PhD in Biomedical Engineering

Physiology (3 credits)

BMEG 804 Quantitative Human Physiology This course uses quantitative approaches to understand normal human physiology and in disease. Tissues and organs systems are examined in an integrated manner using principles from engineering kinetics and transport processes. Topics include: modeling anatomy, cardiovascular, renal, and respiratory physiology and pathophysiology.

Advanced Math (3 credits)

BMEG 671 Advanced Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Modeling Mathematical methods in Human Physiology, covering cellular, tissue, organ, and integrated systems. Dynamic modeling of homeostasis, endocrine regulatory systems, immune response dynamics, mutation and selection. Mathematical methods covered include linear and nonlinear differential equations, Lyapunov analysis, mass action, Hamming spaces, reaction-diffusion equations, and simulation.

Statistics (3 credits)

BMEG 802 Advanced Biomedical Experiment Design & Analysis Single-Semester introduction to the numerical analysis of biological data in fields such as molecular and cellular biology. Emphasis on choosing and using the correct analysis method for each experiment by using small number of relatively simple statistical tests.

Communication and Ethics (3 credits)

BMEG 801: Communication in Biomedical Engineering Communication methods for professional development such as written and oral presentations. Writing proposals, journal papers, and dissertations. Oral presentation of research, proposals, and informal presentations Selecting a research topic, reviewing literature, generating hypotheses, writing study designs.

At least one Technical elective must be a BMEG elective of 600-level or higher.  Technical electives include approved courses from both inside and outside of the BME department. A list of approved technical electives can be found in Appendix A of the Program Policy Document and a Live Course Schedule Spreadsheet is maintained. Courses not on the approved list of technical electives can be substituted with permission of the Faculty Advisor and approval by the Graduate Director. In rare situations, substitutions for core courses may be allowed at the recommendation of the student’s Faculty Advisor and with the approval of the Graduate Director.

For completed graduate course work performed at another regionally accredited U.S. institution that has not led to degree conferral and are not older than five years, up to 9 credit hours may be transferred, reducing the 39 credits required for the BME PhD degree. Transfer of Credit applications (to the Graduate College) must be approved by the Graduate Director and Faculty Advisor. Transfers will only be granted for courses that cover subjects eligible for credit toward a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Delaware. Credit for core courses will only be transferred in rare cases. Requests for credit transfers must be initiated by the student before the beginning of their third semester at UD.

Graduate College policies do not permit the transfer of credit for graduate level courses that led to the successful conferral of a previous graduate degree. The specific guidelines regarding the transfer of credits can be found on the Graduate College website.

Students that have completed a graduate degree may request course waivers for up to 3 courses (9 credit hours). Waiving a course removes the requirement to take the similar course again or can waive one of the Technical Elective requirements. Waiving a course reduces the amount of credits required for completing the program.

Students who have completed a prior graduate degree at UD may be eligible to have more courses waived. Any BMEG course or any course approved by the Faculty Advisor, already taken at the graduate level (and as part of a graduate degree) at UD may be waived from the BME PhD program requirements. For students that complete coursework required for the BMEG PhD as part of their QSP MS, these courses and credits will apply toward the PhD program requirements if the student decides to pursue a subsequent PhD degree in BME.

Course waivers must be approved by the Graduate Director and Faculty Advisor. Waivers will only be granted for courses that cover subjects eligible for credit toward a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Delaware. Credit for core courses will only be waived in rare cases. Requests for course waivers must be initiated by the student before the beginning of their third semester at UD.

Only graduate courses completed with a grade of B- or higher will count towards the requirements of the BME program. If a student does not achieve a B- or higher in a core course, they must retake the course, and if the retaken grade is below a B-, the student will be recommended for dismissal from the program. If a student achieves lower than a B- on a technical elective course, they can retake the course or replace it with another technical elective course. Students must maintain at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) throughout their training and must have a minimum overall cumulative GPA of 3.0 to receive their PhD degree. Included in this overall calculation are all graduate-numbered courses taken with graduate student classification at the University of Delaware. Additionally, a student’s grades in courses specifically required for the degree program must also average at least 3.0. In the event that a student’s cumulative GPA falls below a 3.0, the BME department will follow the Graduate College policies on academic deficiencies.

