MyBME
This site is for current graduate students in the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, and is designed to help these students navigate their curriculum as efficiently and painlessly as possible. Students will be able to find information about the curriculum, milestones, forms needed, the degree process, and finances. This site will also serve as a space for reminders and the graduate program calendar. If you have a program-related question, please consult this site first. If you cannot locate your answer, please feel free to email the program directly.
Support Form
- Due Dates:
- For Fall term: May 1
- For Spring term: October 1
- For Summer term: February 1
- Form needed:
- The online Student Support Form can be found at Student BME Admissions.
- The online Student Support Form site can only be accessed from within the Georgia Tech or Emory campus network. If accessing from off campus please login to https://vlab.matrix.gatech.edu using your GT credentials then click on COEWin7_Fall_v2. Once this session pulls up you should be able to access all the necessary forms. Click here for more information.
- Purpose:
- The information submitted by the student is used by:
- The BME Finance Office to determine the appropriate stipend/payment.
- The Graduate Program Coordinator to determine whether a tuition waiver is appropriate for the student.
- The information submitted by the student is used by:
- Process:
- Students must personally update their support forms EACH term.
- Faculty members (or their designees) then approve and provide account details.
- When the support form is completed, it is important to indicate your current status (GRA, fellowship, etc.) as any mistake will cause the tuition waiver to not be placed and the cost of the tuition will go to the student’s account.
Registration
- Every semester: ALL BME students must register at both Georgia Tech and Emory University.
- For students working in Georgia Tech laboratories:
- At Georgia Tech:
- These students must register for 21 credit hours in the Fall and Spring, and 16 credit hours in the summer (Use BMED 9000 to fill in the credits up to 21 or 16 hours).
- Students must register for these hours through OSCAR.
- At Emory University:
- These students must register for at least one credit hour per semester. If not taking any classes, a student can register for BMED 9999 to ensure that they remain an active Emory student.
- Students must register for these hours through OPUS.
- These students do NOT need to pay fees at Emory.
- At Georgia Tech:
- For students working in Emory University laboratories:
- At Georgia Tech:
- These students must register for 21 credit hours in the Fall and Spring, and 16 credit hours in the summer (Use BMED 9000 to fill in the credits up to 21 or 16 hours).
- Students must register for these hours through OSCAR.
- At Emory University:
- These students must register for nine hours each semester. To fill in these hours, a student can register for BMED 559R before his/her thesis proposal. After the proposal, the student must register for BMED 799R.
- Students must register for these hours through OPUS.
- These students DO need to pay fees at Emory.
- At Georgia Tech:
- Place Holder Courses
- BMED 559R/799R (Emory)
- Atlanta students based in Emory laboratories must use 559R (before proposal) or BMED 779R (after proposal) each term as the variable hour course to reach the required 9 credit hours.
- BMED 9999R (Emory)
- Students from Georgia Tech and PKU laboratories must register for this course every semester that they are NOT taking actual Emory courses (to keep their status active at Emory).
- BMED 9999A (Georgia Tech)
- Beijing-based PKU students must register for this course every semester they are NOT taking actual Georgia Tech courses (to keep their status active at Georgia Tech)
- BMEM 6001 (For MD/PhD students, Georgia Tech)
- New MD/PhD students should register for this course, as the variable hours course, to ensure they reach the minimum total hours required until they are officially matched with a thesis advisor. After advisor matching, they should register with the advisor’s thesis hours section (BMED 9XXX). They should also register for the BMED 9000 course at Emory with variable hours to meet the minimum requirement set by the MD/PhD program..
- BMED 559R/799R (Emory)
Health Insurance Waiver
- All students are required to show proof of health insurance in order to enroll in the program. Students without independent health insurance must enroll in one of the two institution’s plans.
- Students who register for Georgia Tech insurance must provide a health insurance waiver to Emory, and vice versa.
- Georgia Tech:
- Details on the GT health insurance plan are available via the Health Services office.
- Most students are required to enroll in the “Mandatory” plan.
- Emory University:
- Details on the Emory health insurance plan are available via the Laney Graduate School.
Tuition Fees
- For student working in Georgia Tech laboratories:
- Students must pay Georgia Tech fees associated with tuition every semester. You can check these costs after you register with OSCAR, in the Pay Now section located in the student tab.
- It is crucial to check your account information each semester to ensure that your tuition waiver has been placed.
- You do NOT need to pay any fees at Emory.
- For students working in Emory University laboratories:
- Students must pay fees at Emory University every semester.
- You can check these costs via OPUS.
- You do NOT need to pay any fees at Georgia Tech.
Fellowships & Awards Opportunities
Fellowships are monetary awards, usually designated for graduate students. Many are nationally competitive. There are often specific requirements and expectations, with some fellowships being limited to particular fields of study. Students applying for fellowships should carefully read the requirements on the fellowship website before applying. Fellowship students are required to maintain full-time enrollment.
Access Resources from Two Institutions
Take advantage of extensive resources from both institutions that assist in all phases of fellowship awards, from submission to award management. Both campuses have offices which help with fellowship paperwork, grant proofreading, proposal and grantsmanship tips, and post-award accounting. In addition to the individual campus offices, our curriculum is designed to hone skills in grant writing and scientific reasoning, both critical skills for receiving fellowships.
