GRADUATE PROGRAM

in

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

 

Admission standards and application forms: 

Admission Standards

To compete successfully for admission, applicants should have a cumulative grade point average greater than 3.0. (A TOEFL score of 600 or better is required for international students from countries where English is not an official language). Ideally, applicants should have completed: 2 semesters of biology or physiology, 2 semesters of physics or biophysics, 2 semesters of chemistry or biochemistry, calculus (including differential equations), and demonstrate proficiency in at least 1 computer programming language. Deficiencies in an area can be made up during the course of study. The BME program reserves the right to waive any prerequisites under unusual circumstances. The Director will forward completed applications to the BME Admissions and Recruitment Committee.

A maximum of 9 credits of graduate course work can be taken prior to enrollment in the BME master's program or the formation of a formal committee, unless additional credits are allowed by the Director. If more than 9 graduate credits were earned prior to enrollment in the BME program, their application to the BME degree must also be approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. Upon acceptance by BME faculty, applicants with one or more undergraduate degrees will generally be admitted into the Masters degree program. At any time during their course of study, Masters degree students can apply for acceptance to the doctoral program. Typically, this will occur after 1 year of study at the Masters level.

Applicants with an advanced undergraduate standing, pre-doctoral award, Masters of Engineering (M.E.), Masters of Science (M.S.), Medical Doctor (M.D.) or equivalent will be eligible to apply directly to the doctoral program. Under these circumstances, a maximum of 24 credits of graduate course work can be applied toward the doctoral program, unless additional credits are allowed by the Director and approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. Credit for appropriate courses with a grade of B or better from other universities can be included within the 24 credits.

Applying

It is recommended that you identify a general area of research interest prior to submitting an application. Areas of common interest among students and BME faculty are considered during the application process. You are encouraged to contact individual BME faculty members, faculty members throughout the campus or the BME office to discuss research interests. The main Reno campus is area code (775) exchanges 784-#### (majority of numbers) or 327-#### (applied research offices only). The UNR faculty web site has contact (E-mail, phone numbers, departmental) information.

An application form can be down-loaded from the Graduate School web site. (Note that you will need to click "BACK" in your browser to return here from the down-load site.) Letters of recommendation can be sent separately from the application. We recommend use of the standard  recommendation letter format that can be downloaded from the graduate school web site. You are responsible for ensuring that all components of an application are submitted. Convenient ways to check on the applications process are to E-mail bmeadmin@unr.edu or phone (775)784-4952.

In addition to the general application form obtained from the Graduate School web site, we request an additional page (no special form) with the following information:

    • your name (in case the page becomes separated from the general application)
    • If you identified a master's as the "degree sought" in the Graduate School application, are you considering continuing to a doctorate in this program?
    • a brief description of any research plans you have discussed with "any faculty member(s) you may be interested in working with", identified in the Graduate School application
    • The BME program does not restrict entry to the fall or spring terms. Often students can begin their program by performing a research rotation almost any time of the year. Please identify a general start date (which can also be the beginning of the fall or spring term, as described in the Graduate School application).
    • a brief paragraph describing your career goals in the area of Biomedical Engineering
    • a sentence describing how you learned of this graduate program in Biomedical Engineering

A complete application portfolio requires:

  • The application form downloadable from the Graduate School (including fee)
  • An additional page (or more) with the items listed above (no special form)
  • Three letters of recommendation. More can be sent, but 3 are required. We recommend use of the standard recommendation letter format that can be downloaded from the graduate school website.
  • A copy of official college transcript(s)
  • A copy of GRE scores
  • Residents of non-English speaking countries must also submit a copy of TOEFL scores

The BME home page lists several methods for correspondence to send documents and to obtain additional information.