The Biomechanics track in the Master of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering provides graduates with professional skills enabling them to gain employment in the biomedical engineering industry or to enter competitive Biomedical Engineering PhD research programs. Career opportunities include research, design, analysis, testing and product development in the biomedical and rehabilitation industries, in clinical engineering, and in biomedical engineering.
The current research focus is in biomechanics, developmental dysplasia of the hip, cellular mechanics and force-induced biochemical responses, image guided surgery, surgical robotics navigation and tracking, soft robotics, and biomechanics of movement rehabilitation and neural control of movement.
The Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering requires 30 credit hours at the graduate level (a combination of 5000 and 6000 level courses) and offers both thesis and nonthesis options.
Thesis students take 15 credit hours of required courses, 6 credit hours of Biomechanics courses, 3 credit hours of an approved elective, and 6 credit hours of thesis.
The nonthesis option is primarily designed to meet the needs of part-time students and requires 30 credit hours of coursework. Nonthesis students take 15 credit hours of required courses, 6 credit hours of Biomechanics courses, and 9 credit hours of approved electives.
Total Credit Hours Required: 30 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Bachelor's Degree
Track Prerequisites
A bachelor's degree in Biomedical, Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering, or a closely related discipline. A student with an undergraduate degree outside of the selected departmental discipline may be required to satisfy an articulation program.
Prerequisites for non-engineering students applying to the program
- Calculus with Analytic Geometry I (MAC 2311C), Calculus with Analytic Geometry II (MAC 2312), Calculus with Analytic Geometry (MAC 2313), Ordinary Differential Equations (MAP 2302)
- Engineering Analysis - Statics (EGN 3310), Engineering Analysis - Dynamics (EGN 3321), and Solid Mechanics (EGM 3601)
- Thermodynamics (EGN 3343)*
- Design and Analysis of Machine Components (EML 3500)
- Introduction to Vibrations and Controls (EML 4225)
- Modeling Methods in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (EML 3034C)*
- Mechanical Engineering Measurements (EML 3303C)*
* Or equivalent (see graduate adviser)
Degree Requirements
Required Courses
15 Total Credits
- Complete the following:
- BME5216C - Mechanics of Biostructures I (3)
- BME5217C - Mechanics of Biostructures II (3)
- BME6500C - Bioinstrumentation (3)
- BME6935 - Topics in Biomedical Engineering (3)
- BME6231 - Continuum Biomechanics (3)
Biomechanics Courses
6 Total Credits
- Complete the following:
- BME6215 - Advanced Biomechanics (3)
- EML6067 - Finite Elements in Mechanical, Materials, and Aerospace Engineering I (3)
Elective Courses
3 Total Credits
- Complete at least 1 of the following:
- BME5572 - Biomedical Nanotechnology (3)
- BSC5418 - Tissue Engineering (3)
- EEE5265 - Biomedical Effects and Applications of Electromagnetic Energy (3)
- EEL5272 - Biomedical Sensors (3)
- EMA5060 - Polymer Science and Engineering (3)
- EMA5584 - Biomaterials (3)
- EMA5588 - Biocompatibility of Materials (3)
- EML5060 - Mathematical Methods in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (3)
- EML5237 - Intermediate Mechanics of Materials (3)
- EML5291 - MEMS Materials (3)
- EML6068 - Finite Elements in Mechanical, Materials, and Aerospace Engineering II (3)
- EML6299 - Advanced Topics on Miniaturization (3)
- ESI5219 - Engineering Statistics (3)
- ESI6247 - Experimental Design and Taguchi Methods (3)
- ESI6609 - Industrial Engineering Analytics for Healthcare (3)
- IDS5127 - Foundation of Bio-Imaging Science (3)
- IDS6253 - Bioanalytical Technology (3)
- EML6067 - Finite Elements in Mechanical, Materials, and Aerospace Engineering I (3)
- BME5742 - Modeling Techniques and Methodologies in Bioengineering (3)
- BME5267 - Biofluid Mechanics (3)
- BME6268 - Applied and Computational Biofluids (3)
- BME6215 - Advanced Biomechanics (3)
- BME6525 - Methods in Neural-Machine Interfaces (3)
- EML6712 - Mechanics of Viscous Flow (3)
- EML6726 - Computational Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer II (3)
- EML6725 - Computational Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer I (3)
- EAS6185 - Turbulent Flow (3)
- CAP5516 - Medical Image Computing (3)
- OSE6111 - Optical Wave Propagation (3)
- CAP5510 - Bioinformatics (3)
- STA5176 - Introduction to Biostatistics (3)
- STA5206 - Statistical Analysis (3)
- GMS6860 - Statistics for Biomedical Scientists (3)
Thesis/Nonthesis Option
6 Total Credits
- Complete 1 of the following
Thesis Option- Complete all of the following
- Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
- Students may not register for thesis credit hours until an advisory committee has been appointed and the committee has reviewed the student's program of study and the proposed thesis topic. The College of Engineering and Computer Science requires that all thesis defense announcements be approved by the student's adviser and posted on the college's website (www.cecs.ucf.edu) and on the Events Calendar at the College of Graduate Studies website at least two weeks before the defense date. Additionally, all students pursuing the thesis option must enroll in the following course: EML 5090 - Mechanical and Aerospace Seminar 0 Credit Hours Students must register for the seminar course a minimum of two times during their graduate career in the master's program (thesis option). The students must also complete the course with a satisfactory (S) grade in both attempts. If the student does not complete the course with a satisfactory grade, the student will be asked to repeat the course to meet program requirements.
Nonthesis Option- Earn at least 6 credits from the following types of courses: Additional elective coursework as listed in Representative Elective section above
Grand Total Credits: 30
Application Requirements
Financial Information
Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.
Fellowship Information
Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student's graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.
All students must take at least 15 credit hours at the 6000 level. At least 24 credit hours of the program of study must be course work, exclusive of research and thesis hours.
All students must identify an adviser and file an official program of study prior to the completion of 9 credit hours of study. Students should consult with the MAE Graduate Program Director for assistance in filling out their program of study. The program of study must be approved by the department.
Substitutions to the program of study must be approved by the student's faculty adviser and department. More information is available on the MAE departmental website (http://www.mae.ucf.edu/).
Independent LearningThe Independent Learning Requirement is met by successful completion of a master's thesis for the thesis option. For nonthesis students, the independent learning experience is provided by BME 6935 - Topics in Biomedical Engineering, one of the required courses.
