Applicable only to students admitted during the 2023-2024 academic year.

Bioengineering

Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science

Graduate Degrees

The Department of Bioengineering offers the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Bioengineering

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

Advising

Each department or program in the Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science has a graduate adviser. A current list of graduate advisers may be obtained from the Office of the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, 6426 Boelter Hall, Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. This list is also available from the Department of Bioengineering.

Students are assigned a faculty adviser upon admission to the school. Advisers may be changed upon written request from the student. All faculty in the school serve as advisers.

New students should arrange an appointment as early as possible with the faculty adviser to plan the proposed program of study toward the M.S. degree. Continuing students are required to confer with the adviser during the time of enrollment each quarter so that progress can be assessed and the study list approved.

Based on the quarterly transcripts, student records are reviewed at the end of each quarter by the departmental graduate adviser and Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs. Special attention is given if students were admitted provisionally or are on probation. If their progress is unsatisfactory, students are informed of this in writing by the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs.

Students are strongly urged to consult with the program student office staff and/or the Office of Academic and Student Affairs regarding procedures, requirements, and the implementation of policies. In particular, advice should be sought on advancement to candidacy for the M.S. degree, procedures for the M.S. comprehensive exam, procedures for transitions to the PhD program, procedures for filing the thesis for those who choose the thesis option, and the use of the Filing Fee. Students are also urged to become familiar with the sections on Termination of Graduate Study and Appeal of Termination at the end of this document.

Areas of Study

Field 1: Biomedical Devices and Instrumentation (BDI)

This field of emphasis is designed to train bioengineers interested in the applications and development of instrumentation used in medicine and biotechnology. Examples include the use of lasers in surgery and diagnostics, new micro electrical machines for surgery, sensors for detecting and monitoring of disease, microfluidic systems for cell-based diagnostics, new tool development for basic and applied life science research, and controlled drug delivery devices. The principles underlying each instrument and specific clinical or biological needs will be emphasized. Graduates of this program will be targeted principally for employment in academia, government research laboratories, and the biotechnology, medical devices, and biomedical industries.

Field 2: Molecular Cellular, and Tissue Engineering (MCTE)

This field of emphasis covers novel therapeutic development across all biological length scales from molecules to cells to tissues. At the molecular and cellular levels, this area of research encompasses the engineering of biomaterials, ligands, enzymes, protein-protein interactions, intracellular trafficking, biological signal transduction, genetic regulation, cellular metabolism, drug delivery vehicles, and cell-cell interactions, as well as the development of chemical/biological tools to achieve this. At the tissue level, this field encompasses two sub-fields which include biomaterials and tissue engineering. The properties of bone, muscles and tissues, the replacement of natural materials with artificial compatible and functional materials such as polymers, composites, ceramics and metals, and the complex interactions between implants and the body are studied at the tissue level. The emphasis of research is on the fundamental basis for diagnosis, disease treatment, and re-design of molecular, cellular, and tissue functions. In addition to quantitative experiments required to obtain spatial and temporal information, quantitative and integrative modeling approaches at the molecular, cellular, and tissue levels are also included within this field. Although some of the research will remain exclusively at one length scale, research that bridges any two or all three length scales are also an integral part of this field. Graduates of this program will be targeted principally for employment in academia, government research laboratories, and the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and biomedical industries.

Field 3: Biomedical Imaging (BI)

This field consists of the following two subfields: Biomedical Imaging Hardware Development (BIHD), Biomedical Signal and Image Processing (BSIP).

BI Subfield 1: Biomedical Imaging Hardware Development (BIHD)

The BIHD field prepares students for a career in developing imaging hardware for medical diagnosis and intervention applications. Students will learn the physical basis of biomedical imaging modalities, such as optical imaging, CT, and MRI. The students will also be trained with hands-on experiences to build state-of-the-art imaging devices and test their performance in real-world medical imaging scenarios. Through the structured curriculum and lab activities, the students will experience the excitement of cutting- edge hardware research, hone skills in analytical thinking and communications, and gain knowledge of imaging techniques that are used in the biomedical field.

BI Subfield 2: Biomedical Signal and Image Processing (BSIP)

The Biomedical Signal and Image Processing (BSIP) field prepares students for a career in the acquisition and analysis of biomedical signals; and enables students to apply quantitative methods applied to extract meaningful information for both clinical and research applications. The BSIP program is premised on the fact that a core set of mathematical and statistical methods are held in common across signal acquisition and imaging modalities and across data analyses regardless of their dimensionality. These include signal transduction, characterization and analysis of noise, transform analysis, feature extraction from time series or images, quantitative image processing and imaging physics. Students in the BSIP program have the opportunity to focus their work over a broad range of modalities including electrophysiology, optical imaging methods, MRI, CT, PET and other tomographic devices and/or on the extraction of image features such as organ morphometry or neurofunctional signals, and detailed anatomic/functional feature extraction. The career opportunities for BSIP trainees include medical instrumentation, engineering positions in medical imaging, and research in the application of advanced engineering skills to the study of anatomy and function.

