I. The Department of Biomedical Engineering at The University of Memphis and the School of Biomedical Engineering at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, participate in the Joint Program in Biomedical Engineering. The Joint Program offers graduate programs leading to the degrees of Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering. Students may elect courses of study in the following areas: biomaterials, biomechanics, biosensors, cardiopulmonary engineering, cell and tissue engineering, electrophysiology, medical imaging, and orthopedic biomechanics.

II. MS Degree Program

Program objectives are: (1) ability to apply advanced knowledge of mathematics, physical sciences, and engineering principles to the solution of practical engineering problems; (2) meet or exceed the needs and expectations of public and private sector employers for M.S. graduates; and (3) preparation to pursue additional advanced studies if so desired

A. Admission Requirements

In addition to meeting the minimum admission requirements of the two universities and the Herff College of Engineering, applicants must meet the following criteria established by the Joint Program:

1. An appropriate bachelor’s degree (biomedical, chemical, electrical, mechanical, or others as defined by the Joint Program);
2. an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.00;
3. minimum scores of at least 500 on both the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE, and a minimum score of 4 on the analytical GRE.
4. Applicants whose native language is other than English must score at least 550 (or 210 computer-based) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

B. Graduation Requirements

Students may elect to graduate from the Joint Program with a Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering through either a thesis or a project option.

1. Thesis Option: Students must complete 30 credit hours, 21 hours of which must be 7000-level or higher course work (or The University of Tennessee equivalent). All students are required to take 6 credit hours in the life sciences area (BIOM 7004 and BIOM 7005), 6 credit hours in mathematics and its applications (BIOM 7101 and another course selected from a list of mathematics courses approved by the Joint Program), 6 credit hours of thesis, and 12 credit hours of engineering electives, of which one course must be BIOM 7209 or BIOM 7105. Oral defense of the thesis to their graduate committee and an oral exam are required. NOTE: Students electing to write a thesis should familiarize themselves with the Thesis/Dissertation Preparation Guide before starting to write.
2. Project Option: Students will be required to complete 33 credit hours, 24 hours of which must be 7000-level or higher course work (or The University of Tennessee equivalent). All students are required to take 6 credit hours in the life sciences area (BIOM 7004 and BIOM 7005), 6 credit hours in mathematics and its applications (BIOM 7101 and another course selected from a list of mathematics courses approved by the Joint Program), and 18 credit hours of engineering electives, including BIOM 7209 and BIOM 7991. Oral defense of the project to their graduate committee and a written comprehensive exam are required.

1. Students who have been admitted to the program on the condition that they complete prerequisite course work must make satisfactory progress toward this goal each semester of enrollment. Failure to make satisfactory progress may result in dismissal from the program.
2. All students are required to maintain a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.00. Failure to maintain the minimum GPA is considered sufficient cause for being dismissed from the program. In addition, a student whose GPA falls below 3.0 is ineligible for a graduate assistantship.
3. Students will be permitted two (2) grades of 2.00 in courses taken at the two universities. Students will be evaluated by the Joint Program faculty at the end of the semester in which a third grade of 2.00 or lower is earned for possible dismissal from the program.

This program allows qualified students to earn a bachelors degree in an approved undergraduate discipline and a masters degree in Biomedical Engineering (BME) in five years. Students with advanced placement credits may require less time. Students will join research teams organized through the Joint Graduate Program in Biomedical Engineering, which is shared by The University of Memphis and The University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

Students may apply once they have completed one semester of junior course work. In addition to an application form, students must submit one letter of reference and a copy of their transcript to the BME department. Each applicant will be required to complete an interview with a pre-graduate advisor in the BME department. In order to remain in the program past the junior year, students must maintain a GPA of at least 3.25. Students in their senior year will become eligible to apply for combination senior status, allowing them to take graduate courses in BME. To continue in the program past the BS, students must submit a “Change of Status” application with Graduate Admissions.

III. PhD Degree Program

A. Admission Requirements

See the beginning of the College section for admission, retention, and graduate requirements, and program objectives.