The BME Department also has many internal fellowship opportunities drawn from both campuses. These include, but are not limited to:
• GT President's Fellowship
• Alfred P. Sloan Award
• Gouizeta Fellowship
• Emory Jones Fellowship
• Research area specific awards
Additional Resources:
The Graduate Program Student handbook outlines the policies and procedures for students enrolled in Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering graduate programs. Topics covered include the structure of the department, expectations of faculty and students, the admission process, new and current student information, registration, finances, degree requirements and graduation information, campus resources, and institutional policies and processes.
This handbook is intended as a supplement to the General Catalog of Georgia Tech and student handbook for the Laney Graduate School at Emory University. It does not replace nor supersede the materials in these resources. All BME students are responsible for understanding and complying with all policies and procedures of both Georgia Tech and Emory.
Questions should be directed via email (gradstudies@bme.gatech.edu) to the BME Graduate Program Manager. The Associate Chair for Graduate Studies, Director of Graduate Training, and directors of the associated degree programs are also key resources.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
![]() | 1.84 MB |
Matriculation & Orientation
- New Student Checklists
- Orientations:
- BME Department Orientation
- Typically the week before classes begin (check website calendar for exact dates)
- Covers academic, financial, administrative, technical, social, and research-related information for new BME graduate students.
- Georgia Tech Orientation
- This orientation includes representatives from campus offices involved with enrollment, campus acclimation, insurance, immunization, payroll processing, etc.
- GradExpo, a component of this orientation, features campus services, student organizations, etc.
- Georgia Tech International Student Check-In
- Georgia Tech requires international students to complete International Student Check-In, facilitated by the Office of International Education. International Student & Scholar Advisors will assist during this time.
- Emory Laney Graduate School Orientation
- New students are required to attend this orientation, typically held in late August.
- BME Department Orientation
Advisor Matching
- Due: September 10 of Year 1
- Form needed: Student Faculty Interview & Preference Form
- Purpose: A critical component to the success of a graduate student in this program is being matched to the right faculty advisor. In addition to common research interests, a good match also takes into account such factors as work-style, personality, and culture.
- Matching Process (for students not designated specific advisors upon admission):
- Faculty Interviews:
- To facilitate an appropriate match between a student and a faculty advisor, students are required to interview 4 to 6 faculty members. These interviews should include in-depth discussions with faculty as well as participation in lab group meetings, lab tours, etc.
- Submission of Preferences:
- By September 10th of Year 1, each student must submit a list of faculty members ranked in order of preference to the Graduate Program Coordinator, using the Student Faculty Interview & Preference form. Faculty members will also submit a list of student preferences.
- The Associate Chair for Graduate Studies, along with other program leaders, will assign matches as appropriate.
- Faculty Interviews:
BME Graduate Program Curriculum
Total minimum number of required hours: 34
NOTE: All courses (except JPE 610) should be completed prior to your thesis proposal.
- BMED 7001
- Time taken: Fall and Spring semesters of both Year 1 and Year 2
- Hours: 1 hour each (four hours total)
- Form needed: A Seminar Participation Form documenting seminars attended MUST be completed and signed by each student, and uploaded to the semester-specific BMED 7001 T-Square site by 5 pm on the last day of the semester.
- Purpose: To provide students with exposure to a variety of research and professional development subjects and a diverse pool of speakers from academia, industry, and government. Attendance is also a great opportunity for students to interact with other faculty and students within BME and from other programs.
- This course requires the attendance of five research seminars and two professional/career development seminars each semester that meet the guidelines below.
- Must be hosted by Georgia Tech, Emory University, or Georgia State University.
- Three of the five research seminars must be sponsored by BME or IBB/BIOE.
- These requirements of five research seminars and two professional/career development seminars apply for all students enrolling in BMED 7001 starting Fall 2016.
- Failure to attend seven seminars and/or failure to submit the form on time will result in an Unsatisfactory (U) for the course.
- Time taken: while PKU Beijing students are in Atlanta.
- All PKU Beijing students must take one Global Perspective course while in Atlanta. Course that fill this requirement:
- MGT 4030: International Accounting
- MGT 4055: International IT Issues
- MGT 4070: International Finance
- MGT 4117: Global Workforce Management
- MGT 4335: International Marketing
- MGT 4360: Global Operations
- MOT 6126: International Issues in MOT
- MOT 6129: International Business & Finance
- BMED 9XXX (course is Advisor-specific)
- Time taken: throughout time as a graduate student
- Purpose: each student takes the 9000 course specifically assigned to his/her advisor. These hours should reflect time spent doing research and will makeup the remainder of your hours after coursework each semester to reach your total required (21 hours in Fall and Spring, and 16 hours in Summer)
Program of Study
- Due: November 1st of Year 1
- Forms needed: Program of Study Form
- Purpose: The Program of Study is completed by the student in consultation with his/her advisor and within the parameters of the student’s chosen technical area group. This form lists proposed courses within the fundamental areas, electives, and minor.
- Completed forms should be submitted to the Graduate Program Coordinator. All completed forms are reviewed and approved by the Graduate Committee.
- PKU students: In addition to the Program of Study, PKU students must also submit the following:
- Completed Chinese language assessment in the first semester prior to submitting his/her Program of Study form.
- PKU-Beijing students, prior to leaving Atlanta, must submit the PKU Ethics Training Completion form
BME Graduate Program Milestone Evaluation
- Form needed: BME Graduate Milestones Evaluation Form - For students matriculating into the program BEFORE the Fall 2015, please use this form.
- Purpose: The BME Graduate Milestones Evaluation Form is an evaluation rubric used throughout a graduate student’s program. This form is designed to measure a student’s performance across the significant milestones of their study to ensure continued and adequate progression in the fundamental skills of integrating engineering and bioscience toward problem solving. If progression fails to continue or declines, the student, advisor, and the graduate program can all work together to identify issues and formulate a plan for improvement.