Field 4: Biomedical Data Sciences (BDS)

The Biomedical Data Sciences (BDS) trains students to be experts in the use of computational, statistical, and machine learning tools for solving biomedical problems. It BDS is intended for science and engineering students interested in how data science tools can operate alongside other areas of bioengineering to solve problems in areas including pattern recognition, prediction, control, measurement, and visualization. Students will be trained in the algorithmic and statistical fundamentals of the field. Directed interdisciplinary training will prepare students to be practitioners in the application of data science to analyze clinical imaging, molecular and cellular systems, medical devices, electronic health record data, and the many other areas of biomedicine that routinely generate data. In parallel to learning fundamentals, students will develop expertise in these application areas, providing them additional expertise in real-world problem solving.  In total, this area fosters the development of students who go on to become data scientists with the unique ability to actively interface with practitioners in other areas of bioengineering and medicine.

Field 5: NeuroEngineering (NE)

The NeuroEngineering (NE) field is designed to enable students with a background in biological science to develop and execute projects that make use of state-of-the-art technology, including microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), signal processing, and photonics. Students with a background in engineering will develop and execute projects that address problems that have a neuroscientific base, including locomotion and pattern generation, central control of movement, and the processing of sensory information. Trainees will develop the capacity for the multidisciplinary teamwork, in intellectually and socially diverse settings, that will be necessary for new scientific insights and dramatic technological progress in the 21st century. NE students take a curriculum designed to encourage cross-fertilization of neuroscience and engineering. Our goal is for neuroscientists and engineers to speak each other’s language and move comfortably among the intellectual domains of the two fields.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

13 courses (44 units) are required for the degree. To remain in good academic standing, an M.S. student must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 and a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in the 200 series courses. Core and elective courses must be taken for a letter grade. By the end of the first quarter in residence, students design a course program in consultation with and approved by their faculty adviser.

For the capstone track, at least eleven courses must be from the 200-series, three of which must be Bioengineering 299. It is required that the students take one 495 course. One 100-series course may count towards the total course and unit requirement. No units of 500-series courses may be applied toward the minimum course requirement except for the field of medical imaging informatics where two units of Bioengineering 597A are required.

For the thesis track, at least ten of the 13 must be from the 200-series, three of which must be Bioengineering 299. It is required to have two 598 courses involving work on the thesis and one 495 course.

All Fields: Students in all fields must select at least three courses from Group I: Core Bioengineering Courses, and at least six courses from Group II: Elective Courses. A course cannot be used to simultaneously satisfy Group I and Group II course requirements.

• Group I: Core Bioengineering Courses. At least three courses from this group are required: Bioengineering 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 219, 223A, 223B, 223C, 224A, 224B, 226, 227, 228, 229, 239A, 239B, 242 245, 255, 260, C266, 271, 275, 278, 283, 285, 286
• Group II: At least six courses from this group are required for the M.S. capstone track. At least four courses from this group are required for the M.S. thesis track:
  • Bioengineering 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 214A, 215, 217, 219,, 221, 223A, 223B, 223C, 224A, 224B, 225, 226, 227, 228, 229, 231, 233A, 233B, 239A, 239B, 240, 241, 242, 245, 247, 248, 250B, 250L, 252, 255, 260, 263, C266, 270, 271, 272, 275, 278, 279, 281, 282, 283, 284, 285, 296A, 296B, 296C, 296D, 298
  • Biomathematics 201, 203, 206, 208A, 211, 213, 220, 230, 261, 270, 271, 296B
  • Physics and Biology in Medicine 205, 209, 210, 217, 218, 222, 227, 230, 248
  • Biostatistics 238
  • Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering 215, 216, 225
  • Chemistry and Biochemistry 118, 153A, 153B, 156, 230B, 240, 260A, 260B, 265, 269A, 269D, 277, 281
  • Computer Science 161,CM186, CM187, 224, 240B, 241A, 241B, 244A, 245A, 246, 262A, 262B, 262C, 263A, 263B, 266A, 266B, 267A, 267B, 276B, 269
  • Electrical Engineering 100, 102, 103, 110, 110L, 113, 121B, 128, 131A, 132A, 136, 141, 142, 150DL, 151A, 151B, 172, 176, 201B, 208A, 210A, 211A, 212A, 214A, 216B, 217, 224, 225, 232E, 236A, 236B, 239AS, 240B, 240C, 241A, 241C, 242A, 243, 250A, 250B, 250L, 252, 260A, 260B, 266, 273, 274, 275
  • Mathematics 133, 134, 136, 151A, 151B, 155, 170A, 170B, 171, 270A, 270B, 270C, 270D,270E, 270F
  • Materials Science and Engineering 110, 111, 200, 201
  • Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 103, 107, 150A, 150G, 168, 171A, 250B, 250M, 263D, 281, 287
  • Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics 134, 185A, 233
  • Molecular Cell Development Biology 100, 140, 144, 165A, 168, 175A-B, 222D, 224, 230B, 234, 272
  • Molecular and Medical Pharmacology 110A, 110B, 203, 211A, 211B, 288
  • Neuroscience 201, 202, 205, 207
  • Pathology 237, 294
  • Physiological Science 135, 166, 200
  • Statistics 201B, 202A, 231, 232A, 232B, 243

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

Not required.

