Doctor of Philosophy with a Major in Bioengineering

The BioE Program is interdisciplinary in that it is not a standalone academic unit like most departments or schools at Georgia Tech. This interdisciplinary graduate program offers advanced courses in bioengineering, engineering specialties, and life sciences combined with training in cutting-edge bioengineering research. The Bioengineering PhD degree requires a thesis based on independent study of a bioengineering research topic under the guidance of a bioengineering program faculty member.  Bioengineering research focuses on the development of new or improved physical and mathematical concepts and techniques that may be applied to problems in medicine and biology, including the fundamental study of biological phenomena and development of new medical devices.

Eight different academic units from the Colleges of Engineering, Computing, and Design make up the program. The BioE Program provides research opportunities for students with any participating program faculty, allowing tremendous diversity and flexibility for research topics and advisors.

All PhD programs must incorporate a standard set of Requirements for the Doctoral Degree.

Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Bioengineering

Qualifying Examinatin
Teaching Practicum
Thesis Proposal
PhD Dissertation
Coursework requirements

PhD students in BioEngineering must complete course requirements with an average cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher. PassFail hours not allowed.

Coursework Requirements
Engineering Fundamentals9
Biological Sciences9
Engineering Mathematics3
Technical Electives12
Doctoral Minor9
Total Credit Hours42

Qualifying Exam

The qualifying exam is a 1.5 to 2 hour oral exam consisting of questioning from a committee of three BioEnginereing faculty. PhD students must take the qualifying exam after 3 academic semesters of residency (excluding summers), except those students entering with a master’s degree must take the qualifying exam within 2 academic semesters. Students must have a GPA of 3.2 to take their qualifying exam.  Students who do not pass the exam the first time have a second opportunity to take and pass the exam within the following 3 months.

Teaching practicum

The purpose of the practicum is to provide the student with training and experience in teaching a course. The student will work with a BioE faculty member on all aspects of teaching a course, including:
– delivering lectures or managing discussion sessions
– holding office hours
– helping to prepare and grade assignments
The instructing faculty member must attend the student’s lectures and provide feedback.
PhD students must also satisfy any related home school requirements.

Thesis proposal

A student must provide a cohesive research plan addressing a significant problem and obtain input and approval from their thesis committee on the proposed research plan via an oral defense of their thesis proposal. The proposal should include a critical review of the relevant literature, a cohesive set of specific aims, hypothesis, and expected outcomes addressing thesis topic, and an appropriate research design and plan.

PhD Dissertation

A student must complete a searching and authoritative investigation of their chosen field, culminating in a written Thesis covering that investigation. An oral defense will be scheduled on the subject matter for the Thesis and the field in which it lies. The thesis defense examination will be conducted by the Doctoral Examination Committee chosen by the student and the thesis advisor and approved by the Graduate Studies Committee and the Dean of Graduate Studies.