BME Graduate Program Curriculum
Total minimum number of required hours: 34
NOTE: All courses (except JPE 610) should be completed prior to your thesis proposal.
The below table provides an overview of the Biomedical Engineering curriculum by category and hours required.
Description | Requirement |
Integrative Engineering-Biomedical Science BME Problem-Based Course (3 options) |
One, 3-hour course |
Bioscience and Engineering Courses | 5-7 courses (21 hours total)
|
Advanced Graduate Seminar Course | One, 3-hour topical discussion-format course |
Ethics, Teaching and Professional Developing Training Course |
Three, 1-hour courses |
Seminar Attendance | 7 seminars per semester; four semesters |
- BMED 7011, 7012, 7013
- Time taken: typically the Fall and Spring of Year 1
- Hours: Students enrolling in Fall 2016 or beyond must take one Integrative Core Course. Students enrolling before Fall 2016 must take two such courses.
- Purpose: The courses are designed to develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills essential to the integration of engineering and bioscience. The course will also include discussion involving ethical questions in science and engineering. By the end of this series, students should be able to:
- Critically read and evaluate journal articles
- Pose well-developed research questions
- Propose relevant research methodologies to address such questions
- Communicate this information effectively both orally and in writing
- Time taken: typically the Fall and Spring of Year 1
- Course requirements:
- 5-7 courses (21 hours total)
- 1 bioscience course
- 1 engineering course
- 3-5 research-specific electives
- All courses must be proposed on the Program of Study and approved by the graduate program committee.
- Purpose: Courses focus on the learning of fundamental knowledge in engineering, bioscience, and the intersection of the two.
- Minor: Due after the research proposal with the Request for Admission to PhD Candidacy
- Form needed: The Request for Approval of Doctoral Minor form must be completed and submitted to the Graduate Program Coordinator.
- Purpose: Georgia Tech policy dictates that all doctoral degree candidates complete an academic minor consisting of 9 credit hours. This requirement is typically met using courses in the Engineering and Bioscience Fundamentals category
- Course numbers vary
- Time taken: typically in Year 2
- Hours: 3 hours each (only one required)
- Purpose: Provides an in-depth study into a research area, building upon skills developed in the Integrative Core courses. Classes typically include journal article reviews, presentations, and scientific writing. Choice of course depends on course schedules, research interests, and discussions with advisor. The course will also include discussion involving ethical questions in science and engineering. While the only prerequisite for any Advanced Seminar course is that the student must be in their second year or later, students will be more successful in and get more out of each Advanced Seminar course if they have or obtain the suggested pre-course content listed here. This content is highly recommended by the course instructors.
- Currently offered Advanced Seminars topics:
- Biomaterials & Regenerative Medicine
- Cardiovascular Biology & Biomechanics
- Cellular & Biomolecular Engineering
- Integrative Biosystems
- Biomedical Imaging & Optics
- Neuroengineering
- In addition to the ethical training a student receives within the BME curriculum (1.5 hours in Integrative Core, 1.5 hours in Advanced Seminar, and 6 hours in the Teaching & Research Practica), a student must also take JPE 600 and JPE 610 through Emory University (register via OPUS). This schedule applies to GT/Emory PhD students enrolling in Fall 2016 or later. Click here for requirements of earlier cohorts.
- JPE 600:
- Time taken: typically the Fall semester of Year 1
- Design: This is a one-day course that introduces students to the foundations of ethical reflection (includes six hours of course content) - JPE 610:
- Time taken: taken: prior to graduation
- Design: Students must attend a minimum of four workshops/seminars sponsored by the Laney Graduate School Center for Ethics. A schedule of qualified sessions can be found here.
- PKU-Beijing students must use the PKU Ethics Training Completion Form to document all ethics training completion. This schedule applies to PKU PhD students in ATL in Summer 2017 or later. Click here for requirements of earlier cohorts.
- JPE 600
- JPE 610
- BMED 7004
- Ethics-specific sessions in one Integrative Core and one Advanced Seminar course.
- Fall and Spring semesters of Year 2
- Purpose: Teaching is considered an integral part of the educational experience and is a requirement of the program. PhD students serve as Teaching Assistants for two BME undergraduate courses. Note: students must take BMED 7004 and BMED 7005 during their first and second semesters of TAing, respectively.
- Assignments: The Director of Graduate Training makes the final course assignments, based primarily on student preference.
- TA Orientation (TATT 600):
- Students must register for this day and a half orientation through OPUS at the beginning of their first semester as a TA.
- Held at Laney Graduate School at Emory.
- Designed to introduce students to common issues associated with being a TA.
- BME Teaching Assistant Expectations:
- TAs should not be expected to devote more than an average of ten hours per week to TA duties.
- To ensure that students are given reasonable responsibilities and an accurate expectation of their roles throughout the semester, all TAs are required to complete a BME Teaching Assistant Expectations Form.
- This form facilitates a guided discussion between the TA and the Instructor at the beginning of the course semester.
- Both the TA and the Instructor must sign the form, and the form must be uploaded to the appropriate T-Square site (BMED 7004 or BMED 7005) by the second Friday of the semester.
- TAs should not be expected to devote more than an average of ten hours per week to TA duties.
- BME Teaching Assistant Evaluations:
- All Instructors will complete the BME Teaching Assistant Evaluation Form at the end of each semester.