Capstone Plan

The comprehensive examination is available in all fields. The requirements for fulfilling the comprehensive examination varies for each field. Specific details about the comprehensive examination process in each field are available from the graduate adviser. Students who fail the examination may repeat it once only, subject to the approval of the faculty examination committee. Students who fail the examination twice are not permitted to submit a thesis and are subject to academic disqualification.

Thesis Plan

Every master’s degree thesis plan requires the completion of an approved thesis that demonstrates the student’s ability to perform original, independent research.

New students who choose this plan are expected to submit the name of the thesis adviser to the graduate adviser by the end of their first quarter in residence. The thesis adviser serves as chair of the thesis committee.

A research thesis (eight units of Bioengineering 598) is to be written on a biomedical engineering topic approved by the thesis adviser. The thesis committee consists of the thesis adviser and two other qualified faculty members.

Time-to-Degree

The typical length of time for completion of the M.S. degree under the capstone plan is one year. The typical length of time for completion of the M.S. degree under the thesis plan is two years.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
M.S.	6	6	12

Doctoral Degree

Advising

Each department in the Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science has a graduate adviser. A current list of graduate advisers may be obtained from the Office of the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, 6426 Boelter Hall, Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. This list is also available from the Department of Bioengineering.

Students are assigned a faculty adviser upon admission to the school. Advisers may be changed upon written request from the student. All HSSEAS faculty serve as advisers.

New students should arrange an appointment as early as possible with the faculty adviser to plan the proposed program of study toward the Ph.D. degree. Continuing students are required to confer with the adviser during the time of enrollment each quarter so that progress can be assessed and the study list approved.

Based on the quarterly transcripts, student records are reviewed at the end of each quarter by the departmental graduate adviser and Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs. Special attention is given if students were admitted provisionally or are on probation. If their progress is unsatisfactory, students are informed of this in writing by the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs.

Students are strongly urged to consult with the departmental student office staff and/or the Office of Academic and Student Affairs regarding procedures, requirements and the implementation of policies. In particular, advice should be sought on advancement to candidacy, on the procedures for taking the Ph.D. written and oral examinations and on the use of the Filing Fee.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

Biomedical devices and instrumentation; molecular cellular and tissue engineering, biomedical imaging, biomedical data sciences; and neuroengineering. See Areas of Study under Master’s Degree for descriptions of all fields.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

PhD students in all tracks must complete three Bioengineering 299 courses, one 495 course, at least 3 Group I: Core Courses and at least 4 Group II: Elective Courses. Please see the list of courses under the Master’s Degree Section. Core and elective courses must be taken for a letter grade. Students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.25.

Teaching Experience

A minimum of one quarter of teaching experience is required.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations

Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to complete and pass university written and oral qualifying examinations prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations, the University Oral Qualifying Examination is open only to the student and appointed members of the doctoral committee. In addition to university requirements, some graduate programs have other pre-candidacy examination requirements. What follows in this section is how students are required to fulfill all of these requirements for this doctoral program.

All committee nominations and reconstitutions adhere to the Minimum Standards for Doctoral Committee Constitution.

To remain in good standing in the program, Ph.D. students are expected to take the University Oral Qualifying Examination within six academic quarters and two summer quarters (e.g. two years) following matriculation. The nature and content of the examination are at the discretion of the doctoral committee, but ordinarily include a broad inquiry into the student’s preparation for research. The doctoral committee also reviews the prospectus of the dissertation, the written component of the qualifying examination, prior to the oral qualifying examination.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy upon successful completion of the written and oral qualifying examinations.

Doctoral Dissertation

Every doctoral degree program requires the completion of an approved dissertation that demonstrates the student’s ability to perform original, independent research and constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in the principal field of study.

Final Oral Examination (Defense of the Dissertation)

Required for all students in the program.

Time-to-Degree

Students are expected to receive their degree within six years (18 quarters) from admission into the program, and must be registered continuously or on approved leave of absence during this period. Students who do not register or take an official leave of absence lose their student status.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
Ph.D.	6 + 2 summers	18	27

Academic Disqualification and Appeal of Disqualification

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for academic disqualification from graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing academic disqualification of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy

A recommendation for academic disqualification is reviewed by the school’s Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs.

Master’s

In addition to the standard reasons noted above, a student may be recommended for academic disqualification for

1. Failure to maintain a grade point average of 3.0 in all courses and in those in the 200 series.
2. Failure to maintain a grade point average of 3.0 in any two consecutive terms.
3. Failure of the comprehensive examination.
4. Failure to complete the thesis to the satisfaction of the committee members.
5. Failure to maintain satisfactory progress toward the degree within the four-year time limit for completing all degree requirements.

Doctoral

In addition to the standard reasons noted above, a student may be recommended for academic disqualification for

1. Failure to maintain a grade point average of 3.25 in all courses and in any two consecutive terms.
2. Failure of the written component of the qualifying exam.
3. Failure of the oral qualifying examination.
4. Failure of the final oral examination (defense of the dissertation).
5. Failure to maintain satisfactory progress toward the degree within the specified time limits.