Faculty Advisor

All PhD students must have a Faculty Advisor overseeing doctoral studies and research. The Faculty Advisor will be a member of the Biomedical Engineering department faculty (Primary, Joint, or Affiliated). The Faculty Advisor is responsible for ensuring that the student complies with the rules and regulations from the BME department, the College of Engineering, and the University for PhD education. They are also responsible for arranging for funding for the student for the duration of their PhD studies.

Dissertation Committee

The Dissertation Committee plays a significant role in the student’s PhD studies, including administering and approving the Qualifying Exam, Proposal Defense, and Doctoral Dissertation and Defense; serving as annual evaluator of student progress; and providing advisement of both student and Faculty Advisor alike. The Dissertation Committee serves to uphold the standards of the BME department regarding research conduct and can advocate on behalf of both the students and Faculty Advisors in resolving conflicts. The Dissertation Committee is selected by the student and Faculty Advisor and must have a minimum of four members including the Faculty Advisor.

The committee chairperson is typically the student’s Faculty Advisor. They must be a BME faculty member (primary, joint, or affiliated) and must be a full-time member of the faculty of the University; the definition of faculty shall include professional staff that hold secondary faculty appointments. Faculty who have retired or resigned from the University may chair committees of students whose work began under their direction prior to their retirement or departure from the University. A Faculty Advisor who is not employed full-time by the University of Delaware may serve as co-chair of the committee providing that the other co-chair is employed full-time by the University.

Committees must have four members (and no more than six). Requirements for choosing committee members includes the following;

1. At least three members must have an appointment in BME (primary, joint, or affiliated),
2. At least one member (other than the Faculty Advisor) must hold a voting appointment in BME,
3. One member must be from outside of the primary research area of the dissertation topic,
4. Three members must be full-time faculty members at University of Delaware,
5. One member must be from outside of the Biomedical Engineering department, inclusive of outside of the University. Faculty who have joint or affiliated appointments in BME may serve as this external member, so long as their primary appointment is not in BME.

Progressing through the PhD program includes several requirements and milestones, including passing a Qualifying Exam, a Dissertation Proposal, and Dissertation Defense. A standard timeline for a typical student working towards a PhD in BME is presented below.

In order to advance to candidacy and enter Sustaining status, students must complete the following:

1. Establish a Dissertation Committee
2. Pass the Qualifying Exam
3. Complete all coursework; including 9 credits of BMEG969 Doctoral Dissertation

Sustaining status refers to a special registration option for graduate students who have finished coursework requirements of their degree but have not yet completed their dissertation research. During this time there are different fees and tuition costs are reduced. Students generally do not take further credit-bearing courses while on Sustaining, but may with approval of their Faculty Advisor and in consultation with the Graduate Director.

To broaden your scholarly development, expand your professional network, and create a positive culture as a graduate student in the BME department, you are highly encouraged to actively engage in your academic and professional community. This includes regularly attending departmental seminars, attending and occasionally presenting your work at the annual Graduate Student Research Symposium each Fall, and participating in academic conferences as an attendee and a presenter. You are also expected to contribute to the recruitment of incoming students and provide mentorship for incoming students, fostering a supportive and inclusive environment. Graduate students are also encouraged to engage in service to the department, the College of Engineering, and broader University and scientific community. Additionally, you are responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies and procedures governing your training and education, ensuring compliance with academic and institutional standards.

The purpose of the Qualifying Exam is to establish and maintain a common standard of preparation and progress for dissertation research by students in the PhD program. The Qualifying Exam will be administered by the student’s Dissertation Committee. The role of the committee in this process is to uphold the common standard of student preparation and progress on behalf of the department, and to provide necessary feedback to maximize the student’s success in their dissertation research. The Qualifying Exam is comprised of both a written and oral component, which are collectively used to evaluate and provide feedback regarding the preparation of the student in the areas of:

1. critical thinking, including the ability to identify gaps in knowledge in their area of research and to describe potential directions of future research to address such gaps, as well as potential pitfalls or limitations;
2. background knowledge, and methodologies and techniques needed to complete their research;
3. current research progress made to date; and
4. oral and written scientific communication.