- This form includes a performance rubric. All TAs must perform an average of 3 on each criterion for successful completion of his/her Assistantship. Failure to reach this level of performance will result in required attendance of one-on-one teaching training at the Center for Enhanced Teaching & Learning, and an additional semester of TA responsibilities.
- Both the TA and the Instructor must sign this form to encourage feedback and mentorship.
- All Instructors will complete the BME Teaching Assistant Evaluation Form at the end of each semester.
- BMED 7004, 7005
- Time taken: Fall and Spring, respectively, of Year 2
- Purpose: This series of courses are required to coincide with the student’s time as a TA. It is designed to provide students with the practical frameworks for understanding challenges faced during teaching, research, and academic life. These courses provide instructional and hands-on training in up-to-date pedagogical practices, responsible conduct of research, and professional development.
- BMED 7001
- Time taken: Fall and Spring semesters of both Year 1 and Year 2
- Hours: 1 hour each (four hours total)
- Form needed: A Seminar Participation Form documenting seminars attended MUST be completed and signed by each student, and uploaded to the semester-specific BMED 7001 T-Square site by 5 pm on the last day of the semester.
- Purpose: To provide students with exposure to a variety of research and professional development subjects and a diverse pool of speakers from academia, industry, and government. Attendance is also a great opportunity for students to interact with other faculty and students within BME and from other programs.
- This course requires the attendance of five research seminars and two professional/career development seminars each semester that meet the guidelines below.
- Must be hosted by Georgia Tech, Emory University, or Georgia State University.
- Three of the five research seminars must be sponsored by BME or IBB/BIOE.
- These requirements of five research seminars and two professional/career development seminars apply for all students enrolling in BMED 7001 starting Fall 2016.
- Failure to attend seven seminars and/or failure to submit the form on time will result in an Unsatisfactory (U) for the course.
- Time taken: while PKU Beijing students are in Atlanta.
- All PKU Beijing students must take one Global Perspective course while in Atlanta. Course that fill this requirement:
- MGT 4030: International Accounting
- MGT 4055: International IT Issues
- MGT 4070: International Finance
- MGT 4117: Global Workforce Management
- MGT 4335: International Marketing
- MGT 4360: Global Operations
- MOT 6126: International Issues in MOT
- MOT 6129: International Business & Finance
- BMED 9XXX (course is Advisor-specific)
- Time taken: throughout time as a graduate student
- Purpose: each student takes the 9000 course specifically assigned to his/her advisor. These hours should reflect time spent doing research and will makeup the remainder of your hours after coursework each semester to reach your total required (21 hours in Fall and Spring, and 16 hours in Summer)
Qualifying Exam
- August 1 – November 1 of Year 2
- Forms needed: Honor Code Pledge & Academic Profile
- Prerequisites: Students must meet the minimum GPA requirement of 3.0 and have completed at least one integrative core course and one traditional engineering course.
- Purpose: To ensure that the graduate student has the tools necessary to be successful in the PhD program. The exam emphasizes the student’s ability to integrate bioscience and engineering concepts to solve problems.
- Students are evaluated on both a written and oral portion of the qualifying exam.
- The written portion of the qualifying exam:
- Consists of a 4-page written pre-proposal on a research topic in the student's research area.
- The research topic may be, but is not limited to, the student's thesis research topic.
- The pre-proposal should include one specific aim for the proposed research project and a corresponding literature review.
- The student may not receive specific feedback on the written document prior to submission.
- Must be submitted to the chair of the qualifying exam committee three weeks prior to the oral exam.
- Consists of a 4-page written pre-proposal on a research topic in the student's research area.
- The 60-90 minute oral portion of the qualifying exam assesses:
- Fundamental bioscience and engineering questions related to the student's submitted written proposal.
- Ability for independent thinking and decision making.
- Knowledge and integration of engineering and bioscience concepts.
- Application of knowledge to interdisciplinary biomedical engineering problems.
- Qualifying exams are administered by a faculty committee consisting of three BME program faculty members with broad expertise in areas of traditional engineering, biological sciences, and bioengineering. The BME Graduate Committee assigns QE committees.
- The student’s advisor is also encouraged to attend as an observer ONLY and will not be present while the committee makes its final decision.
- Committee Chair:
- Committee member who will ensure that questions are fair and appropriate.
- Will meet with student prior to exam to discuss philosophy and mechanics of the exam, and any other points relevant to the student and/or committee.
- The committee will take a PASS/NO PASS vote at the conclusion of the exam before the committee’s adjournment. This can be an open vote, but may be secret ballot if requested by a committee member. The final vote is binding.
- Committee members must each complete an evaluation rubric with appropriate comments at the end of the exam. These forms will be delivered to the program office and can be viewed by interested students.
- Exam result possibilities:
- PASS:
- The committee may make recommendations or conditions along with the PASS.
- All conditions mandated by the Qualifying Exam Committee must be met within one year of the Qualifying Exam date.
- The committee may make recommendations or conditions along with the PASS.
- NO PASS:
- If exam is being conducted for the first time for that student, the student may retake the exam typically with the same committee members. The evaluation form will list recommendations or conditions the student must follow prior to the retake.
- PASS:
- Only one retake is permitted. Upon retake, the student must meet GPA requirements. All retakes should be scheduled as early as possible contingent on recommendations and conditions (typically within three months of the first exam).
- PASS (with or without recommendations/ conditions) or NO PASS.
- If a second NO PASS is obtained, the student may elect to pursue a MS (with thesis) or withdraw from the program.
