Biomedical Engineering

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Degrees:

Master of Science (Plan A)
Doctor of Philosophy

Program Director:

Daniel Engebretson, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Research & Development of Light-Activated Materials

Program Description

Biomedical engineering (BME) focuses upon the application of engineering and science methodologies to the analysis of biological and physiological problems and to the development and delivery of health-care technologies. The biomedical engineer serves as an interface between traditional engineering disciplines and living systems and may work in either direction, applying the patterns of living organisms to engineering design or engineering new approaches to human health. Both the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees are cross-disciplinary degrees. The objective of the M.S. program is to prepare a student for research and development careers in biomedical industry and for additional training at the doctoral level. The Ph.D. program will prepare a student for a career as a researcher who advances the frontiers of biomedical science and engineering with attention to generating new ideas for commercialization.

Current focus areas of faculty activity within the program are (1) Biomaterials (nanomaterials, bioadhesives, tissue engineering, etc.), (2) Computational Biomedical Engineering (biomechanics, imaging, advanced modeling/simulations, etc.), and (3) Assistive Technology/Rehabilitation Engineering (advanced prosthetics, control, biomimetics, etc.). Students in the programs will be associated with one or more of several existing and newly formed research centers and laboratories, e.g., Photobiomed, the Center for Acceleration Applications at the Nanoscale, the Center for Development of Light Activated Materials, the Computational Mechanics Laboratory, or the Direct Write Laboratory.

Courses are offered at both the Vermillion and Sioux Falls USD campuses and at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. Students may elect either USD or SDSM&T as their campus of residence. Courses offered by USD faculty are relayed to students resident at SDSM&T by video and vice versa.

Program and Participating Faculty:

Ying Deng, Assistant Professor, Ph.D., Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China. Specializations: Bioactive Materials and Bionanotechnology in Tissue Engineering and Drug Delivery; Engineering Biomaterials and Alternative Cell Sources for Biomedical Applications.

Daniel Engebretson, Research Professor and Program Director, Ph.D. Michigan State University. Specialization: Biological Sensing and In Vitro Diagnostics.

Kaia Kloster, Research Assistant Professor, Ph.D. The University of South Dakota. Specialization: Cardiovascular Physiology; Applied Research in Biomaterials.

Daniel Neufeld, Professor, Ph.D., Tulane University. Specialization: Tissue Regeneration.

Yuyu Sun, Associate Professor, Ph.D., Fudan University, Shanghai, China. Specializations: Polymers and Biopolymers in Biomedicine; Antimicrobial and Biofilm-Controlling Systems and Biomedical Devices.

Ronald Utecht, Professor at South Dakota State University, Ph.D. Iowa State University of Science and Technology. Specialization: Biochemistry, Applied Research in Biomaterials.

Admission Requirements

• An appropriate baccalaureate degree (biomedical, chemical, electrical, mechanical, or metallurgical engineering; materials science and engineering; or other related discipline).
• The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test with minimum scores of at least 500 on each of the verbal and quantitative sections, and a minimum of 4.0 on the analytical section.
• Undergraduate GPA of 3.00 or graduate GPA of 3.4.
• The TOEFL or IELTS exam is required for students whose native language is not English. Required minimum are 83 (iBT) or 6.5, respectively. Additional requirements exist for international students.

- Subject to program approval, applicants who do not meet all of the above criteria may be admitted on a provisional basis. 
 

For Additional Information:

The University of South Dakota
Biomedical Engineering Program
2329 N. Career Ave. Suite 107
Sioux Falls, SD 57107
Phone: (605) 274-7038
http://www.usd.edu/graduate-school/biomedical-engineering.cfm 

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