Doctoral Degree in Biological Engineering
Steps During Provisional Acceptance
Qualifying Examination and Identification of Proficiency Areas
Ph.D. students in the Biological Engineering Program are expected to have a general knowledge of Biological Engineering and to be able to communicate in English.
A formal Qualifying Exam is needed during the first six months of Ph.D. study.
Using the format faculty deem appropriate, this exam will determine whether or not the student is qualified to pursue the Ph.D.
Students must carry out some research and be sincere enough to complete the Ph.D. The sequence to be followed is:
- Prepare a five-page proposal.
- Present proposal to Committee. The student should be prepared to orally defend his/her five-page research proposal during the first committee meeting during the first year of study and also should include the course plan. The Committee will be able to ask questions of the student.
Biological Engineering Proficiency
While a basic goal of the Ph.D. program is to provide students with highly specialized skills in a particular subdivision of Biological Engineering, the faculty believes that it is important that Ph.D. students understand the breadth of the discipline as well.
The faculty has identified seven "proficiency areas" in Biological Engineering.
The table below lists these areas and classes taught at MU that cover these areas.
| Courses Covering the Proficiency Area | |
|---|---|
| Biomaterials | BE-3170 Biomaterials BE-4170 or BE-7170 Biomaterials Interfaces of Implantable Devices BE-8870 Molecular and Cell Mechanics |
| Bioprocess Engineering | BE-3180 Heat and Mass Transfer in Biological Systems BE-4314 or BE-7314 Biochemical Engineering Operations BE-4315 or BE-7315 Introduction to Biochemical Engineering BE-4160 or BE-7160 Food Process Engineering BE-8001 Advanced Biological Transport Phenomena |
| Bioenvironmental Engineering | BE-4150 or BE-7150 Soil and Water Conservation Engr BE-4250 or BE-7250 Irrigation and Drainage Engineering BE-4350 or BE-7350 Watershed Modeling Using GIS |
| Biosystems Engineering | BE-4580 or BE-7580 Mechanical System Engineering BE-8380 Modeling and Identification of Engineering Systems |
| Bioelectronics and Instrumentation | BE-4070 or BE-7070 Bioelectricity BE-4380 or BE-7380 Applied Electronic Instrumentation |
| Biophotonics | BE-4570 or BE-7570 Biomedical Imaging BE-4770 or BE-7770 Biomedical Optics BE-8270 Principles and Applications of Fluorescence BE-8770 Photo Migration and Optical Imaging in Turbid Media |
| Biomems and Biosensing | BE-4470 or BE-7470 Biomolecular Engineering and Nanobiotechnology BE-4670 or BE-7670 Photonics and Nanotechnologies in Optical Biosensors BE-8170 Sensors and Biosensors ECE-4620 or ECE 7620 Introduction to BioMEMS ECE-4880 or ECE 7620 Micro/Nano Systems ECE-8620 Advance MEMS BE-8001 Frontiers in Ultrasensitive Bio-detection |
Successful Ph.D. students are expected to demonstrate proficiency in at least two of these areas. There are three options for demonstrating proficiency:
- Successful completion of an appropriate course at MU in the proficiency area (within five years prior to starting the Ph.D. program).
- Passing the proficiency exam in the area.
- Including an appropriate course from MU, or an alternate course approved by the Doctoral Program Committee, in a student's plan of study.
Proficiency exams will be offered by the instructors in each area when requested by the Ph.D. students and their advisers. These exams will be somewhat like the "final" examinations in each of the classes. Students failing the proficiency exam will have to take an appropriate course to show proficiency in the area prior to the comprehensive exam. Note that problems courses, readings and research hours cannot be used to fulfill proficiency requirements.
In summary, each student must show proficiency either by examination or successfully passing a formal course in two of the seven areas.
Selection of a Doctoral Program Committee
Students, in consultation with their primary faculty mentor, need to select faculty members to serve as their Doctoral Program Committee within 12 months of starting the course of study.
An acceptable Doctoral Program Committee must include at least four graduate faculty members. Of these members there must be:
- At least three graduate faculty members from the Biological Engineering Program, two of whom must be Doctoral faculty members.
- At least one graduate faculty member from MU, but outside of the Biological Engineering Program.
Other members of the Doctoral Program Committee may come from outside the MU graduate faculty with special permission of the graduate dean. These members are usually individuals with specialized expertise critical to the success of the student's research program. The chair of the committee will be the student's principal faculty mentor (major adviser).
The members of the Doctoral Program Committee, led by the major adviser will actively participate in the education of the student. This committee is responsible for:
- Evaluating the student's completion of proficiency requirements.
- Developing the plan of study.
- Conducting the annual review (see Reasonable Rate of Progress).
- Reviewing and approving the research proposal.
- Conducting the comprehensive examination.
- Guiding the research activities.
- Overseeing the writing and defense of the dissertation.
- Maintaining high standards of scholarship and ethical behavior.
- Administering correction and disciplinary actions when necessary.
At this point, the student should submit a completed Qualifying Examination Results and Doctoral Committee Approval form (form D-1) (PDF) to the graduate coordinator. The coordinator will submit the completed form to the director of graduate studies and the graduate dean.
Development of the Plan of Study
The Doctoral Program Committee and the student will prepare a plan of study. This generally should be done within the first 12 months after entering the program. The sooner the plan of study is prepared, the easier it is to complete in a reasonable length of time. The plan of study includes a list of the formal courses, readings, problems, research hours and seminars that the students will use to fulfill the requirements for the doctoral degree.
MU requires a minimum of 72 credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree for the Ph.D. If approved by the student's Doctoral Program Committee, this may include 30 hours course work from an M.S. degree or graduate credit earned at MU or another institution. A minimum of 15 hours (exclusive of research, problems or independent study courses) must be at the 8000 (graduate) level. In addition, there will be a minimum of one hour of Seminar (one hour of BE 8087) and BE 9990 may not exceed 28 hours of the total 72 hours required in the Ph.D. Program of study. Students are strongly encouraged to take another hour of Seminar (BE 8087). Enrollment in Research Methods (BE 8402) and presentations at regional and national meetings are strongly recommended.
Classes chosen to fill the plan of study may include those needed to fulfill proficiency areas, if approved by the student's Doctoral Program Committee. Other courses should be chosen to strengthen the student's ability to do research in his or her specific area.
Once the Plan of Study has been developed, the student should submit the Plan of Study for the Doctoral Degree form (D-2) (PDF) to the graduate coordinator. The coordinator will submit the completed form to the director of graduate studies and the graduate dean.