Teaching Assistantship
- Fall and Spring semesters of Year 2
- Purpose: Teaching is considered an integral part of the educational experience and is a requirement of the program. PhD students serve as Teaching Assistants for two BME undergraduate courses. Note: students must take BMED 7004 and BMED 7005 during their first and second semesters of TAing, respectively.
- Assignments: The Director of Graduate Training makes the final course assignments, based primarily on student preference.
- TA Orientation (TATT 600):
- Students must register for this day and a half orientation through OPUS at the beginning of their first semester as a TA.
- Held at Laney Graduate School at Emory.
- Designed to introduce students to common issues associated with being a TA.
- BME Teaching Assistant Expectations:
- TAs should not be expected to devote more than an average of ten hours per week to TA duties.
- To ensure that students are given reasonable responsibilities and an accurate expectation of their roles throughout the semester, all TAs are required to complete a BME Teaching Assistant Expectations Form.
- This form facilitates a guided discussion between the TA and the Instructor at the beginning of the course semester.
- Both the TA and the Instructor must sign the form, and the form must be uploaded to the appropriate T-Square site (BMED 7004 or BMED 7005) by the second Friday of the semester.
- TAs should not be expected to devote more than an average of ten hours per week to TA duties.
- BME Teaching Assistant Evaluations:
- All Instructors will complete the BME Teaching Assistant Evaluation Form at the end of each semester.
- This form includes a performance rubric. All TAs must perform an average of 3 on each criterion for successful completion of his/her Assistantship. Failure to reach this level of performance will result in required attendance of one-on-one teaching training at the Center for Enhanced Teaching & Learning, and an additional semester of TA responsibilities.
- Both the TA and the Instructor must sign this form to encourage feedback and mentorship.
- All Instructors will complete the BME Teaching Assistant Evaluation Form at the end of each semester.
Thesis Committee Approval
- By May of Year 2
- Forms needed: Request for Approval of Thesis Committee - For students matriculating into the program BEFORE the Fall 2015, please use this form.
- Prerequisites: Student must have passed the Qualifying Exam.
- Purpose: A student’s thesis committee has the responsibility of advising the student on all aspects of the thesis, from preparation to defense. Students are strongly encouraged to meet with their committees at least once per year.
- Process:
1. Along with your advisor, choose the remaining committee members carefully based on area of research, etc. Thesis Committee Member Requirements:
a) Committee must have at least five members.
b) All members should be active faculty or medical doctors with academic research and supervision experience. Industry professionals may be suitable with Graduate Committee approval.
c) Committee makeup must display a balance between “engineers” and “bioscientists.”
d) The primary advisor or one of the co-advisors must be BME Program Faculty.
e) Three members must be BME Program Faculty.
f) One member must have no affiliation with BME (not Primary or Program faculty).
g) A co-advisor cannot be counted as one of the five required committee members (Exception: Co-advisor of a PKU student can count as a required committee member).
2. Submit completed Request for Approval of Thesis Committee form to the Graduate Program Coordinator.- Students should contact their proposed committee members for their individual approvals prior to submission.
- A short justification of committee makeup and a 2-3 page CV must accompany the submitted form for all non-BME members.
BME Graduate Program Curriculum
Total minimum number of required hours: 34
NOTE: All courses (except JPE 610) should be completed prior to your thesis proposal.
The below table provides an overview of the Biomedical Engineering curriculum by category and hours required.
Description | Requirement |
Integrative Engineering-Biomedical Science BME Problem-Based Course (3 options) |
One, 3-hour course |
Bioscience and Engineering Courses | 5-7 courses (21 hours total)
|
Advanced Graduate Seminar Course | One, 3-hour topical discussion-format course |
Ethics, Teaching and Professional Developing Training Course |
Three, 1-hour courses |
Seminar Attendance | 7 seminars per semester; four semesters |
- BMED 7011, 7012, 7013
- Time taken: typically the Fall and Spring of Year 1
- Hours: Students enrolling in Fall 2016 or beyond must take one Integrative Core Course. Students enrolling before Fall 2016 must take two such courses.
- Purpose: The courses are designed to develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills essential to the integration of engineering and bioscience. The course will also include discussion involving ethical questions in science and engineering. By the end of this series, students should be able to:
- Critically read and evaluate journal articles
- Pose well-developed research questions
- Propose relevant research methodologies to address such questions
- Communicate this information effectively both orally and in writing
- Time taken: typically the Fall and Spring of Year 1
- Course requirements:
- 5-7 courses (21 hours total)
- 1 bioscience course
- 1 engineering course
- 3-5 research-specific electives
- All courses must be proposed on the Program of Study and approved by the graduate program committee.
- Purpose: Courses focus on the learning of fundamental knowledge in engineering, bioscience, and the intersection of the two.
- Minor: Due after the research proposal with the Request for Admission to PhD Candidacy
- Form needed: The Request for Approval of Doctoral Minor form must be completed and submitted to the Graduate Program Coordinator.
- Purpose: Georgia Tech policy dictates that all doctoral degree candidates complete an academic minor consisting of 9 credit hours. This requirement is typically met using courses in the Engineering and Bioscience Fundamentals category
- Course numbers vary
- Time taken: typically in Year 2
- Hours: 3 hours each (only one required)
- Purpose: Provides an in-depth study into a research area, building upon skills developed in the Integrative Core courses. Classes typically include journal article reviews, presentations, and scientific writing. Choice of course depends on course schedules, research interests, and discussions with advisor. The course will also include discussion involving ethical questions in science and engineering. While the only prerequisite for any Advanced Seminar course is that the student must be in their second year or later, students will be more successful in and get more out of each Advanced Seminar course if they have or obtain the suggested pre-course content listed here. This content is highly recommended by the course instructors.
