M.Eng. Program

Our hands-on, one-year master of engineering (M.Eng.) program focuses on engineering practice and design and prepares students for a professional career in engineering or other problem-solving positions, or for further graduate study. 

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Educational Goal

The Meinig School's M.Eng. program prepares students for professional practice in the Biomedical Engineering field. Students acquire a broad perspective of the biomedical engineering discipline that complements their undergraduate training in engineering or science and an in-depth knowledge of an essential professional leadership in biomedical engineering. Graduates will be equipped to design biomedical devices and develop therapeutic strategies within the bounds of health care economics, the needs of patients and physicians, the medical device regulatory environment and the ethical standards of biomedical engineering practice.
 

Program Mission

We train professional engineers capable of: 

  • Identifying, screening, and validating unmet clinical needs. 
  • Addressing these needs by inventing, designing, developing, and deploying innovative and value based technologies.
     

Common Objectives

Students enter the program with many different strengths and backgrounds and they will pursue many different potential career pathways. With that in mind, we have devised a curriculum that is rich and flexible while providing a well-defined and bounded process. 

Independently of our student’s career goals, we have a few concurrent objectives: 

  • Provide a better understanding of the many different facets and dynamics of the healthcare industry. 
  • Expand and deepen technical and scientific knowledge within our student’s areas of interest and focus. 
  • Develop professional acumen. 
  • Provide the opportunity to work on real life and current design challenge.

M.Eng./MBA Degree

For selected students there is also the opportunity to pursue both M.Eng. and MBA degrees in a combined program.

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Trang Dau

Cornell is a good school with great reputation and resources. After finishing my undergraduate degree in human biology, health & society, I wanted to gain more insights into the field of healthcare from a different angle – healthcare technology.

— Trang Dau, M.Eng.

Clinical Preceptorship

Degree Details

Requirements

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The Meinig School's M.Eng. program is based on a combination of courses and a design project to ensure that each student has broad knowledge of BME as well as focused expertise in a particular area of BME.

Admission Course Recommendations:

For students with an undergraduate degree in STEM disciplines, the M.Eng. program usually requires two semesters of study. We require all students to take at least one college biology course before matriculating. Depending on an individual student's preparation, it may be necessary to take BME and advanced biology courses as technical electives.

Students with a B.S. degree in a life science discipline may need the following additional courses before or after entering the program (depends on the undergraduate courses taken):

  • Differential Equations
  • Linear Algebra
  • Biology
  • Physics

Select students with other types of undergraduate degrees may be admitted to the M.Eng. program. Such students should contact Belinda Whisman for additional information and a course plan.
 

M.Eng. Degree Requirements:

A total of 30 credits are required for graduating with the M.Eng. degree and typical students with a B.S. in an engineering discipline require two semesters to complete the program. All students must complete the following:

  • BME 5500: Innovation and Design of Biomedical Technologies (3 credits). The course addresses the clinical, business, regulatory, and technical challenges throughout the many phases of a medical technology product life cycle.
     
  • BME 5010: Professional Engagement Seminars (fall and spring - 1+1 credits). The course gives students the opportunity to meet and hear from speakers representing the many different segments of healthcare related industry, clinical institutions, and academia
     
  • Career Path Specific (25 Credits) from one of the following paths:


Professional Path
Design Project (6 credits)

  • BME 5921-Performance of Design Project (4 credits)
  • BME 5911-Preliminary Study for Design Project (2 credits)

Technical Core (12 credits). 

Supplement technical backgrounds in:

  • Biology
  • Medicine
  • Engineering

Provide industry specific technical and professional skills:

  • Devices
  • Biotechnology
  • Pharmaceutical

Professional Development (7 credits)

Academic Path

Research Project (6 credits)

  • BME 5910-Preliminary Study for Research Project (2 credits)
  • BME 5920-Performance of Research Project (4 credits)

Field of Research Core (12 credits) - In alignment with Cornell’s BME areas of research:

  • Biomechanics and Mechanobiology
  • Biomedical Imaging and Instrumentation
  • Drug Delivery & Nanomedicine
  • Molecular & Cellular Engineering
  • Systems & Synthetic Biology
  • Tissue Engineering & Biomaterials

Electives (7 credits)

Design Project

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The BME M.Eng. design projects are in line with the two available pathways: 

  • Professional: The projects in this pathway are performed in teams over two terms. Emphasis is given on the identification and/or validation of unmet clinical needs while looking into the core problem, affected population, and desired outcomes. The teams are also required to engineer an innovative and value-based fully functional prototype addressing the defined need. At every academic year cycle we work towards the selection of sponsors and projects that are diverse, challenging, and aligned with our educational goals and industry segments.
     
  • Academic: The projects in this pathway are individual projects in which students will apply to the many different laboratories and will be working on research projects under the purview of the principal investigator (PI).

Visit our M.Eng. Projects page for examples of recent design projects.

Spotlight on BME Project Team Brainlander:

Financial Aid

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The BME M.Eng. is a self-supported professional degree. Many students use student loans and installment plans to fund their studies. Here are some helpful resources:

Preceptorship

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The M.Eng. preceptorship gives select students first-hand experience in a clinical environment.

Who: Selected BME Master of Engineering students

What: Get exposure to the clinical environment in an intensive hands-on experience and clinician engagements with additional components a including pre-hospital orientation and skills/protocol introduction and weekly engagement during the semester.

When: Fall and Spring semesters

Where: Guthrie Hospital in Sayre, PA

Why: Preceptorship is a well-known process in healthcare education and described as a short-term relationship between a student as novice and an experienced health care professional who provides individual attention to the student’s learning needs within a clinical environment.

BME 5100 leverages this methodology and enable our students to experience the dynamics of a clinical environment, observe the routine practice of a clinician, identify potential needs, and, through a formal process, evaluate the merits and provide ideas on how to address these perceived needs.

The instructor will educate the students about the clinical environment, dress and behavior code, interaction with hospital staff and patients, as well as monitor and manage each student-preceptor team. The instructor and other engineering faculty will also review the student’s experiences and assist in any assignments the preceptor may have given to the student.

The preceptor will guide the student with in depth knowledge of the related anatomy, physiology and pathology associated with his specialty. The preceptor will also provide the student the ability to participate and observe as well as generate weekly assignments.

The sponsoring institution and the preceptors are very interested in the identified problems, the ideas resultant of the process, and how these ideas could be addressed by applying principles of engineering. The student will provide feedback in the form of a final report as well as an on-site poster presentation at the end of the academic year. The merited ideas will be placed in the pipeline for the sponsored design projects.

For more information, please contact Belinda Whisman, bh42@cornell.edu, 607-255-2573

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