Biomaterials and Therapeutics Graduate Track

The Biomaterials and Therapeutics track covers an interdisciplinary field focused on the physical and biological study of biomaterials and drug delivery systems and their applications to modern biomedical problems. It encompasses synthetic materials, macromolecules, bioconjugates, modern drug delivery systems, genetically programmed materials and networks, composites and hybrid materials, cell-material combinations, and self-assembling systems, as well as their interactions with biological environments and physiological systems. Students in the Biomaterials and Therapeutics track should understand the relationships between the structure and designs of biomaterials, synthetic biology, and drug delivery systems and their interactions with complex biological systems.

M.S. students within the biomaterials and therapeutic track must successfully complete the biomaterials and therapeutic course requirements, and at least one additional course from the list of Biomaterials and Therapeutics electives (shown in the Handbook). Please, note that some of the courses are offered every other year and plan accordingly.

Ph.D. students in the biomaterials and therapeutics track are expected to have general knowledge in the field. Students are encouraged to take the qualifying exam in the second year of study. The qualifying exam covers topics specific to the field of biomaterials and drug delivery systems and integrates material offered from the track courses. One half of the exam requests the answers to mandatory questions from Biomaterials and Therapeutics track fundamentals. In the other half of the exam, each student can select questions that integrate materials from elective courses.

Biomaterials Science: An Introduction to Materials in Medicine, B.D. Ratner, A.S. Hoffman, F.J. Schoen, and J.E. Lemons, 3rd ed, Academic Press, 2012.

The program of study is a list of all courses to be completed by the student as a part of the requirements for the Ph.D. degree. The plan of study needs to be submitted to the department Graduate Academic Advisor prior to taking the qualifying exam. Typically, the choice of the student courses is dependent on the student’s Ph.D. research topic and must be approved by the student’s advisor, the Ph.D. supervisory committee, and the director of graduate studies.

For more detailed information, please review the BME Graduate Resources page and select the Graduate Handbook that correlates to the year you started your program.

Questions regarding the Biomaterials and Therapeutics track should be directed to Dr. Michael Yu