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Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program
301 Sidney L. Olson Research Center, 260 S. Forge Street, Akron, OH 44325–0302 USA
Phone: 330.972.6650 · Fax: 330.574.7934 · Email: sheffer@uakron.edu ·
www.biomed.uakron.edu
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Program Overview |
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The Department of Biomedical Engineering at University of Akron (UA) offers a Master of Science (MS) and a doctoral
degree (PhD) in Engineering. An integrated MS/PhD program is available in cooperation with the Northeastern Ohio
Universities College of Medicine(NEOUCOM).
To earn a Master's degree, students must complete a minimum of 33 credit hours made up of 27 credit hours of course
work and six credit hours of thesis. A Master's thesis oral defense is required. PhD students complete a minimum of 96
credit hours in accordance with the guidelines established by the Biomedical Engineering department. Students must pass
a departmental qualifying examination, candidacy examination and must present and successfully defend the dissertation
to a College-wide Interdisciplinary Doctoral Committee.
Students can concentrate their studies and research in one of two specialization tracks: Instrumentation, Signal and
Imaging Science, and Biomechanics Biomaterials. Over 30 graduate level courses have been developed in these two areas.
Specializations in the first track include imaging devices & biosensors, signal & image processing, cardiovascular
hemodynamics and musculoskeletal analysis. Those in the second track include orthopedic implants, soft & hard tissue
biomechanics, human interface technology, rehabilitation engineering and biostereometrics.
Graduate studies are designed to be flexible enough to accommodate students with varied backgrounds and to promote an
interest in theoretical and applied research while preparing the student for a career in industry or academic pursuits.
Collaborative projects between the department and the medical community create unique opportunities for training that
involve basic sciences and their applications.
UA's Institute for Biomedical Engineering Research (IBER) was created in 1979 as a collaboration between Akron City
Hospital (now part of Summa Health System), Akron General Medical Center and UA's College of Engineering. The continuing
goal of this affiliation is to advance and develop interdisciplinary partnerships with medical and research health care
providers and engineering and scientific academic communities. Today, IBER is composed of over 150 faculty, consisting
of academic and medical professionals, staff and administrators actively working in over 17 biomedical research
laboratories in Northeast Ohio.
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Buildings and Facilities |
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The Department of Biomedical Engineering occupies 7,400 square feet of classroom, laboratory and office space in the Sidney L. Olson Research Center. Research programs in the department are carried out not only in the facilities of the department, but also in laboratories in Akron City Hospital, Akron General Medical Center, Saint Thomas Hospital, Edwin Shaw Rehabilitation Hospital, NEOUCOM and local industrial research centers.
Laboratories within the program are involved in a variety of services: image detectors, devices and biosensors; biostereometrics; motion analysis; vascular dynamics; human interface and rehabilitation engineering; and medical instrumentation. Computing-based classrooms with biomedical engineering discipline-specific software are available.
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Admissions |
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Applicants to UA's Biomedical Engineering Department must have an acceptable GRE score and a bachelor's degree with an academic
record distinctly above average. Applicants whose native language is not English must have a minimum TOEFL score of 590(pbt) or
243 (cbt). Conditional admission is offered to students who are academically acceptable but who have not yet reached the level
of English proficiency required for full admission. Students may enroll in the English Language Institute (ELI) for one or more
semesters until they are certified as English proficient. Students enrolled in the ELI may not take undergraduate courses at the
same time. Applicants who have satisfactorily completed nine months of full-time academic course work at a US college or university
and are in good standing academically may have the TOEFL requirement waived upon written request to the Office of International Programs.
International student applications must provide official transcripts or attested copies from universities, schools or colleges
previously attended. The originals must be accompanied by certified English translations. Upon written request, official documents
may be returned to the student. Copies notarized by a Notary Public are not acceptable. All applicants must submit documentation
for all prior degrees earned. Provisional certificates may be accepted pending the award of a degree. The same standards of
authenticity apply as those used for transcripts.
Applications requesting financial aid should be submitted by March 1 for fall semester and September 1 for the spring semester. S
tudents who do not possess a bachelor's degree in engineering should request literature describing the crossover program to prepare
students for graduate education in Biomedical Engineering.
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Expenses and Financial Support |
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Students may apply for financial aid in the form of graduate assistantships. Graduate assistants render services to the university through teaching and/or research. UA awards a number of graduate assistantships to qualified students. Assistantships are normally awarded for up to two years of master’s study and up to four years of doctoral study. Teaching and research assistantships provide annual stipends of US$13,000 for master’s students and US$15,000 for doctoral students. Remission of tuition is also included. (Tuition scholarships are available on a very limited basis for first-time graduate students.)
To be considered for financial aid a student must first apply to the Graduate School and be admitted to the university. Applications for assistantships must be sent directly to the chair of the department or director of the program to which you are seeking acceptance. Applications for a graduate assistantship should be submitted to the department/program by March 1 for the Fall semester and September 1 for the Spring semester.
