Combined Master's Degree Program

MSE in Bioengineering Degree Program For DMD Candidates

This program is available only to students accepted into the DMD program at Penn Dental Medicine. All other students should explore the MSE in Bioengineering program.

Penn Bioengineering: A Brief Overview

The first Ph.D. in Bioengineering in the United States was awarded from Penn’s Bioengineering Graduate Group in 1953, and the Department of Bioengineering was formed in 1973.  Today the Bioengineering department at Penn has 21 primary faculty, and more than 250 affiliated graduate group faculty who provide the core teaching and research environment for over 300 undergraduates, 250 Ph.D. and 180 master’s students. The department has consistently been ranked as one of the best Bioengineering programs in the country for preparing students for careers in industry, medicine, academia, and other fields related to biomedical technology.

Master’s Degree in Bioengineering: Goal and Philosophy

The master’s curriculum provides training in engineering with focuses on biological and medical sciences. The program provides education in scientific and engineering fundamentals, translation of discoveries to clinical implementation, entrepreneurship skills, and state-of-the-art updates in the field of Bioengineering and Biotechnology. The fundamental goal of Penn Bioengineering is to provide students with a broad, flexible curriculum that gives them experience with a wide range of subject areas and intellectual approaches, to prepare them to function creatively and independently in a diverse range of settings.

Admissions Criteria

Successful candidates have an undergraduate major in mathematics, engineering and/or physics, with coursework biology or biomedical sciences, and an average undergraduate GPA of at least 3.3.

Course Requirements

All courses must be 5000 level or above. At least 3 courses must be BE courses. Typically at least 7 must be from SEAS. Course descriptions are provided here.

1 – Math or Statistics
1 – Biological Science (will double count a graduate Dental School course)
2 – BE graduate courses
3 – SEAS or Biomedical Science courses (will double count a Dental course)
2 – SEAS courses
1 – General Elective – any SEAS, math, or science course, or one that fits into career goals
10 – TOTAL courses (8 beyond the Dental degree course)