B. Graduation Requirements

1. Students admitted to the PhD program with a masters degree must complete 57 hours of course work. This includes 6 credit hours in life sciences; 6 credit hours in mathematics and its applications; 15 credit hours of engineering electives, including BIOM 8209 and BIOM 8105; and up to 30 hours of dissertation (BIOM 9000). NOTE: Students should familiarize themselves with the Thesis/Dissertation Preparation Guide before starting to write.
2. Students admitted to the PhD program with a bachelors degree must complete 90 hours of course work. This includes 12 credit hours in life sciences; 12 credit hours in mathematics and its applications; 24 credit hours of engineering electives, including BIOM 8209 and BIOM 8105; and up to 30 hours of dissertation (BIOM 9000).
3. All PhD students are required to complete a comprehensive examination with at least a minimum passing score on the written portion and a satisfactory performance on the oral portion of the exam. A second and final attempt to pass this examination may be granted by the student’s advisory committee; failure to pass this exam will result in dismissal from the program.

6205. Introduction to Chemical Sensors and Biosensors. (3). Measurement techniques, recognition processes; application of chemical sensors and biosensors for analysis of real samples.

6210. Research Studies. (3). Consultation, reading, laboratory, and design work to investigate selected areas of biomedical engineering under supervision of faculty member, emphasizing laboratory work, design, and scientific writing. Formal paper required. PREREQUISITE: Permission of instructor.

6702. The Tools of Biomedical Engineering Research. (3). Lectures and laboratory work covering basic biochemical and biophysical measurement techniques used by biomedical engineers; topics include light spectroscopy, gel exclusion and affinity chromatography, electrophoresis, immunoblotting, and radioisotropic methods. PREREQUISITE: Permission of instructor.

6900-6919. Special Topics in Biomedical Engineering I. (1-3). Topics are varied and are announced in the online class listings.

7004-8004. Life Sciences for Biomedical Engineering I. (3). This introduction and application to aspects of the entire body provides engineers and physical scientists with an understanding of aspects of the chemical, physical, and mechanical basis of cell shape, function, and motility; integrated treatment of topics in cellular biochemistry, protein synthesis, energy releasing pathways, and membrane biophysics.

7005-8005. Life Sciences for Biomedical Engineering II. (3). Continuation of 7004-8004. An introduction for engineers and physical scientists to aspects of systemic physiology with an emphasis on and connections to biomedical engineering.

7101-8101. Biomedical Engineering Analysis I. (3). Analytical and numerical solution techniques used in analysis of biomedical engineering problems; introduction to modern computational software packages for experience with modern problem-solving methods.

7103-8103. Theory of Continuous Media. (3). Analysis of stress and deformation at a point; derivation of the fundamental equations in tensor notation by application of the basic laws of conservation of mass, energy, and momentum in mechanics and thermodynamics.

7105-8105. Physiological Control Systems. (3). Modeling, representation, and analysis of physiological control systems, using control theory techniques; application will be modeling and control problems in cellular and general physiology; introduces basic concepts of control systems (transfer functions, feedback control system using root locus, frequency response methods); discusses various biological systems and their natural and driven control mechanisms. PREREQUISITES: BIOM 7004-8004 and 7005-8005 or permission of instructor.

7107-8107. Membrane Modeling: Computational Modeling of Cellular Systems. (3). Modeling, representation, and analysis of various cellular systems with applications in smooth, skeletal, and cardiac cells, and neurons; introduces basic concepts of mathematical modeling along with numerical methods; discusses various biological systems and models of electrical and chemical activities within and between these biological systems (i.e. cells).

7110-8110. Biostatistics. (3). Introduction to statistical techniques used for analysis of basic and clinical biomedical engineering data; sampling theory, hypothesis testing, ANOVA, and nonparametric techniques.

†7114-8114. Professional Development. (3). Weekly presentations of biomedical engineering research by visiting faculty and invited speakers; weekly presentations by graduate students and discussions of graduate student research in journal clubs; required of all full-time graduate students.

7116-8116. Mathematical Modeling of Biological Phenomena. (3). Applications of mathematics to the understanding of biological systems in biomedical engineering and modern biology; basic concepts of mathematical modeling development and validation; realistic examples of mathematical models in biology.

7203-8203. Bioelectricity. (3). Introduction to electrical propagation through human tissue; membrane biophysics, action potentials, subthreshold stimuli, electrophysiology of heart, and neuromuscular junction.

7209-8209. Biomedical Measurements and Instrumentation. (3). Measurement techniques applicable in biomedical engineering; data acquisition system, mechanical instrumentation, interface systems, signal analyses; biocompatibility requirements.

