Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University

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.

• 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.

• 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..

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:

• Admissions Fellowships
• Advanced Student Fellowships
• Fellowship Communication Program
• Graduate Studies Office

Matriculation & Orientation

• New Student Checklists
  • Georgia Tech Graduate Studies New Student Checklist
  • Georgia Tech Office of International Education New International Student Checklist
  • Emory Laney Graduate School New Student Information

• 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 Graduate Program Curriculum

Total minimum number of required hours: 34
NOTE: All courses (except JPE 610) should be completed prior to your thesis proposal.

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.

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.

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.

• 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.

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.

Research Proposal

• By December of Year 3

• Forms needed:
  • Request for Admission to PhD Candidacy
  • PKU Request for Admission to PhD Candidacy
  • PKU BME Project Initiation form (for PKU students only)
  • Request for Approval of Doctoral Minor
  • BME Milestones Evaluation Rubric

• 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

• 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.

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:
  • For Georgia Tech: Online Application for Graduation (OAG)-accessible via OSCAR
  • For Emory University: Application for Degree-accessible via OPUS

• 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”

   

  • 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.

• BME & PKU Graduate Student Checklist

• 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