- Currently offered Advanced Seminars topics:
- Biomaterials & Regenerative Medicine
- Cardiovascular Biology & Biomechanics
- Cellular & Biomolecular Engineering
- Integrative Biosystems
- Biomedical Imaging & Optics
- Neuroengineering
- In addition to the ethical training a student receives within the BME curriculum (1.5 hours in Integrative Core, 1.5 hours in Advanced Seminar, and 6 hours in the Teaching & Research Practica), a student must also take JPE 600 and JPE 610 through Emory University (register via OPUS). This schedule applies to GT/Emory PhD students enrolling in Fall 2016 or later. Click here for requirements of earlier cohorts.
- JPE 600:
- Time taken: typically the Fall semester of Year 1
- Design: This is a one-day course that introduces students to the foundations of ethical reflection (includes six hours of course content) - JPE 610:
- Time taken: taken: prior to graduation
- Design: Students must attend a minimum of four workshops/seminars sponsored by the Laney Graduate School Center for Ethics. A schedule of qualified sessions can be found here.
- PKU-Beijing students must use the PKU Ethics Training Completion Form to document all ethics training completion. This schedule applies to PKU PhD students in ATL in Summer 2017 or later. Click here for requirements of earlier cohorts.
- JPE 600
- JPE 610
- BMED 7004
- Ethics-specific sessions in one Integrative Core and one Advanced Seminar course.
- Fall and Spring semesters of Year 2
- Purpose: Teaching is considered an integral part of the educational experience and is a requirement of the program. PhD students serve as Teaching Assistants for two BME undergraduate courses. Note: students must take BMED 7004 and BMED 7005 during their first and second semesters of TAing, respectively.
- Assignments: The Director of Graduate Training makes the final course assignments, based primarily on student preference.
- TA Orientation (TATT 600):
- Students must register for this day and a half orientation through OPUS at the beginning of their first semester as a TA.
- Held at Laney Graduate School at Emory.
- Designed to introduce students to common issues associated with being a TA.
- BME Teaching Assistant Expectations:
- TAs should not be expected to devote more than an average of ten hours per week to TA duties.
- To ensure that students are given reasonable responsibilities and an accurate expectation of their roles throughout the semester, all TAs are required to complete a BME Teaching Assistant Expectations Form.
- This form facilitates a guided discussion between the TA and the Instructor at the beginning of the course semester.
- Both the TA and the Instructor must sign the form, and the form must be uploaded to the appropriate T-Square site (BMED 7004 or BMED 7005) by the second Friday of the semester.
- TAs should not be expected to devote more than an average of ten hours per week to TA duties.
- BME Teaching Assistant Evaluations:
- All Instructors will complete the BME Teaching Assistant Evaluation Form at the end of each semester.
- This form includes a performance rubric. All TAs must perform an average of 3 on each criterion for successful completion of his/her Assistantship. Failure to reach this level of performance will result in required attendance of one-on-one teaching training at the Center for Enhanced Teaching & Learning, and an additional semester of TA responsibilities.
- Both the TA and the Instructor must sign this form to encourage feedback and mentorship.
- All Instructors will complete the BME Teaching Assistant Evaluation Form at the end of each semester.
- BMED 7004, 7005
- Time taken: Fall and Spring, respectively, of Year 2
- Purpose: This series of courses are required to coincide with the student’s time as a TA. It is designed to provide students with the practical frameworks for understanding challenges faced during teaching, research, and academic life. These courses provide instructional and hands-on training in up-to-date pedagogical practices, responsible conduct of research, and professional development.
- BMED 7001
- Time taken: Fall and Spring semesters of both Year 1 and Year 2
- Hours: 1 hour each (four hours total)
- Form needed: A Seminar Participation Form documenting seminars attended MUST be completed and signed by each student, and uploaded to the semester-specific BMED 7001 T-Square site by 5 pm on the last day of the semester.
- Purpose: To provide students with exposure to a variety of research and professional development subjects and a diverse pool of speakers from academia, industry, and government. Attendance is also a great opportunity for students to interact with other faculty and students within BME and from other programs.
- This course requires the attendance of five research seminars and two professional/career development seminars each semester that meet the guidelines below.
- Must be hosted by Georgia Tech, Emory University, or Georgia State University.
- Three of the five research seminars must be sponsored by BME or IBB/BIOE.
- These requirements of five research seminars and two professional/career development seminars apply for all students enrolling in BMED 7001 starting Fall 2016.
- Failure to attend seven seminars and/or failure to submit the form on time will result in an Unsatisfactory (U) for the course.
- Time taken: while PKU Beijing students are in Atlanta.
