Curriculum

Ph.D. students are required to complete a minimum of 27 credit hours of didactic coursework. The BME Program has a flexible curriculum which typically includes core research area specific engineering and life science courses as well as advanced electives. Students also receive training in responsible conduct of research, attend BME seminars given by faculty members, and participate in a Works-in-Progress course in which they present and receive feedback on their dissertation research. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the program, students often take courses from other programs in the Division of Basic Science at UT Southwestern, as well as graduate level classes at UT Arlington and UT Dallas.

All doctoral students must pass three examinations. Exam I is a qualifying exam, usually given during the second year. It consists of a written examination, based on a broad problem in the area of the student’s research, and an oral examination in which the student critiques and defends his or her written response. Successful completion of the qualifying examination is required to advance to candidacy for the Ph.D. Exam II consists of a detailed written prospectus of the proposed dissertation research and an oral defense of the proposal. Exam III is the final defense of the completed dissertation.

A supervisory research committee is formed for each doctoral candidate. This committee reviews and evaluates the student’s progress and participates in the proposal and dissertation defenses.

Biomedical Engineering Degree Plan (.pdf)