Detailed Information
Programs of Study
Biomedical engineering combines medical needs with engineering expertise for the enhancement of health care. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the number of biomedical engineering jobs will increase by 31.4 percent through 2010. This increase represents twice the growth rate of all other jobs combined and three times the rate of other engineering disciplines. The Department of Biomedical Engineering at Florida International University is the prime resource for biomedical engineering education, training, research, and technology development in Florida.
The Master of Science in biomedical engineering provides students and practicing engineers with the theoretical and practical experience needed to succeed in the field. The program offers a professional curriculum track with a minimum of 30 credit hours and a research-oriented track, which includes a minimum of 24 semester credit hours of course work, at least 6 semester credit hours of master’s thesis, 3 credits of independent study, and one semester of the Biomedical Engineering Seminar.
The Ph.D. in biomedical engineering prepares graduates for industrial or academic research in one or more of four areas of specialization: bioinstrumentation and biosignal processing; biomechanics, biomaterials, medical devices, and bionanotechnology; medical and molecular imaging and optical imaging; and tissue engineering, systems biology, and drug delivery. The program requires a total of 90 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree. These credits include a minimum of 48 hours of course work and at least 24 hours of dissertation.
The Department of Biomedical Engineering also offers certificate programs with a more focused curriculum for the practicing engineer in the biomedical industry, including the Medical Device Engineering Certificate and the Medical Instrumentation Certificate.
Research Facilities
The College of Engineering and Computing has numerous research institutes, centers, and laboratories that support its academic and research programs. The institutes include the AccessGrid Virtual Institute (AGVI), the Advanced Materials Research Institute (AMERI), the Institute for Technology Innovation (ITI), and the Telecommunications and Information Technology Institute (IT2).
Research centers include the Applied Research Center (ARC), the Center for Advanced Distributed System Engineering (CADSE), the Center for Advanced Technology and Education (CATE), the Center for the Study of Matter at Extreme Conditions (CeSMEC), the Center for Energy and Technology of the Americas (CETA), the Center of Emerging Technologies for Advanced Information and High-Confidence Systems (CREST), the Engineering Information Center (EIC), the Engineering Manufacturing Center (EMC), the High Performance Database Research Center (HPDRC), the Lehman Center for Transportation Research (LCTR), the IBM Latin American Supercomputing Consortium (LA GRID), and the Motorola Nanofabrication Research Facility.
Research laboratories include the Autonomic Computing Research Laboratory (ACRL), the Construction and Structures Research and Testing Laboratory, the Distributed Multimedia Information System Laboratory (DMIS), the Digital Signal Processing Laboratory (DSP), the Enterprise Information Systems Research Laboratory, the Enterprise Systems Engineering Laboratory (ESE), the Graphic Simulation Laboratory (GSL), the Human Factors and Ergonomics Laboratory, the Information Systems Research Laboratory, the Laboratory for Wind Engineering Research (LWER), the Multidisciplinary Analysis, Inverse Design, Robust Optimal Control Laboratory (MAIDROC), the Optical Imaging and Tomography Laboratory, the Plasma Forming Laboratory (PFL), and the Photonics Research Laboratory
The Department provides outstanding research opportunities is such areas as bioinstrumentation, biomaterials, biomechanics, biomedical image and signal processing, drug delivery, medical physics, nuclear medicine, systems biology, and tissue engineering. Important research centers include the Center for Advanced Technology Education (CATE) and the Cardiovascular Engineering Center (CVEC).
Clinical and industrial practice is integrated into the academic programs through the Biomedical Engineering Partnership Program, where students gain valuable exposure to clinical practice and research and acquire real experience in the practice of engineering, product development, and commercialization. Clinical partners include Baptist Hospital, Miami Children’s Hospital, Mt. Sinai Hospital, and Mercy Hospital.
Financial Aid
The College of Engineering and Computing offers a variety of merit-based fellowships, assistantships, and scholarships to qualified domestic and international students. These awards are highly competitive, and the amounts vary depending on the type of the award. Additional financial aid information is available from the Financial Aid Office at http://www.fiu.edu/orgs/finaid.
Cost of Study
For the 2009–10 academic year, tuition is $340.68 per credit for Florida residents and $844.76 per credit for out-of-state and international students. Students pay an additional $170 per semester for student activity fees, a health fee, a photo ID, and parking. Books and supplies are estimated at $1200 per semester, and health insurance costs $1800 for two semesters.