- All PKU Beijing students must take one Global Perspective course while in Atlanta. Course that fill this requirement:
- MGT 4030: International Accounting
- MGT 4055: International IT Issues
- MGT 4070: International Finance
- MGT 4117: Global Workforce Management
- MGT 4335: International Marketing
- MGT 4360: Global Operations
- MOT 6126: International Issues in MOT
- MOT 6129: International Business & Finance
- BMED 9XXX (course is Advisor-specific)
- Time taken: throughout time as a graduate student
- Purpose: each student takes the 9000 course specifically assigned to his/her advisor. These hours should reflect time spent doing research and will makeup the remainder of your hours after coursework each semester to reach your total required (21 hours in Fall and Spring, and 16 hours in Summer)
Research Proposal
- By December of Year 3
- Forms needed:
- Prerequisites: Graduate Committee approval of Thesis Committee
- Purpose: Each student must make a public formal presentation of his or her proposed research to his or her thesis committee, as well as the public community. A well-developed proposal will:
-
a) Help the student develop critical questions
b) Help the student lay the foundation for their research
c) Help the student isolate pending problems and develop actions to avoid them
d) Serve as a “roadmap” for the student’s research
e) Help the student think through the entire research process, using an integrated approach
- Research Proposal Format
- Should be the completed Request for Admission to PhD Candidacy form
- Thesis Topic Title: Should be
- Brief
- Scientifically and technically valid
- Understandable to the scientifically literate reader
- Suitable for use in public press
- Brief Description:
- 200-word summary
- Self-contained description of the proposal
- Written in third person
- Should include statement of objectives, methods to be employed, significance
- Thesis Topic Title: Should be
- Should show location of each section of the proposal as well as major subdivisions.
- The main body of the proposal should be a clear statement of the work to be undertaken and should include:
- Objectives for the proposed research and expected significance
- Relation to present state of knowledge in the field, and to work in progress both by researcher and elsewhere
- General plan of work including broad design of activities to be undertaken, an adequate description of methods and procedures, and plans for preservation, documentation, and sharing of data, samples, physical collections, and other related research products.
- Project Description Specifications:
- Must not exceed 25 single-spaced pages
- Visual materials are included in the 25-page limit
- Pages should be standard 8.5x11 inches with 1-inch margins at top, bottom, and sides
- Type must be standard 11-point font
- Must use metric system of weights and measures
- Similar format to NIH R01 grant application (use sections 5.5.2 and 5.5.3 as guidelines): http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.pdf
- Project Description Components:
- Specific Aims:
- States concisely the goals of the proposed research and summarizes the expected outcomes, including the impact of results on the research field
- Limited to one page
- Background:
- Includes a brief literature review describing the current state of the proposed field of study
- Preliminary Studies
- Describes the results of all relevant preliminary work performed by the students or the student’s lab as related to the proposed research plan.
- Research Design & Methods: Address the following for each specific aim:
- A. Significance/Rationale
- Explain the importance of the problem or critical barrier to progress in the field that the proposed project addresses.
- Explain how the proposed project will improve scientific knowledge, technical capability, and/or clinical practice in one or more broad fields.
- Describe how the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services, or preventative interventions that drive this field will be changed if the proposed aims are achieved.
- Clearly and concisely states the hypothesis or objective
- Explains how the application challenges and seeks to shift current research or practice paradigms
- Describes any novel theoretical concepts, approaches, methodologies, or instrumentation/intervention to be developed or used, and any advantage over existing ones
- Explains any refinements, improvements, or new applications of theoretical concepts above
- Describes overall strategy, methodology, and analyses to be used to accomplish the specific aims of the project.
- Summarizes expected results. Reference any preliminary studies performed to establish feasibility
- Discuss potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks for success anticipated to achieve the aims
- A. Significance/Rationale
- Summary
- Timeline
- Describes projected completion dates for specific aims and other milestone accomplishments.
- Ethical aspects of proposed research
- All biomedical research requires ethical consideration. Research methodologies often include human or animal subjects, and many procedures involve Select Agents. Research with potential for commercialization or taking advantage of intellectual property may require mitigation of conflicts of interest.
- Describe all ethical aspects of your proposed research and how you will address them. See sections 5.5.6-5.5.11 for guidelines.
- Specific Aims:
- Citations must be complete, including full name of authors, title, and location in the literature. There is no page limit.
- Scheduling the Proposal Presentation
- The student is responsible for finding a time that works for all thesis committee members.
- The student must reserve the space and necessary audio/visual equipment for the presentation with the help of the Graduate Program Coordinator
- The student should submit a copy of the proposal to all thesis committee members at least two weeks prior to scheduled presentation
- Announcing the Proposal Presentation
- Students must submit details of the proposal presentation (date, time, location, committee members, title, and abstract) to the Graduate Program Coordinator, gradstudies@bme.gatech.edu at least two weeks prior to scheduled presentation.
- During the Defense Presentation
- Students must ensure that each thesis committee members completes a BME Milestones Evaluation Rubric for his/her defense. All completed and signed rubrics must be given to the Graduate Program Manager after the defense. Completion of degree will not be approved until these rubrics are submitted.
- Submit completed and signed Admission to PhD Candidacy form to Graduate Program Coordinator
- Must be signed by all thesis committee members and the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies
NOTE: BME forms can have original, digital, scanned, or e-signatures. GT forms require original signatures (*with one exception) all on the same form and may not be submitted for departmental or institutional approval until all are obtained. *Exception: For GT candidacy and completion forms, scanned signatures (not digital nor e-signatures) are allowed for thesis committee members that live outside Atlanta (not simply traveling or otherwise absent). To prepare for proposal and defense presentations, students should email the blank forms to members who live in other cities to be signed, scanned and emailed back to the student prior to his or her presentation. Original signatures from the rest of the committee members should then be added to the forms with any scanned signatures.
Minor Approval
- Forms needed: The Request for Approval of Doctoral Minor form must be completed and submitted to the Graduate Program Coordinator.
- Purpose: Georgia Tech policy dictates that all doctoral degree candidates complete an academic minor consisting of nine credit hours. The BME curriculum offers flexibility such that a student can typically fulfill the minor using Engineering and Bioscience Fundamental courses.
