically evaluate scientific literature.

Degree Requirements

Thesis Option

A minimum of 32.0 semester credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree and a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 is required for the M.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering thesis option. Undergraduate courses, general education courses, and prerequisites for graduate courses cannot be counted toward this total. For transferring students, course credit allowed for transfer will be decided on a case-by-case basis by the Biomedical Engineering Committee on Graduate Studies (COGS). If recommended by COGS, the request will then be submitted to the Dean of the Graduate School for approval. Regardless of their area of specialization, all students are required to take a total of 17.0 semester credit hours of Required Core Courses. In addition, all students must register for three semesters of Research seminar, a minimum of 6 semester credit hours of approved Elective Courses, and a minimum of 6 semester credit hours of biomedical engineering Master’s Thesis Research. The courses taken by students are intended to focus and support the individual’s mastery of his or her particular area of specialization. The student must successfully present their Thesis and be recommended by their program COGS for approval of their degree to the Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

Non-thesis Option

A non-thesis option is available upon approval from the Program Director and the Graduate Advisor of Record. Typically, a Master's degree (non-thesis option) plan of study will consist of at least 36.0 semester credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree. Undergraduate courses, general education courses, and prerequisites for graduate courses cannot be counted toward this total. For transferring students, course credit allowed for transfer will be decided on a case-by-case basis by the Biomedical Engineering Committee on Graduate Studies (COGS). If recommended by COGS, the request will then be submitted to the Dean of the Graduate School for approval. Regardless of their area of specialization, all students are required to take a total of 18.0 semester credit hours of Required Core Courses. In addition, all students must register for three semesters of a Research seminar and a minimum of 15 semester credit hours of approved Elective courses.

Additional information can be found in the Program Handbook and the UTSA Graduate Catalog.

Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering

The Ph.D. program in Biomedical Engineering is jointly offered between UT Health San Antonio and The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). The primary objective of this program is to broadly train students in the principles of biomedical engineering so they are well prepared to participate in the development of new approaches for the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases.

As the program is multidisciplinary, the curriculum is designed to provide a synergistic combination of formal courses, seminars, teaching opportunities, interactions with clinicians, and individualized biomedical engineering research experiences in the laboratories of the biomedical engineering faculty. All students are required to take core courses in Biomaterials, Biomechanics, Bioelectronics/Imaging and Biology, Physiology, Responsible Conduct of Research, and Experimental Design and Data Analysis. In addition to the basic core curriculum, students are required to take additional coursework in the area of specialization. Students have access to the bioengineering and biosciences laboratories at both UT Health San Antonio and UTSA. This provides a unique opportunity to have learning experiences in medical, dental, bioscience, and engineering environments.

Biomedical Engineering Objectives/Program Outcomes

BME students will demonstrate their understanding of biology concepts for biomedical applications. Fundamental knowledge of biology is evaluated.
BME students will demonstrate their understanding of biomaterials concepts. Fundamental biomaterials knowledge and the students' ability to apply knowledge of biomaterials are evaluated.
BME students will demonstrate their understanding of biomechanics concepts. Fundamental knowledge of biomechanics is evaluated.
BME students will be able to design and carry out research experiments. Foundation of knowledge, application of knowledge, and research skills are evaluated.
BME students will be able to communicate research findings to diverse audiences.
BME students will be able to teach and disseminate knowledge.
BME students will conduct themselves professionally and ethically in all biomedical engineering research.
BME students will critically evaluate scientific literature.

Biomedical Engineering Degree Requirements

A minimum of 82.0 credit hours and a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 is required for the Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Engineering. Undergraduate courses, general education courses, and prerequisites for graduate courses cannot be counted toward this total. For students with a master's degree, course credit allowed for transfer will be decided on a case-by-case basis by the Biomedical Engineering COGS. If recommended by the COGS, the request will then be submitted to the Dean of the Graduate School for approval. In addition, all doctoral candidates must register for the Dissertation course (BME 7099) for at least two semesters to graduate; only one of the terms may be a summer session. The student is required to demonstrate intellectual command of the subject area of the graduate program and the capability to carry out an independent and original investigation in the area. The student must successfully defend a dissertation and be recommended by their program COGS for approval of their degree to the Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

Additional information can be found in the Program Handbook and the UTSA Graduate Catalog.