Master of Science Program Guidelines

Admission to the BME master's program is subject to final approval by the BME graduate committee. Students meeting the following minimum guidelines will be selected on a competitive basis.

Minimum Qualifications for Admission

  1. Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree in Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
  2. Undergraduate GPA of 3.0/4.0 or equivalent.

Case-by-Case Admission

Applicants for admission with an undergraduate GPA below 3.0, or with degrees in a related area, will be carefully considered for admission by the BME Graduate Committee. Applicants with degrees in a related area shall meet the following prerequisites for unconditional admission:

  • Two-course sequence in physics 
  • Two-course sequence in calculus 
  • One course in differential equations 

Students without credit in these courses or their equivalents should be prepared to obtain credit in these early in the program.

Academic Standards

  1. Grade-Point Average Required for Graduation. Conferral of the M.S. in BME requires at least a 3.0 grade-point average. The grade-point average is based on all programmed work, excluding transfer credits.

  2. Additional Grade-Point Average Requirements. No more than four (4) semester hours below B- and no hours below C may be applied toward fulfilling degree requirements. More than eight (8) hours below B- will result in the removal of the student from the M.S. program.

  3. Probation Status. A candidate having an overall grade-point average below 3.0 will be placed on probation status. Failure to raise the grade-point average to 3.0 or above by the end of the subsequent semester will result in the removal of the student from the program.

Thesis Advisor and Thesis Committee Selection

All forms are available from the student Document page. Obtain the appropriate signatures on the form and then submit the signed form to the college at russgradinfo@ohio.edu.

  1. Temporary Advisor

    Upon entering the program, the Chair of the BME Graduate Committee acts as the student's temporary advisor until a thesis advisor has been obtained. In most cases, the Chair will not assist the student with course selection; rather, he or she will direct the student to a Russ College faculty member with similar research interests for advice on course selection. The student should understand that giving such advice does not mean that the faculty member has agreed to serve as the student’s thesis advisor. Typically, this faculty member will aid the student in course selection for only one semester.

  2. Thesis Advisor

    The thesis advisor is a faculty member in the student's field of interest who will serve as the thesis research advisor and plan a program of study. The student must select a faculty member who is willing to serve as his or her thesis advisor by no later than the first week of the second semester. The Tentative M.S. Course of Study form must be submitted no later than the second week of the second semester.

  3. Thesis Committee

    The student's thesis examining committee is chosen in consultation with the thesis advisor. The thesis committee must be established by no later than the sixth week of the second semester. The student thesis advisory committee shall consist of a minimum of four faculty members. Three of these must be members of the BME faculty, including the chair/advisor. Two committee members must be members of the Russ College and hold associate graduate or graduate faculty status. One of the members must be from outside the Russ College and hold associate or full graduate faculty status in his or her College. The committee member from outside the Russ College is appointed by the College at the request of the student. The student makes the request by submitting MS Committee External College Representative Form.

    This form must be submitted by no later than the sixth week of the second semester.

Thesis Proposal and Defense

  1.  All forms are available from the student Document page. Obtain the appropriate signatures on the form and then submit the signed form to the college at russgradinfo@ohio.edu. You will also need to submit pdf versions of your thesis for a plagiarism check as described below. Please submit these to russgradinfo@ohio.edu.   

  2. Thesis Proposal

    The student will prepare a written formal research proposal. Students must review Russ College policies on plagiarism prior to preparing their theses. The student will give an oral presentation of the proposal to the thesis committee. The length of the written proposal is expected to be 10 to 20 double-spaced typewritten pages. The oral presentation should take approximately 20 minutes and should include the use of visual aids (e.g., PowerPoint slides). 

    At least 14 days prior to the date of the thesis proposal defense:

    1. Submit the MS - Arrangement Proposal Defense Form. 

    2. Submit a copy of the written proposal to each member of the thesis committee.

    3. Advise the thesis committee of the place, date, and time of the proposal defense.

      Students must pass the thesis proposal no later than the end of the second semester.  

      Students should take the Report on MS Thesis Proposal Defense form to the oral presentation. If they pass, they should obtain all signatures at that time and then submit the form.

      Submit the Final Course of Study form at the same time you submit the Report on MS Thesis Proposal Defense.

  3. Thesis Defense

    A written thesis must be prepared describing the student's completed research work. The thesis must be defended orally before the thesis committee. An electronic thesis prepared according to university guidelines is required. Students must again review Russ College policies on plagiarism prior to preparing their theses. Students must follow the Guidelines for Submission of Electronic Theses and Dissertations.

    At least 14 days prior to the date of the thesis defense:

    1. Submit the MS - Arrangement for Final Defense form, the Statement of Originality form  and an electronic copy of the thesis in PDF format for a plagiarism check.
    2. Submit an electronic copy of the thesis in PDF format to Thesis and Dissertation Services (TAD) for the format check.
    3. Advise the thesis committee of the place, date, and time of the defense.

  4. Report on MS Final Defense 

    All previous forms must be on file before turning in the Report on MS Final Thesis Defense form. After passing the defense, have the form signed by your committee members. You might have to make changes to your thesis before obtaining the signatures, especially that of your advisor. After obtaining all necessary signatures, submit the form. The Dean's office will send a copy of the signed form to TAD Services. Keep a copy for your own records.

    You are required to submit the final thesis document for another plagiarism check at least 3 days prior to the published TAD semester deadline. 

  5. Submission of Final Thesis

    Submit the final version of your thesis, in PDF format, to the college at russgradinfo@ohio.edu. Also, be sure to familiarize yourself with Thesis and Dissertation Services, particularly the full TAD Guidelines and the TAD deadlines for this academic year. 

Transfer of Credit

A maximum of eight semester hours, or the equivalent, may be transferred from an accredited university and applied toward a student’s M.S. BME degree, provided:

  1. The credits are designated at the transferring institution as graduate level only.
  2. The credits were obtained by taking formal coursework within the past five years. No correspondence credit will be accepted.
  3. Grades earned on all transfer credits are B or better.

Time Limit

Students must complete all requirements for the degree within six calendar years from the first academic term of study in the M.S. BME program.