BME Graduate Program Milestone Evaluation
- Form needed: BME Graduate Milestones Evaluation Form - For students matriculating into the program BEFORE the Fall 2015, please use this form.
- Purpose: The BME Graduate Milestones Evaluation Form is an evaluation rubric used throughout a graduate student’s program. This form is designed to measure a student’s performance across the significant milestones of their study to ensure continued and adequate progression in the fundamental skills of integrating engineering and bioscience toward problem solving. If progression fails to continue or declines, the student, advisor, and the graduate program can all work together to identify issues and formulate a plan for improvement.
Research Updates to Thesis Committee
- Thesis committee members should be highly involved in the thesis process, from the proposal to the defense, and should contribute relevant insight into rationale, experimental design, interpretation of results, and impact/innovation.
- Students are expected to give regular updates to their thesis committee on research progression. This may occur via written or oral means.
Research Updates to Thesis Committee
- Thesis committee members should be highly involved in the thesis process, from the proposal to the defense, and should contribute relevant insight into rationale, experimental design, interpretation of results, and impact/innovation.
- Students are expected to give regular updates to their thesis committee on research progression. This may occur via written or oral means.
Degree Applications
- Year 5
- Forms needed:
- Purpose: As students near their thesis defense, they must submit degree applications to both Georgia Tech and Emory University.
- Deadlines:
- Deadlines vary between the two schools. Thus, students must plan well in advance to ensure deadlines are met.
- If after submitting applications, circumstances dictate more time is needed to complete the program, a student may submit a “Reactivation” degree application to Georgia Tech, and a new degree application for Emory University.
Thesis Defense
- By Spring or Summer of Year 5
- Deadlines: Each institution has their own thesis submission deadlines. A student’s defense should be scheduled no later than one month prior to that deadline.
- Forms needed for the defense presentation:
- BME Milestone Evaluation Forms (one for each committee member) - For students matriculating into the program BEFORE the Fall 2015, please use this form.
- Georgia Tech Certificate of Thesis Approval for Doctoral Students *
- Emory Approval Sheet
- * NOTE: BME forms can have original, digital, scanned, or e-signatures. GT forms require original signatures (*with one exception) all on the same form and may not be submitted for departmental or institutional approval until all are obtained. *Exception: For GT candidacy and completion forms, scanned signatures (not digital nor e-signatures) are allowed for thesis committee members that live outside Atlanta (not simply traveling or otherwise absent). To prepare for proposal and defense presentations, students should email the blank forms to members who live in other cities to be signed, scanned and emailed back to the student prior to his or her presentation. Original signatures from the rest of the committee members should then be added to the forms with any scanned signatures.
- Purpose: A student must complete a searching and authoritative investigation of the chosen field, culminating in a written thesis of that investigation. An oral defense will be given on the subject matter: an open one to the public, and a private one before the thesis committee.
- Thesis Format
- Georgia Tech maintains a Thesis Manual via the Graduate Studies and Research Office website. Pay special attention to two sections:
- “What You Have to Do to Graduate”
- “Document & Format Guidelines”
- Georgia Tech maintains a Thesis Manual via the Graduate Studies and Research Office website. Pay special attention to two sections:
- Scheduling the Defense
- The student is responsible for finding a time that works for all thesis committee members.
- The student must reserve space and the necessary audio-visual equipment with the assistance of the Graduate Program Coordinator and the Emory BME Administrative Assistant.
- The student should submit a copy of the thesis to all committee members at least two weeks prior to the defense presentation
- Announcing the Defense
- The student must submit the details of the defense presentation (date, time, location, thesis committee members, title, and abstract) to the Graduate Program Coordinator, gradstudies@bme.gatech.edu at least two weeks prior to the scheduled presentation.
- During the Defense Presentation
- Students must ensure that each thesis committee members completes a BME Milestones Evaluation Rubric for his/her defense. All completed and signed rubrics must be given to the Graduate Program Manager after the defense. Completion of degree will not be approved until these rubrics are submitted.
BME Graduate Program Milestone Evaluation
- Form needed: BME Graduate Milestones Evaluation Form - For students matriculating into the program BEFORE the Fall 2015, please use this form.
- Purpose: The BME Graduate Milestones Evaluation Form is an evaluation rubric used throughout a graduate student’s program. This form is designed to measure a student’s performance across the significant milestones of their study to ensure continued and adequate progression in the fundamental skills of integrating engineering and bioscience toward problem solving. If progression fails to continue or declines, the student, advisor, and the graduate program can all work together to identify issues and formulate a plan for improvement.
Degree Completion Resources
NOTE: BME forms can have original, digital, scanned, or e-signatures. GT forms require original signatures (*with one exception) all on the same form and may not be submitted for departmental or institutional approval until all are obtained. *Exception: For GT candidacy and completion forms, scanned signatures (not digital nor e-signatures) are allowed for thesis committee members that live outside Atlanta (not simply traveling or otherwise absent). To prepare for proposal and defense presentations, students should email the blank forms to members who live in other cities to be signed, scanned and emailed back to the student prior to his or her presentation. Original signatures from the rest of the committee members should then be added to the forms with any scanned signatures.
- For Georgia Tech
- See Thesis Defense tab for details on forms required at the defense presentation and for submitting the actual thesis and related documents.
- For Emory
- A hard copy of the thesis is no longer required.
- Submit the following directly to the Laney Graduate School
- Emory Approval Sheet
- Emory Distribution Agreement
- Exit Survey Certificate – print after completion of survey found online (scroll to bottom) at http://www.gs.emory.edu/academics/completion/index.html