Graduate Field
Biomedical Engineering
Program Description
The research-oriented graduate degree programs (MS and PhD) in Biomedical Engineering are designed to develop leaders with global impact on human health through multiscale quantitative analysis and design principles. Biomedical Engineering offers rich opportunities in both research and education, integrating engineering and life sciences to prepare students for diverse careers in academia, industry, and government – and our programs provide curricular and extracurricular career developmental and training opportunities.
The MS and PhD programs are organized within the Cornell Graduate Field of Biomedical Engineering, which has faculty members from across multiple colleges at the Ithaca campus and from Weill Cornell Medicine and Cornell Tech campuses. Cornell’s strong commitment to interdisciplinary research provides access to a wide array of opportunities. Our BME Graduate Field Faculty are organized into distinct research areas: (1) Biomechanics & Mechanobiology; (2) Biomedical Imaging & Instrumentation; (3) Drug Delivery & Nanomedicine; (4) Molecular & Cellular Engineering; (5) Systems & Synthetic Biology; (6) Tissue Engineering & Biomaterials; and 7) Engineering Education Research. With more than 100 centers, institutes, laboratories, and programs supporting research and education, students benefit from extensive institutional resources. Graduate research projects often involve translational and/or clinical collaborations with Veterinary Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine and the Hospital for Special Surgery, offering valuable connections to real-world medical research and practice.
Our BME graduate programs emphasize mastery of core concepts alongside the flexibility to tailor coursework and research specialization. For the PhD program, the primary requirement is to complete an original research project leading to a doctoral thesis, supported by a thesis supervisor appointed to the Graduate Field of Biomedical Engineering and a thesis committee. The PhD curriculum provides comprehensive training in biomedical engineering research while also requiring students to complete coursework for two minor areas of emphasis: one in an engineering field and another in the life sciences. PhD students are required to complete a set of seminar courses, 2 core BME graduate courses, and 3-4 graduate elective courses (subject to approval of their thesis special committee). PhD students are also required complete a two-month clinical immersion experience at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, as well as complete a one-semester graduate teaching experience. The PhD program does not include a qualifying (Q) exam.
In contrast, MS students are expected to complete a Master’s thesis research project under the supervision of a faculty member of the Graduate Field of Biomedical Engineering and at least one thesis minor committee member. The MS curriculum has fewer required courses and electives, and does not require a teaching experience or clinical immersion course.
Concentrations
Program Information
- Program Mode of Delivery: In Person
- Program Location: Ithaca, NY
Program Requirements
- Minimum Semesters for Degree: 10
Graduate School Milestones
- Responsible Conduct of Research Training: Required
- Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID): Required
- Student Progress Reviews (SPR) begin: First Year
- Examination for admission to candidacy (A Exam): Spring of third year
- Defense of Dissertation (B Exam): Spring of fifth year
Field Specific Milestones
- One semester of teaching assistantship required.
Course Requirements
Additional course requirements may be set by the student’s Special Committee. Program specific requirements that apply to all students are included below.
Year 1 (Summer)
- BME 7160 Immersion Experience in Medical Research and Clinical Practice
Year 1 (Fall)
- BME 7010 Biomedical Engineering Ph.D Seminar
Year 1 (Spring)
- BME 7130 Biomedical Engineering Methods: From Biological Discovery to Clinical Practice
Additional Requirements
- BME 7900 Biomedical Engineering Graduate Colloquium - total of 6 semesters
- BME 7020 Biomedical Engineering Research Seminar - total of 6 semesters; students present annually from 3rd year onward
- Four graduate elective courses at the 6000–7000 level, with two courses in each of two minor concentration areas, selected in consultation with the student’s special committee
- Additional course requirements may be set by the student’s special committee.
Graduate School Enrollment Requirements
Course Requirements
- Course requirements are determined by the student’s Special Committee.
- Enrollment in a GRAD research course or the equivalent field specific research course is expected of all students each semester through graduation. These courses include:
University Graduation Requirements
Requirements for All Students
In order to receive a Cornell degree, a student must satisfy academic and non-academic requirements.
Academic Requirements
A student’s college determines degree requirements such as residency, number of credits, distribution of credits, and grade averages. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of the specific major, degree, distribution, college, and graduation requirements for completing their chosen program of study. See the individual requirements listed by each college or school or contact the college registrar’s office for more information.
Non-academic Requirements
Conduct Matters. Students must satisfy any outstanding sanctions, penalties or remedies imposed or agreed to under the Student Code of Conduct (Code) or Policy 6.4. Where a formal complaint under the Code or Policy 6.4 is pending, the University will withhold awarding a degree otherwise earned until the adjudication process set forth in those procedures is complete, including the satisfaction of any sanctions, penalties or remedies imposed.
Financial Obligations. Outstanding financial obligations will not impact the awarding of a degree otherwise earned or a student’s ability to access their official transcript. However, the University may withhold issuing a diploma until any outstanding financial obligations owing to the University are satisfied.
Learning Outcomes
Each candidate must demonstrate the following proficiencies:
- Make an original and substantial contribution to the discipline of BME:
- Demonstrate creative and independent thinking.
- Identify new research opportunities in field of BME. - Demonstrate advanced research skills:
- Identify existing knowledge and resources.
- Integrate a variety of existing knowledge and resources to address a new problem. - Evaluate the candidate's results and those of others in the context of this integrated knowledge:
- Master and/or innovate research methodologies and techniques.
- Master and/or innovate communication methods for oral and written information exchange. - Demonstrate a commitment to advancing scholarship:
- Maintain familiarity with advances in the field.
- Engage with other investigators in the field and communicate findings via professional publications, participation in professional societies and research seminars, and other modes of communication.
- Support learning through teaching, collaborative inquiry, and mentoring. - Demonstrate professional skills:
- Display high ethical standards and expect high ethical standards of others.
- Listen to, give, and receive feedback effectively. - Progress through the degree program in an appropriate timeframe.
Admissions
Application Requirements and Deadlines
Application Deadlines
Fall, December 1
Requirements Summary
Applicants are expected to have a bachelor's degree in a recognized subdiscipline of engineering. However, exceptional students with a B.S. in the sciences and demonstrated knowledge of advanced mathematics, calculus-based physics, and introductory computer science will also be considered.
Admissions Contact Information
Email: bh42@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-255-2573
Campus Address: Weill Hall 121A
Website: https://www.bme.cornell.edu/bme/programs/graduate-programs/phd-program
