PhD in Biomedical Engineering in Salt Lake City United States | University of Utah

The Department of Bioengineering welcomes graduate applicants holding bachelor's degrees or equivalent qualifications in engineering, life sciences, or physical sciences. Each student's graduate program is tailored to equip them for careers applying scientific and engineering principles to medical and biological challenges. Faculty members hold joint appointments across the College of Engineering, School of Medicine, and College of Pharmacy. Graduates pursue careers in clinical engineering (hospital settings), biomedical engineering (industry and government sectors), and academic research/teaching (universities and research institutions).

PhD candidacy is achieved after passing the written comprehensive examination and successfully presenting both written and oral research proposals. Candidates must publicly defend their dissertation following departmental, college, and graduate school regulations, with announcements made at least 10 days prior. The defense includes a public presentation with audience Q&A, potentially featuring an external review presentation. When external reviewers cannot attend, the thesis advisor may present their evaluation.

After the public defense, the research committee conducts a private examination (which may include the external reviewer by invitation). Successful defense requires demonstrating proper scientific methodology, significant field contributions, and professional communication skills. The committee then deliberates privately (excluding the external reviewer from voting) and may: approve unconditionally, approve with required revisions, or fail the candidate. PhD candidates get two defense attempts. Final dissertation approval requires incorporating all committee and reviewer feedback before obtaining signatures from the committee chair and department chair for submission.