The Dissertation Proposal serves as a critical checkpoint in a student’s training and doctoral research. The purpose of the proposal is to ensure students are on the right track to complete a substantial, original contribution to scientific knowledge, while providing an opportunity for feedback and refinement before undertaking the final steps in the completion of their dissertation research. Through the proposal process, a student’s Dissertation Committee will ​​assess the student’s knowledge of the field and their research readiness, determine the student’s ability to think critically, ensure feasibility of the research plan, provide feedback to refine the research idea, ensure alignment with BME program expectations, and provide formal approval to proceed with the proposed research.

The Dissertation Proposal exam consists of both a written document outlining the proposed plan of research for the PhD and an oral presentation and defense of this proposal to the student’s Dissertation Committee. The Dissertation Proposal should provide:

1. a detailed outline of the student’s intended dissertation research project;
2. an explanation of the chosen research topic, its rationale and the rigor supporting it;
3. a description of the specific research question, hypotheses to be tested, approaches to be validated, purpose of an engineered device, etc.;
4. a detailed description of the methodologies; and
5. a well-considered indication of expected outcomes and interpretation of the work to ensure that the proposed research is feasible, significant, and can be accomplished within the anticipated timeline.

To complete the PhD, students must pass a Dissertation Defense, which involves the preparation of a written Dissertation and oral defense of the research to the Dissertation Committee. The dissertation and its defense represent a rigorous intellectual exercise where a student confirms that they have conducted high-level research, contributed new knowledge to the field, and effectively communicated and defended their findings indicating that a student is fully prepared to join the academic community as an independent scholar.

The Dissertation Defense may occur no sooner than one year after the Dissertation Proposal. Students are encouraged to hold a meeting with their entire Dissertation Committee in advance of their projected defense semester, particularly if there is a significant gap in time between the Dissertation Proposal and Dissertation Exam, where they will review technical and scientific content of their research prior to completing and defending their dissertation. The written dissertation must be submitted to the student’s Dissertation Committee at least 2 weeks before the oral defense. The oral presentation will be announced to the University community and open to the public, and will last approximately 45 minutes. Following the presentation and a short period of open questioning (less than 15 minutes), there will be approximately 60 minutes of closed questioning with the Dissertation Committee. The student will be responsible for making corrections and changes to the dissertation document as requested by the Dissertation Committee, as well as for meeting all Graduate College guidelines and deadlines for the submission and deposition of the dissertation, all which can be found on the Graduate College website.

To graduate with a PhD, the student must notify the department of their expected graduation semester, successfully defend their dissertation in a public defense, deposit their Dissertation to the Graduate College by the specified deadline, and file to receive their degree. The student’s stipend will continue through the end of the semester in which they graduate. The graduation semester is defined as the semester in which their degree is conferred. In some situations, stipend support may be terminated before the end of the graduation semester. For instance, the stipend support may be terminated if a student has defended their dissertation and deposited it with the Graduate College, has left the university, and has stopped performing research activities. The student and Faculty Advisor must jointly agree to such an end date and notify the Graduate Director.

Progress toward the PhD degree will be monitored annually via an annual Progress Report. The Progress Report form includes a checklist of course requirements, research accomplishments, self-assessment, individual development plan, Faculty Advisor feedback, and verifications that programmatic milestones and requirements are completed or planned to be completed within an appropriate timeframe. The student and Faculty Advisor must meet to discuss the student’s progress and professional goals, while the Faculty Advisor provides feedback and guidance, both orally and in writing in the progress report. The Annual Progress Report requires that a student meet, at a minimum, once-a-year with the members of their Dissertation Committee once the committee is formed. Qualifying Exam and Dissertation Proposal meetings suffice for this requirement. The student must also complete an Individual Development Plan (IDP) annually as part of their Progress Report.

As part of the Progress Report, the faculty must indicate if the student’s progress is considered “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory.” If “unsatisfactory,” the Progress Report must include a Performance Improvement Plan, as described below.

Progress Reports are required to be submitted annually to the Graduate Director by May 15. It is the responsibility of both the student and Faculty Advisor to complete the Progress Report on time.