Admissions
Students who hold an undergraduate or master's degree may apply to the program. The minimum requirements for admission to the Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering degree program are described below. Note that admission is very competitive and satisfying these requirements does not guarantee admission.
- Applicants must have a grade point average of 3.0 or better in the last 60 semester credit hours of coursework with a major in a recognized science or engineering discipline. All students should have had sufficient background in engineering, chemistry, biology, and physics prior to being admitted to the program. It is expected that these students will have bachelor of science degrees with emphasis in either engineering, physical science, or biological science disciplines. All students are required to have completed at least 1 year of engineering (calculus-based) physics, 1 year of chemistry, 1 year of biology, and mathematics up to Differential Equations or Engineering Analysis I. Students with deficiencies in the above courses will be required to take selected courses as a condition of acceptance.
- Applicants with a master's degree must have a grade point average of 3.0 or better in their master's degree program. Applicants with a Master's degree in Biomedical Engineering or in a related field may apply a maximum of 30 semester credit hours of previously earned graduate credit toward their doctoral degree. The Committee on Graduate Studies (COGS) will evaluate each student's transcript and credit will be recommended for transfer on a course-by-course basis to satisfy the formal coursework requirements of the doctoral degree.
- A satisfactory score, as evaluated by the Admissions Committee for Biomedical Engineering, is required on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Students whose native language is not English must achieve a minimum score of 550 (paper version)/79 (internet version) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The applicant's performance on a standardized test will be considered, in addition to other criteria, for admission or competitive scholarship awards and will not be used as the sole criterion for consideration of an applicant.
- Three letters of recommendation attesting to the applicant's readiness for doctoral study are required.
- A complete application includes the application form, official transcripts, letters of recommendation, GRE scores, a résumé, and a statement of the applicant's research experience, interests, and goals. TOEFL scores are required for those applicants whose native language is not English. Additional information can be found at the UTSA Graduate School "future students" website.