Living and Housing Costs
Graduate student housing is available at University Park (305-348-4190) and the Biscayne Bay Campus (305-919-5587). On-campus housing ranges between $4900 and $6600 per semester, depending on the type of accommodation and meal plan selected. Additional information about on- and off-campus housing can be found through the Office of Housing and Residential Life Web site at http://www.fiu.edu/~housing.
Student Group
The College of Engineering and Computing has 892 graduate students, of whom 515 are full-time, 225 are women, and 431 are international students.
Location
Greater Miami is noted for its cultural diversity. Greater Miami has extensive cultural amenities, such as the New World Symphony, the Florida Grand Opera, and the Miami City Ballet, in addition to a tropical climate. The area has franchises in all major sports, and the University has inaugurated intercollegiate football to round out its extensive sports offerings. Miami is a major transportation hub with easy air and sea connections throughout the Americas and Europe.
The University
Florida International University (FIU) is Miami’s first public four-year university. With more than 39,000 students, almost 1,100 full-time faculty members, and 124,000 alumni, FIU is the largest university in South Florida and one of the most dynamic institutions in the United States. The University’s growth in enrollment and stature in the academic community are remarkable. In four decades, FIU has become nationally renowned as a doctoral-granting institution, with more than 200 degree programs. For the past five years, FIU was ranked among the top 100 public universities in U.S. News & World Report‘s “America’s Best Colleges,” and it is also is ranked as a Research University in the High Research Activity category of the Carnegie Foundation’s prestigious classification system. FIU recently graduated its first law class, and opened a medical school, attesting to the University’s growth and recognition.
Applying
Applicants must submit the completed application, the application fee, official transcripts, proof of degree, and GRE scores. In addition, Ph.D. applicants must submit three letters of recommendation and curriculum vitae or resume. International students must send in their TOEFL scores and have their transcripts evaluated. Completed applications and supporting documents should be sent at least 120 days prior to the beginning of the academic session intended for enrollment.
The Faculty and Their Research
- Anuradha Godavarty, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Texas A&M. Optical-based molecular imaging and tomography; diagnostic mammography using a real-time, coregistering, novel, hand-held optical imagery.
- Yen-Chi Huang, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Michigan. Tissue engineering.
- Chenzhong Li, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Kumamoto (Japan). DNA and other biomolecular sensors, biofuel cells, protein engineering, nanobiotechnology, bio/nanoelectronic devices and sensors.
- Wei-Chiang Lin, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Texas at Austin. Biomedical optics and optical spectroscopy.
- Anthony J. McGoron, Associate Professor and Chair; Ph.D., Louisiana Tech. Drug delivery and drug transport modeling, image guided intervention for breast cancer.
- Sharan Ramaswamy, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Iowa. Tissue engineering.
- Nikolaos Tsoukias, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., California, Irvine. Computational and mathematical modeling, biotransport, signal transduction, cardiovascular and respiratory systems physiology, microcirculatory function in hypertension.
- Research Scientists and Postdoctoral Researchers
- Nandini Duraiswamy, Postdoctoral Researcher; Ph.D., Florida International. Biofluid and solid mechanics.
- Adam Kapela, Postdoctoral Researcher; Ph.D., Patras (Greece). Computational and mathematical modeling.
- Prabha Karan, Research Scientist; Ph.D., Madras (India). Simulation of biomolecules, computer modeling and drug design, development of nanobiosensors.
- Banghe Zhu, Research Fellow; Ph.D., Harbin Institute of Technology (China). Fluorescence-enhanced imaging and tomography.
- Joint Appointments
- Malek Adjouadi, Associate Professor (Electrical and Computer Engineering) and Director, Center for Advanced Technology and Education; Ph.D., Florida. Computer vision, image processing, brain-computer interfacing, EEG brain research, microprocessor design.
- Armando Barreto, Associate Professor (Electrical and Computer Engineering); Ph.D., Florida. Biosignal processing and instrumentation.
Correspondence and Information
Florida International University
College of Engineering and Computing
10555 West Flagler Street, EC2430
Miami, Florida 33174-1630
Telephone:
305-348-1890
Fax:
305-348-6142
Email:
grad_eng@fiu.edu
