Overview
Biological Engineering Is a Fusion of Biosciences and Engineering Disciplines, Focused on Understanding How Life "Works"
A fusion of molecular and cellular biosciences with engineering, biological engineering (BE) brings together a powerful combination of measurement, modeling, and manipulation approaches to advance our understanding of how biological systems operate, particularly when they are perturbed by genetic, chemical, or materials interventions or subjected to pathogens or toxins. Furthermore, the field fosters the conception, design, and construction of innovative technologies in medicine and human health.
A graduate education in BE will prepare students for careers in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and medical diagnostic and device industries, as well as positions as teachers and/or researchers in academic departments that range across a broad, diverse spectrum of engineering and scientific disciplines.
The Mission of MIT's BE Graduate Programs Is to Educate Leaders who Generate Ideas and Communicate Newfound Knowledge
The mission of the biological engineering programs at MIT is to educate leaders, generate new ideas, and communicate newfound knowledge from the nexus of engineering and biology. The focus at this point of interface, intersection, and interrelatedness is on the ways, means, and results of combining quantitative, physical, and integrative principles with advances in modern biology.
The Master of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering (MEBE) is a five-year degree program, open only to MIT undergraduates, emphasizing the fusion of engineering with modern molecular-to-genomic biology. The program leads to a bachelor's degree in a science or engineering discipline, followed by a Master of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering. All students will successfully complete a thesis of original research, design, or development.
BE also offers a Ph.D. program with two different tracks, one of which is in Bioengineering, and the other in Applied Biosciences. In the Bioengineering track, faculty research interests range from Molecular, Cell, and Tissue Biomechanics to Biological and Physiological Transport Phenomena and various other cutting-edge topics. In the Applied Biosciences track are such focuses as Genetic Toxicology, Microbial Pathogenesis, and others.
It is at the interface of Bioengineering and Applied Biosciences that students will find such fascinating, new research focuses as Genomics, Proteomics, and Glycomics, as well as Nanoscale Engineering of Biological Systems and other multidisciplinary topics. As indicated by these innovative and wide-ranging faculty research interests, the two tracks complement one another and amplify the importance of approaching quantitative biological and biomedical problems from both perspectives. Importantly, students in one track or the other may pursue research projects in any area with permission from their research supervisor.
Special Degree Offerings Include a Dual-Degree Program and a Joint Doctoral Program in Computational and Systems Biology
In addition to the Master of Engineering in Biological Engineering and the two Ph.D. tracks, BE also offers a special dual degree in the Leaders for Global Operations (LGO) Program.
The LGO program combines the technical expertise of the School of Engineering, the leading-edge theory of the Sloan School of Management and the hands-on experience of the program's industry partners. Students receive two degrees in two years, either an MBA or a Master of Science in Management degree from MIT Sloan School of Management, and a Master of Science degree from one of eight participating departments in the School of Engineering, including BE.
MIT's departments of electrical engineering and computer science, biology, and biological engineering jointly offer a doctoral program in Computational and Systems Biology (CSB). CSB integrates biology education and research, engineering disciplines, and computational methods to solve complex problems in biological systems. Students benefit from a solid, broad foundation in this emerging field and can work with faculty from across MIT. Upon graduation they are ready to take their places as tomorrow's leaders in both academia and industry.
The CSB Ph.D. program typically takes five years to complete. It includes core courses in biology and computational biology and a literature-based class in computational and systems biology. Students will also choose from a number of advanced electives in science and engineering, while research group rotations will expose them to various investigative activities and help them find a laboratory suited to their thesis research. A teaching assistantship during one semester of the second year will augment and improve students' communication skills for superior interaction across disciplines.
Renowned Educators and Leading Scientists Lead BE Graduate Students into Research that Helps Humans and the Environment
MIT is renowned for its eminent, award-winning, and widely published faculty. The level of teaching, mentorship, and research undertaken by these leading academics may be approached by other institutions, but never surpassed. MIT is also known for its leading-edge labs and interdisciplinary programs that cross the traditional boundaries of departments and disciplines, and BE is a premier example of this.
Graduate level studies and training in BE produces professional scientists that will do basic research to increase understanding of biological system functions in terms of physical/chemical mechanisms, and discover how they respond when perturbed by external factors including medical therapeutics and environmental agents. Research will doubtless lead to the creation of novel technologies based on these understandings, producing a spectrum of applications that emphasize, but are not restricted to, human health and wellness from both environmental and medical vantage points.
Future research undertaken by BE graduates of MIT may also generate new biology-based solutions for problems in non-biological applications of both science and engineering.
Life Is Not All Study and Research, and the MIT Campus and the Surrounding Region Offer Plenty of Recreational Respite
On the modern MIT campus, graduate students and their families enjoy athletic and recreational facilities that are among the best anywhere. Available for use by the entire MIT community are athletic centers with indoor tennis, squash, and basketball courts, plus weightlifting, exercise rooms, and a 400-meter all weather track. There is also a swimming pool, sailing pavilion, boathouse, 20 acres of playing fields, and outdoor tennis courts. Intercollegiate matches and intramural programs offer team competition to all interested graduate students on a regular basis.
Off campus, the cities of Cambridge and Boston beckon with a plethora of recreational diversion, cultural venues, a world-class selection of ethnic cuisines, classic and modern music and theater, museums, and other diversions to fit every taste.
In the greater New England region, of course, students can take weekend trips to New York, Philadelphia, Atlantic City, or any other destination that strikes their fancy. Professional sports, ocean sailing, big-name entertainers, and every other imaginable source of fun or relaxation can be found on the easily accessible East Coast.
