Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Biomedical Engineering

About

The biomedical engineering Ph.D. program at Saint Louis University will strongly focus on independent research and innovation, pursuit of academic excellence, strong industry partnerships, innovative teaching methodologies, and diversity and inclusion. These elements will collectively prepare students for successful careers and address the evolving needs of the region, nation and world. As part of their degrees, the students will take graduate-level courses at SLU to deepen their knowledge, understanding and skills in the discipline as well as perform independent discovery or design-focused original research under the guidance of a graduate faculty member. The degree will culminate in the defense of a dissertation as well as original research publications in peer-reviewed journals and research presentations at local and national scientific conferences. This high level of scholarship will increase the department's visibility and reputation among peer institutions and will position our graduates to become leaders in their chosen fields. This is a 42-credit-hour program, with 30 hours of coursework and 12 hours of dissertation research. Full-time students typically complete their coursework in two and a half years. Students choose between a written or an oral qualifying exam, which they will take by the end of their second year. They will have an oral defense of their dissertation proposal at the end of their coursework. Graduates will demonstrate in-depth knowledge of theories and methodologies, to address fundamental questions in their primary field of study.Graduates will engage in meaningful research within the field or explore interdisciplinary or innovative projects. Under the mentorship of an advisor, students will both design and execute research projects while developing intellectual independence; creatively synthesize broad areas of theory and scholarship to generate novel concepts and insights; demonstrate the capability to critically assess scholarly works within the discipline. 

Career Path  

Graduate career path includes Biomedical Engineering Research Scientist, Biomaterials Scientist (Doctoral Level), Biomechanics Researcher, Medical Device Innovation Director, Principal Investigator (Biomedical Engineering), Tissue Engineering Researcher, Neural Engineering Researcher, Nanotechnology Researcher (Biomedical Applications), Bioinstrumentation Scientist, Biomedical Imaging Scientist, Wearable Health Technology Innovator, Regenerative Medicine Scientist, Pharmaceutical Engineering Researcher, Artificial Organs Researcher, Computational Biomedical Engineer, Robotics & Prosthetics Researcher, Bioprocess Engineering Researcher, Biomedical Informatics Scientist, Clinical Trials Research Director, Global Health Technology Researcher, Biomedical Policy Analyst, Biomedical Cybersecurity Specialist, Biomedical Data Scientist (Doctoral Level), Biomedical Technology Consultant (Doctoral Expertise).