7210-8210. Nervous System Function. (3). The function of the nervous system with specific emphasis on applications in biomedical engineering; topics include information handling, effector mechanisms, and control systems.

7215-8215. Advanced Cardiac Electrophysiology. (3). Covers individual channels and bulk transmembrane current flow; passive property modulation; reentrant and automatic arrhythmias; arrhythmogenesis in the acute, subacute and late phase of ischemia and infarction. Students will be expected to prepare and present recent research results.

7220-8220. Advanced Instrumentation and Measurements in Electrophysiology. (3). Advanced instrumentation and measurement techniques in electrophysiology; theory and application of non-invasive measurements of temperature, respiration, and the electrocardiogram; invasive techniques including pacing, defibrillation, and arrhythmia induction and termination.

7222-8222. Biosensors. (3). Provides graduate and upper-level students deeper understanding of chemical sensors and biosensors, with special emphasis on electrochemical biosensors and their in-vivo applications. The lectures and laboratory work will provide the theoretical basis and hands-on experience with macro and micro sensors and their fabrications.

7303-8303. Movement, Joint, and Implant Mechanics. (3). The course consists of the following sections; muscle and bone anthoropometry; kinetics: the link model, mechanical work, energy, and power; kinematics and dynamics of rigid bodies; and the development of mechanically equivalent models of the human musculoskeletal system.

7304-8304. Skeletal Tissue Mechanics. (3). Provides students with a conceptual framework of the field of musculoskeletal system so that the students may be able to (1) design more advanced instruments of diagnosis, (2) make measurements of physiological parameters, as well as (3) design biomaterials to replace skeletal and other components.

7305-8305. Advanced Imaging Instrumentation. (3). Presents both a general overview of the field of digital radiographic imaging and an in-depth treatment of one particular type, the Kinestatic Charge Detector imaging systems. Topics include the parameterization image quality, physics, and electronics of detection gases. PREREQUISITES: BIOM 7501-8501 and BIOM 7501-8502.

7310-8310. Biomechanics I. (3). Introduction to physiological systems with emphasis on structure and function of tissue and organs; application of continuum mechanics to understanding of tissue and organ behavior at microscopic and macroscopic levels; design analyses of surgical procedures and prosthetic devices.

7313-8313. Biomechanics II. (3). Modern development of biomechanics at advanced mathematical level; dynamics of the lung, blood flow, microcirculation, and muscle mechanics.

7331-8331. Advances in Orthopedic Biomechanics. (3). The course consists of a sequence of lectures devoted to special topics including: biomechanical analysis and function of upper extremity, lower extremity, and spine joint systems of the human body; and fracture healing and bone remodeling, bone regeneration, function of cartilage, and biomechanics of tendon, ligament, and meniscus.

7340-8340. Computational Orthopedic Biomechanics. (3). Application of computational methods to analyze orthopedic biomechanic problems of the musculoskeletal system; fundamental principles and numerical techniques to analyze cases of the muscular skeletal system, including joint motions, function and design of implants and trauma fixation devices, and analysis of upper and lower extremity motion. PREREQUISITE: Permission of instructor.

7408-8408. Biochemical Engineering. (3). Application of engineering principles to effect biochemical transformation through use of living cells, subcellular organelles or enzymes; overview of biotechnology, bioreactor design; cell energetics, enzyme kinetics, Michelis-Menton calculations, immobilized cells; biosensors and process control.

7409-8409. Cardiovascular Fluid Dynamics. (3). Mechanics of blood circulation, fluid mechanics of the heart, blood flow in arteries, unsteady flow in veins, current concepts in circulatory assist devices and other selected topics.

7425-8425. Artificial Organs. (3). Basic concepts of blood contacting devices used as replacement for natural organs; artificial kidney, lung, heart-lung bypass, total hearts, pancreas.

7430-8430. Biomaterials. (3). Introduction to materials used in biomedical engineering; biocompatibility and uses of implantable materials such as ceramics, polyethylene, metals, composites and other materials.

7432-8432. Advanced Biomaterials. (3). Materials used in biomedical applications in relationship to corrosion, crack propagation, creep, and related topics; tissue ingrowth into materials.

7452-8452. Fluid Mechanics for Biomedical Engineers. (3). Elements of hydrodynamics with applications to flow in biomedical systems; basic principles of continuity and Navier-Stokes equations; ideal and viscous flow, boundary layer solutions, fluid wave behavior; viscosity of plasma, blood, and viscoelastic fluids, principles of viscometry.

