Biomedical Engineering

The Master of Biomedical Engineering degree at the University of Portland is a professional program that lives at the intersection of clinical needs and technological solutions. We prepare our graduates to design devices for big and small problems in medicine, surgery, nursing, dentistry, and more. Designed to prepare you to enter the medical device design industry, this interdisciplinary experience combines classroom-based theoretical knowledge with applied hands-on experiences and projects. Students in the program learn about the needs, policies, and business of healthcare while advancing their skills in engineering design and development.

Program Highlights

• Can be completed in as little as 9-12 months
• Hands -on immersive medical device design project with industry partners
• Prepares you to enter the medical device industry
• Small cohort size, typically around 15 students
• Collaborative and interdisciplinary curriculum
• Engaged and committed faculty
• No thesis required
• Open to all STEM majors (including math/science, engineering, health professions, physiology/kinesiology, or related fields)
• 4+1 program for current UP students

BME Students in Action

      

Recent Alumni

You can find alumni at many medical device companies including Boston Scientific, Stryker, Acumed, MSEI, Biosense Webster, and Surgalign to name a few.

What alumni have to say about the program:

How did the MBME program prepare you for your job?

“Something that stands out to me is that it helped me recognize and separate the importance of user needs (necessary to physician) from the design specifications (necessary to the engineer). Being able to ask the physician key user experience questions which I could later translate into measurable performance has been an important ability in my current position.” – Mike Jones, MBME 2021, R&D Engineer I Boston Scientific

What makes the MBME program special?

“The small cohort size and accelerated 12 month timeline made University of Portland's MBME program very appealing to me. The small class sizes ensured that I had the attention I needed from professors and encouraged me to ask questions, deepening my understanding of the curriculum. The capstone project that I worked on allowed me to experience all aspects of medical device design needed to make me a well-rounded job applicant in only a year.” – Luke Giesemann, MBME 2020, Associate Product Development Engineer, Medline

Medical Device Design Project

The medical device design project is the highlight of the program. Across two semesters and three courses, students work in teams with industry sponsors to design, build, and test a medical device that solves a real-world problem. In addition, students learn how to bring the device to market, completing a commercialization plan.

Curriculum

The program is structured to allow most students to complete the program in 12 months. An example program course plan is shown below. The two electives may be taken during any academic term depending on the student’s desired course load. Examples of electives include Human Factors Engineering and Ergonomics and Introduction to Neuroimaging and Brain Stimulation  

Admissions

• Review the pre-requisite courses. There are opportunities to take pre-requisites at UP the summer prior to beginning the program.
• For students who have an undergraduate degree in bioengineering, biomedical engineering, electrical engineering, or mechanical engineering from an ABET accredited program within the US, the prerequisites to enter the MBME program are currently being waived.
• Apply
• Completed applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
• Decision notifications will be released approximately two weeks from application completion.  Delays are possible due to holidays, etc.
• A $1,000 enrollment deposit is required to hold your place in the cohort.
  • Due one month following receipt of the acceptance letter
  • The deposit is applied to the first semester's tuition
• Classes for the fall cohort begin the last week of August.

Questions?

Please click here to request more information or visit our FAQ page.

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