Biological Engineering - PhD

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College of Engineering

Department of Biological Engineering

The PhD program in Biological Engineering emphasizes design, building, and testing of new specialized bioreactors, biomedical biomaterials, bioplastics, biofuels, pharmaceuticals, biosensors, and bioinstrumentation. We develop engineered systems that protect public health from water, air, and soil contamination. The program includes specific courses in biochemical engineering, synthetic biological engineering, metabolic engineering, biophotonics, biofuels, tissue engineering, biomaterials engineering, and biosensors that provide students with new skills required by employers in industry, government national laboratories, medical and other research institutes, and universities.

Students seeking a PhD degree in biological engineering successfully complete all required coursework, conduct research under the direction of a major professor, pass the qualifying examinations for PhD candidacy, write a dissertation acceptable to a supervisory committee, submit minimum 2 articles for publication with an approved peer-reviewed technical journal.

Admission Requirements

To be admitted to a graduate degree program at Utah State University, you must meet the minimum requirements:

Bachelor’s degree in an Engineering field from accredited institution (If Bachelor’s degree is not in an Engineering field, please see info below concerning Make-up Courses for Non-engineering Students).
3.0 or higher GPA. Grade of C or higher on courses.
Official transcripts with degree conferment for all institutes of higher education attended.
Statement of Purpose.
Three letters of recommendation.
International Students – proof of English proficiency (please see Graduate Admissions Policy).
GRE is no longer required.

Program Requirements

The PhD degree in Biological Engineering (BE) requires 15 credits of core mandatory graduate BE coursework (see below), 9-15 credits of elective courses, and 12-30 credits of research for a total of 36-60 credits. The number of credits depends on whether student is a Post-BS or Post-MS seeking PhD candidate. The balance of graduate courses (electives) are determined by the student, the major professor, and the student’s graduate committee. Elective courses must follow the guidelines of the School of Graduate Studies for inclusion on a student’s Program of Study and must be approved by the student’s committee.

Cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required for graduation.
Grade of C or higher on courses.
Submit a minimum of 2 articles for publication with an approved peer-reviewed technical journal.
Write a dissertation acceptable to supervisory committee. Give oral presentation of dissertation and submit final copy to the USU library.
A PhD degree must be completed within eight (8) years of entering the degree program. Additional time may be requested by the student’s committee and submitted to the Vice Provost of Graduate Studies for review.
Coursework over eight years old at the time of degree completion may not be used for a graduate degree unless it is revalidated.
Credits in the following areas are not acceptable: foreign languages, continuing graduate advisement, individual home study, military science, and courses numbered below 3000.

Core Courses (15 credits)

The core courses for the PhD degree in Biological Engineering include the following:

BENG 6810 - Biochemical Engineering 3 credit(s)
BENG 6600 - Downstream Processes in Biological Engineering 3 credit(s)
BENG 6630 - Synthetic Biological Engineering 3 credit(s)
BENG 7860 - Research Orientation and Planning 2 credit(s)
BENG 7510 - Graduate Seminar 1 credit(s)
STAT 5200 - Analysis of Designed Experiments 3 credit(s) or
CEE 6660 - Environmental and Hydrologic Data Analysis and Experimentation 3 credit(s)

Electives

The PhD degree in Biological Engineering requires 9-15 credits of electives. A graduate student’s supervisory committee helps choose related graduate coursework as needed to complete the student’s program of study and support the research project.

Dissertation Research

All PhD students are required to take 12-30 credits of dissertation research for degree completion.

BENG 7970 - Dissertation Research 1-10 credit(s)

Make-Up Courses for Non-Engineering Students Seeking Admission to the BE Graduate Program

Students who do not have a B.S. degree in an accredited engineering discipline but who want a BE graduate engineering degree, either M.S. or PhD, must take two make-up courses in addition to the coursework for the specific graduate engineering degree.

Make-up courses must be taken the first year of program.

Students may also elect to take the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Examination- General Exam (at their own expense). They must successfully pass the exam in lieu of taking the make-up courses.

BENG 2400 - Biological and Environmental Thermodynamics 3 credit(s)
BENG 3200 - Introduction to Unit Operations in Biological Engineering 3 credit(s)