Engineering Fundamentals
AE 6760Acoustics I3
AE 6762Applied Acoustics3
AE 6766Combustion3
AE 6770Energy and Variational Methods in Elasticity and Plasticity3
AE 7772Fundamentals of Fracture Mechanics3
CEE 6251Intermediate Fluid Mechanics3
CEE 6504Finite Element Method of Structural Analysis3
CEE 7772Fundamentals of Fracture Mechanics3
CHBE 6100Advanced Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics3
CHBE 6200Advanced Transport Phenomena, Fluid Mechanics, and Heat3
CHBE 6220Computational Fluid Dynamics: Applications in Environmental3
CHBE 6250Mass Transport through Solids3
CHBE 6260Transport Phenomena-Mass Transfer3
CHBE 6300Kinetics and Reactor Design3
CHBE 6400Advanced Process Control3
CHBE 6768Polymer Structure, Physical Properties and Characterization3
CHBE 7772Fundamentals of Fracture Mechanics3
CHEM 6751Physical Chemistry of Polymer Solutions3
CS 6230High-Performance Parallel Computing: Tools and Applications3
CS 7641Machine Learning3
CS 7643Deep Learning3
ECE 4270Fundamentals of Digital Signal Processing3
ECE 4580Computational Computer Vision3
ECE 6130Advanced VLSI Systems3
ECE 6250Advanced Digital Signal Processing3
ECE 6254Statistical Machine Learning3
ECE 6255Digital Processing of Speech Signals3
ECE 6258Digital Image Processing3
ECE 6273Methods of Pattern Recognition with Application to Voice3
ECE 6350Applied Electromagnetics3
ECE 6360Microwave Design3
ECE 6370Electromagnetic Radiation and Antennas3
ECE 6380Introduction to Computational Electromagnetics3
ECE 6412Analog Integrated Circuit Design3
ECE 6414Analog Integrated System Design3
ECE 6435Neuromorphic Analog VLSI Circuits3
ECE 6442Electronic Oscillators3
ECE 6450Introduction to Microelectronics Technology3
ECE 6451Introduction to the Theory of Microelectronics3
ECE 6453Theory of Electronic Devices3
ECE 6460Microelectromechanical Devices3
ECE 6500Fourier Techniques and Signal Analysis3
ECE 6501Fourier Optics and Holography3
ECE 6520Integrated Optics3
ECE 6522Nonlinear Optics3
ECE 6542Optoelectronics: Devices, Integration, Packaging, Systems3
ECE 6550Linear Systems and Controls3
ECE 6552Nonlinear Systems and Control3
ECE 6553Optimal Control and Optimization3
ECE 6554Adaptive Control3
ECE 6556Intelligent Control3
ECE 6560Partial Differential Equations in Image Processing and Computer Vision3
ECE 6605Information Theory3
ECE 6606Coding Theory and Applications3
ECE 6771Optoelectronics: Materials, Processes, Devices3
ECE 6779Thermal Engineering for Packaging of Micro and Nano Systems3
ECE 7252Advanced Signal Processing Theory3
ISYE 6215Models in Human-Machine Systems3
ISYE 6223Understanding and Supporting Human Decision Making3
ISYE 6234Measurement and Evaluation of Human-integrated Systems3
ISYE 6650Probabilistic Models and Their Applications3
ISYE 6669Deterministic Optimization3
ME 6124Finite-Element Method: Theory and Practice3
ME 6201Principles of Continuum Mechanics3
ME 6203Inelastic Deformation of Solids3
ME 6204Micromechanics of Materials3
ME 6229Introduction to Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems3
ME 6242Mechanics of Contact3
ME 6301Conduction Heat Transfer3
ME 6302Convection Heat Transfer3
ME 6303Thermal Radiation Heat Transfer3
ME 6304Principles of Thermodynamics3
ME 6305Applications of Thermodynamics3
ME 6401Linear Control Systems3
ME 6402Nonlinear Control Systems3
ME 6403Digital Control Systems3
ME 6405Introduction to Mechatronics3
ME 6407Robotics3
ME 6441Dynamics of Mechanical Systems3
ME 6442Vibration of Mechanical Systems3
ME 6443Variational Methods in Engineering3
ME 6449Acoustic Transducers and Signal Analysis3
ME 6452Wave Propagation in Solids3
ME 6601Introduction to Fluid Mechanics3
ME 6602Viscous Flow3
ME 6622Experimental Methods3
ME 6760Acoustics I and II3
ME 6762Applied Acoustics3
ME 6766Combustion I3
ME 6768Polymer Structure, Physical Properties, and Characterization3
ME 6769Linear Elasticity3
ME 6770Energy and Variational Methods in Elasticity and Plasticity3
ME 6779Thermal Engineering for Packaging of Micro and Nano Systems3
ME 6796Structure-Property Relationships in Materials3
ME 7751Computational Fluid Mechanics3
ME 7771Mechanics of Polymer Solids and Fluids3
ME 7772Fundamentals of Fracture Mechanics3
ME 7774Fatigue of Materials and Structures3
MSE 6130Surface Analysis3
MSE 6751Physical Chemistry of Polymer Solutions3
MSE 6752Polymer Characterization4