International students: To cover tuition and living expenses for 12 months (Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters) international students will need approximately US$21,721. International applicants should provide the Office of International Programs with an original bank statement reflecting the appropriate amount stated herewith; copies of financial documentation will not be accepted. Applicants are encouraged to send the original financial documentation to the Office of International Programs at the same time the application for admission is sent to the Graduate School in order to prevent a delay in the issuance of the Certification of Eligibility.
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International Students |
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Each year, approximately 850 international students from 89 countries pursue studies and research at UA. The University
of Akron requires that all international students carry medical insurance that meets minimum established requirements.
Such coverage must be in effect throughout the student's studies at the University of Akron.
The Office of International Programs (OIP) assists international students. OIP helps students adjust to a new culture
through orientation programs and professional advice concerning immigration issues, housing, academic concerns, and
cultural issues. OIP promotes diversity on campus by organizing social and cultural celebrations. A number of student
cultural organizations have regular activities on campus.
International students are required to attend the International Student Orientation program that takes place one week
before classes. The orientation fee is US$45, which will not be waived even if the student does not attend the orientation
program. The orientation dates will be mailed to students with their orientation letter and immigration documents.
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Faculty |
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Njus, G.O. PhD, Iowa. Orthopedic biomechanics; prosthetic design; soft tissue implants; wound healing; reconstructive surgery
Reddy, N. PhD, Texas A&M. Medical devices; rehabilitation engineering; human interface technology; virtual reality; noninvasive measurement; neural network
Rittgers, S. PhD, Ohio State. Cardiovascular flow modeling; laser Doppler anemometry; quantitative flow visualization, computational fluid mechanics
Sheffer, D. PhD, Texas A&M. Biostereometrics; breast cancer detection; human ergonomics; whole-body stereophotogrammetry;cranio-facial morphology.
Taylor, B. PhD, Kent State. Biomedical instrumentation; blood flow and blood pressure measurements; computer simulations of cardiovascular dynamics
Verstraete, M.C. PhD, Michigan State. Gait analysis; human motion analysis; sports biomechanics; optimization; finite element modeling.
In addition, seven faculty members from other disciplines serve as joint faculty members involved in teaching courses or directing research
projects and 45 individuals from local medical institutions and other universities serve as adjunct faculty in the Department of Biomedical Engineering
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Research Areas |
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Biomechanics Track:
Spine mechanics; Soft connective tissue biomechanics; Hard connective tissue biomechanics; Muscle mechanics and
optimization; Mechanics in physiology and medicine; Kinematics of the human body; Cardiovascular dynamics;
Functional anatomy; Rehabilitation engineering; Transport phenomena in biology and medicine; Biosensors;
Biomaterials and laboratory; Medical devices and artificial organs; Mathematical modeling in biology and
medicine; Finite elements in biomechanics; Cardiovascular diagnostic and therapeutics techniques
Instrumentation, Signal & Imaging Track:
Neural networks; Sensory systems analysis; Biomedical computing; Biomedical signal processing; Diagnostic imaging
techniques; Medical imaging devices; Physiological control systems; Principles of image science; Design, analysis
and applications of imaging; Detectors and biosensors; Image processing for biomedical data; Biomedical optics and
imaging; Human interface technology
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| | Highlights |
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° MS and PhD degrees are available
° All faculty members hold PhD. degrees
° Research opportunities at the University of Akron, local health care institutions and industry representatives
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| | Program Facts |
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| Program Founded: | | 1984 |
| Program Start Dates: | | Fall & Spring |
| Expected length Master’s: | | 2 years |
| Expected length Ph.D.: | | 4 years |
| # of Faculty: | | 6 |
| % Highest Degree in field: | | 100% |
| # Endowed Chairs/Profs | | 0 |
| Annual Research Funding: | | $300,000 |
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| | Student Profile MS Ph.D. |
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| Applied/yr | 95 | 6 |
| Accepted/yr | 50 | 6 |
| Enrolled/yr | 11 | 3 |
| Total Prgm Enroll | 28 | 4 |
| # of Intl Students | 16 | 18 |
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| | Admissions at a Glance |
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| Application fee: | $40 Domestic |
| $60 International |
GRE Score:
| Quantitative
600 minimum
Analytic writing
TBD |
| TOEFL: | 590(pbt) 249(cbt) |
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Domestic Student Application Deadlines:
Six weeks before term begins
Intl. Student Application Deadlines:
Six months before term begins
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| | Expenses at a Glance |
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| | In State Tuition: |
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| Masters | $10,655 |
| Ph.D. | $10,655 |
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| | Out of State Tuition: |
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| Masters | $17,697 |
| Ph.D. | $17,697 |
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| | Intl Student Tuition: |
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| Masters | $17,697 |
| Ph.D. | $17,697 |
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