Academic Overview

Students in their first year rotate through faculty laboratories to identify the best matches for their research interests, and they take courses in advanced BME subjects. Continued studies include coursework in engineering and life sciences as well as research methods, research seminars, MS thesis or PHD dissertation.

All students are encouraged to participate in clinical and industrial internships that provide experience in applying biomedical engineering solutions.

MS Requirements

• Total units – 30
• Core biomedical engineering courses – 15 units
• BME-approved ethics course – three units (minimum)
• BME seminar – four units (maximum)
• Research Methods in Biomedical Engineering (BME 597G: lab rotations) – one unit
• Graduate engineering, life or physical sciences, or mathematics courses – nine units
• Thesis (BME 910) – six units

See the BME Graduate Student Handbook for details.

Accelerated MS Criteria

The BME Department offers an Accelerated Master's of Science program for exceptional students enrolled at the University of Arizona for both their bachelor's and master's degrees. Students obtain their  B.S. and a M.S. in Biomedical Engineering. The M.S. is completed in one year beyond the B.S degree. Students in BME or similar Engineering or Life Sciences majors are encouraged to apply. (Please check with your undergrad major to ensure use of units will apply to degree)

General requirements for Accelerated Master's Programs are set by the office of Academic Affairs, and can be found here.

Most importantly, the Accelerated Master’s Program is not designed to accelerate progress towards a Ph.D. degree in biomedical engineering.  The intent of the AMP is to provide students with a terminal M.S. degree that they can then use to accelerate their careers in industry or medical research institutions.  The AMP program is not a stepping-stone for obtaining a B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degree within 7 years, which is an unlikely scenario within our program. Students who are interested in a Ph.D. degree should consider the Ph.D. program rather than the AMP, as only the units taken after Bachelor's degree is awarded can be used toward Ph.D total unit requirement.

Qualified students apply to the program nominally in the second semester of their junior year (i.e. with two full semesters remaining in their undergraduate program). 

Admission to the BME Accelerated MS program is a selective process. Our Admissions Committee does a holistic review of all of the following materials. 

Admissions materials needed:

1. A 1-2 page essay or statement of purpose describing your background, research interests and career goals. Include in your statement any information pertinent to your research experience, whether in course work, special projects or employment. Please explain why you want to obtain a graduate degree in Biomedical Engineering and what, specifically, led you to apply to our graduate program. This should be uploaded via the Grad App portal.
2. A minimum of two letters of recommendation from former professors or individuals knowledgeable about your academic and scientific abilities. Students may submit/request additional letters of recommendation. Letters of recommendation should be uploaded to the Grad App portal.
3. A CV/resume to be uploaded.
4. An Unofficial Transcript that can be uploaded via the Grad Path portal. Applicants are required to currently be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in enginering, mathematics, physical sciences, or quantitative life sciences for admission into the Program, with a minimum GPA of 3.3. Previous coursework including two courses in calculus, ordinary differential equations, and at least one course in life science is required. 

Financial assistance, such as assistantships, traineeships, fellowships and internships, is available according to merit and awarded on a competitive basis after review of the applicants admitted to our program.

Specific AMP expectations:

1. Completion of a minimum of 75 undergraduate credit hours will be required at the time of application; a minimum of 90 undergraduate credit hours will be required at the time of entry into the AMP. If the student’s GPA falls below 3.3 at the time they have completed 90 units, the student will not be admitted into the program. Courses taken for audit may not be included in the total number of units counted for eligibility or admission.
2. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3 on a minimum of 12 units of undergraduate UA.
3. Completion of at least 12 earned undergraduate credits at The University of Arizona’s main campus. Units still graded Incomplete, units graded Pass/Fail or units taken as audit will not count toward the requirement of the 12 undergraduate units.
4. Completion or near completion of general education requirements.
5. Submission of a graduate application and payment of a graduate application fee.
6. Demonstration of the maturity necessary for success in an accelerated, highly competitive program.
7. Expectation to complete the undergraduate degree within four years. The undergraduate degree requirements must be completed before the student is eligible to have the Master’s degree awarded.

Standardized Tests

Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is not a requirement of the BME AMP.

Funding Opportunities

Financial support from the program is not normally provided to students in the Accelerated Masters Program. Students are encouraged to obtain a relevant position at UA or industry that can provide the experience necessary for the master's thesis or report. Such positions may be paid or students can obtain course credit (e.g. industrial/clinical internship BME 693). Due to the accelerated nature of the program, outside employment not related to the masters thesis or report is strongly discouraged.

Students may also be supported by a variety of fellowships and awards, many of which are listed by the Graduate College. The University of Arizona Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid also provides financial aid information.

The BME Graduate Program also encourages individual students to seek supplementary Predoctoral Fellowship funding. This provides the student with an opportunity to develop grant-writing skills and permits the student to supplement the stipend. 

Admissions Deadlines

Qualified students apply to the program in the second semester of their junior year (i.e., with two full semesters remaining in their undergraduate program). The application deadline is June 1st for students who expect to graduate in May of the following year. 

Additional information can be found: https://grad.arizona.edu/catalog/programinfo/BMEGMSBMEGMSAMP