MSE 6768Polymer Structure, Physical Properties, and Characterization3
MSE 6796Structure-Property Relationships in Materials3
MSE 7772Fundamentals of Fracture Mechanics3
PTFE 6100Mechanics of Fibrous Materials3
PTFE 6751Physical Chemistry of Polymer Solutions3
PTFE 6768Polymer Structure, Physical Properties, and Characterization3
PTFE 6796Structure-Property Relationships in Materials3
Biological Sciences
APPH 6211Systems Physiology I: Cellular Mechanisms of Plasticity3
APPH 6212Systems Physiology II: Physiology of Neuromotor Tissues3
APPH 6231Biomechanical Aspects of Human Motor Control3
APPH 6232Locomotion Neuromechanics3
APPH 6600Muscle Structure and Plasticity3
APPH 6213Systems Physiology III: Integrated Systems and Adaptation3
BIOL 6418Microbial Physiology3
BIOL 6570Immunology4
BIOL 6600Evolution3
BIOL 6626Physiological Ecology3
BIOL 6756Discovery of Signaling Molecules3
BIOL 7001Foundations in Molecular and Cell Biology4
BIOL 7668Eukaryotic Molecular Genetics3
BMED 4752Introductory Neuroscience3
BMED 6031Principles of Basic Biomedical and Biological Sciences I6
BMED 6032Principles of Basis Biomedical and Biological Sciences II6
BMED 6042Systems Physiology3
BMED 6793Systems Pathophysiology3
CHEM 6183Organometallic Chemistry3
CHEM 6373Organic Synthesis3
CHEM 6501Biochemistry I3
CHEM 6502Biochemistry II3
CHEM 6571Enzymology and Metabolism3
CHEM 6572Macromolecular Structure3
CHEM 6573Molecular Biochemistry3
CHEM 6582Biophysical Chemistry3
ME 6793Systems Pathophysiology3
Emory Courses:
IBS 506Basics of Neurological Diseases
IBS 518Human Embryology
IBS 519Foundations in Developmental Biology
IBS 524Cancer Biology
IBS 526Cellular and Developmental Neuroscience
IBS 527Cell Biology and Histology
IBS 531Principles of Pharmacology
IBS 536Drug Metabolism and Toxicology
IBS 542Concepts of Immunology
IBS 548Biology of the Eye
IBS 600Blood and Water
IBS 761Cancer Pharmacology
Engineering Mathematics
CHBE 6500Mathematical Modeling and Analysis of Chemical Processes3
ECE 6601Random Processes3
MATH 6267Multivariate Statistical Analysis3
MATH 6646Numerical Methods for Ordinary Differential Equations3
MATH 6701Math Methods of Applied Sciences I3
PHYS 6268Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos3
Technical Electives
AE 6230Structural Dynamics3
APPH 6202Clinical Gait Analysis3
APPH 6225Biostatistics3
BIOL 7015Cancer Biology and Technology3
BIOL 7023Bioinformatics3
BMED 4750Diagnostic Imaging Physics3
BMED 4783Introduction to Medical Image Processing3
BMED 4784Engineering Electrophysiology3
BMED 6517Machine Learning in Biosciences3
BMED 6700Biostatistics3
BMED 6710Rational Design of Biomaterials3
BMED 6720Biotransport3
BMED 6739Medical Robotics3
BMED 6743Tissue Mechanics3
BMED 6774Biomaterials: Structure and Function3
BMED 6780Medical Image Processing3
BMED 6782Cellular Engineering3
BMED 6784Cardiovascular Biomechanics3
BMED 6786Medical Imaging Systems3
BMED 6786Medical Imaging Systems3
BMED 6787Quantitative Electrophysiology3
BMED 6794Tissue Engineering3
BMED 7201Advanced Seminar: Cardiovascular Biology & Biomechanics3
BMED 7413Biochemical Systems Analysis3
BMED 7610Quantitative Neuroscience3
CEE 6345Sustainable Engineering3
CHBE 6710Microfluidics & Appl3
CHBE 6752Polymer Characterization4
CHBE 6765Drug Design, Development and Delivery3
CHBE 6777Advanced Biomaterials3
CHBE 6782Cellular Engineering3
CHBE 6794Tissue Engineering3
CHBE 8803Special Topics (Biosurfaces)3
CHEM 6750Preparation and Reaction of Polymers3
CS 7643Deep Learning3
ECE 4781Biomedical Instrumentation3
ECE 4782Biosystems Analysis3
ECE 4784Engineering Electrophysiology3
ECE 6200Biomedical Applications of Microelectromechanical Systems3
ECE 6780Medical Image Processing3
ECE 6786Medical Imaging Systems3
ECE 6787Quantitative Electrophysiology3
ISYE 6413Design and Analysis of Experiments3
ISYE 6414Statistical Modeling and Regression Analysis3
ISYE 7406Data Mining and Statistical Learning3
ME 6743Tissue Mechanics3
ME 6746Rehabilitation Engineering3
ME 6777Advanced Biomaterials3
ME 6782Cellular Engineering3
ME 6794Tissue Engineering3
MP/NRE 4750Diagnostic Imaging Physics3
MSE 6600Advanced Polymer Processing3
MSE 6752Polymer Characterization4
MSE 6777Advanced Biomaterials3
PHYS 6268Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos3
PTFE 6750Preparation and Reactions of Polymers3
Emory course:
IBS 534Computational Neuroscience