7454-8454. Mass Transport for Biomedical Engineers. (3). Basic principles of mass transport applied to biological systems with particular emphasis on blood surface interactions, especially related to blood coagulation and thrombosis.

7460-8460. Cell Adhesion. (3). Biophysical and biochemical principles governing cell adhesion; integrin and selectin cell adhesion molecules; interactions between leukocytes and tumore cells with endothelium; measurement and modeling of cell adhesion phenomena.

7470-8470. Tissue Engineering. (3). Overview of the fundamental principles and current applications of tissue engineering in medicine and health care; topics include bone and cartilage analogs, synthetic skin grafts, cell encapsulation systems, and biohybrid vascular grafts. PREREQUISITE: Permission of instructor.

7480-8480. Experimental Techniques in Cell and Tissue Engineering. (3). Theory and application of basic biochemical and biophysical measurements and instrumentation; topics include light spectroscopy, centrifugation, radiochemical techniques, protein purification, chromatography, electrophoresis, flow cytometry, and immunoblotting.

7501-8501. Medical Imaging I. (3). Introduction to theory and physics of medical imaging, basic elements of interactions of radiation with matter; analysis of nuclear magnetic resonance and ultrasound imaging techniques.

7502-8502. Medical Imaging II. (3). Continuation of 7501-8501. Advanced methods in medical imaging; theory and application of magnetic resonance, ultrasonic, nuclear medicine, and X-ray imaging techniques for biomedical engineers.

7506-8506. Advanced Imaging Techniques. (3). In-depth treatment of advanced techniques of image processing and system performance analysis applied to medical image systems. Selected topics may include systematic corrections for digital image acquisition, image reconstruction in the presence of noise, feature enhancement techniques, computed tomography algorithms, and analysis of system/reader performance in diagnostic imaging.

7550-8550. Clinical Foundations of Medical Imaging. (3). Introduction to full spectrum of medical imaging applications for patient care; emphasizing clinical functions dependent on imaging devices and engineering challenges required to extend effectiveness of current state-of-the-art medical imaging techniques; lectures by practitioners in respective medical fields with support of instrumentation engineering experts as needed. PREREQUISITES: BIOM 7501-8501 or BIOM 7502-8502.

7560-8560. Engineering Analysis in Medical Imaging. (3). Basic mathematical techniques used in medical image analysis; Part I covers modality-independent analysis including image representations, analog and digital signals, linearity and shift-variance, imaging parameters, an overview of image reconstruction techniques, and experimental diagnostic accuracy; Part II covers modality-dependent analysis including applications of image reconstruction, examples of special analysis techniques and imaging instrumentation analysis, and simulation of photon generation and transport. PREREQUISITES: BIOM 7501-8501 or BIOM 7502-8502 or permission of instructor.

7580-8580. Molecular Imaging. (3).

‡7721-8721. Clinical/Industrial Internships in Biomedical Engineering. (3). Independent study for biomedical engineering students; investigation in at least one area selected from a master list and approved by the student’s advisor.

†7730-8730. Supervised Research I. (1-12). Collaborative research with faculty that includes planning, design, execution, analysis, and presentation of research activities related to student's thesis or dissertation work. Unlimited repeatability. PREREQUISITE: Permission of instructor.

‡7740. Supervised Research II. (3). Collaborative research with faculty that includes planning, design, execution, analysis, and presentation of research activities related to student's Master's thesis. PREREQUISITE: Permission of instructor.

7900-7920–8900-8920. Special Topics in Biomedical Engineering. (1-3). Topics are varied and announced in online class listings.

‡7991-8991. Project I. (1-3). Independent study in Biomedical Engineering on topic selected in conjunction with instructor. Oral and written reports required. May be used for curricular training as a part of an internship program.

‡7992-8992. Project II. (1-3). Independent investigation of problem selected in consultation with instructor. Oral and written reports required. May be used for curricular training as a part of an internship program.

†7996. Master’s Thesis. (1-12)

‡8750. Supervised Research III. (3). Collaborative research with faculty that includes planning, design, execution, analysis, and presentation of research activities related to student's doctoral dissertation. May be repeated for a maximum of 9 hours. PREREQUISITE: Permission of instructor.

†9000. Doctoral Dissertation. (1-12).

†Grades of S, U, or IP will be given.
‡Grades of A-F, or IP will be given.