Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Biomedical Engineering

In addition to Faculty of Graduate Studies requirements:

For a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree, all students are required to take a minimum of 6 units as approved by the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program.

If the student's completed MSc degree is not in Biomedical Engineering, they must take a further of 12 units, for a total minimum of 18 units.

For students who transfer from an MSc program, minimum of 18 units at the graduate level are required beyond the BSc, or equivalent, degree.

course, course and course must be included in the course requirements if not taken in the MSc.

All students may choose elective courses from the listing of Additional Courses or approved courses from other departments (see website for most recent information: https://research.ucalgary.ca/bme/graduate. Other relevant courses, not on the Additional Course list or Program's website, require the approval of the supervisor and the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program. Students may be required to take senior undergraduate courses as deemed by their Supervisory Committee, but graduate credit will only be granted for senior undergraduate courses as approved by the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program.

In addition to the course requirements, all PhD students are required to complete a research project and to submit a written thesis in compliance with the regulations of the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

Medical Imaging Specialization

Students complete a course sequence in Medical Imaging plus additional specialization requirements (see program). MSc students must take a minimum of two courses (the MEDI core and a MEDI foundational course). PhD students must take three courses (including the MEDI core, a MEDI foundational and a MEDI elective course). PhD students previously completing the MSc Specialization in Medical Imaging will be required to complete one elective course in medical imaging. These requirements are in addition to the core program requirements of tStudents complete a course sequence in Medical Imaging plus additional specialization requirements (see Medical Imaging). MSc students must take a minimum of two courses (the MEDI core and a MEDI foundational course). PhD students must take three courses (including the MEDI core, a MEDI foundational and a MEDI elective course). PhD students previously completing the MSc Specialization in Medical Imaging will be required to complete one elective course in medical imaging. These requirements are in addition to the core program requirements of the BME Graduate Program. The Medical Imaging courses are counted towards BME Graduate Program elective courses.

Additional Courses

Courses are listed by theme, but students are not restricted to taking courses from within a theme. The supervisor and supervisory committee should be consulted for course selection. Courses not listed under Additional Courses or on the list at https://research.ucalgary.ca/bme/graduate require the approval of the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program. Directed studies courses require approval of the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program.

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Additional Courses in Theme 1: Bioelectrical Engineering

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Additional Courses in Theme 2: Biomechanics

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Additional Courses in Theme 3: Cell and Tissue Engineering (Biomaterials)

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Additional Courses in Theme 4: Medical Imaging

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Advanced Credit

Credit may be granted with approval of the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program. Advanced credit will not be granted for course, course or course.

Credit for Undergraduate Courses

Graduate credit may be given for 500-level courses for MSc/PhD students. No more than 3 units of credit will be allowed as approved by the supervisory committee, and the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program.

Time Limit

In accordance with the Faculty of Graduate Studies regulations, the expected completion time for the PhD is 48 months. The maximum completion time is 72 months. Students transferring from the MSc to the PhD program are expected to complete studies within 60 months. Funding in the MSc and PhD programs may not be available after these expected completion times.

Supervisory Assignments

PhD students need a supervisor for admission to the program. The Supervisory Committee should be selected jointly by the student and supervisor immediately upon entry into the PhD program and approved by the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program. The Supervisory Committee consists of the supervisor, co-supervisor (if appropriate), and two other members who normally hold academic appointment at the University of Calgary. Appointment of individuals who do not hold academic appointments at the University of Calgary is possible but requires the support of the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program and the prior approval of the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

The supervisory committee will advise on course selection and research topic for the student. The supervisory committee will usually be cross-disciplinary, as required by the student’s research topic and deemed necessary by the supervisor in consultation with the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program. The supervisory committee will recommend transfer to the PhD program for MSc students and certify the background preparation for PhD students prior to scheduling of the candidacy exam. All students will follow the guidelines of the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program regarding supervision, frequency of committee meetings, course changes, thesis or project proposals, candidacy examinations, etc. as outlined in the Student Handbook. Membership on candidacy and examination committees requires the approval of the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program.

Research Proposal Requirements

Doctoral students must submit a written thesis proposal, which is approved by their Thesis Proposal Evaluation Committee in a Thesis Proposal Evaluation Committee Meeting. See https://schulich.ucalgary.ca/biomedical/programs/graduate/program-resources/completion-requirements for further information.

Doctoral Candidacy Examinations

Doctoral students must pass Thesis Proposal (oral and written) and Field of Study (oral) examinations. For complete details of the examination format and other candidacy requirements, see https://schulich.ucalgary.ca/biomedical/programs/graduate/program-resources/timelines.

Scheduling of the Thesis Examination

All members of the Supervisory Committee must have reviewed the student’s research, including a relevant written sample of the materials related to the thesis, before an examination can be scheduled.

Doctoral Thesis Examination

The examining committee consists of a minimum of six voting members: the Supervisory Committee members (including the supervisor and co-supervisor, if appropriate), one Internal Examiner, one member external to the University of Calgary (External examiner), and one other member. The Internal Examiner must be external to the Biomedical Engineering Graduate program. At least one of either a) the Supervisory Committee (excluding supervisor and co-supervisor) or b) the other member, must be a Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program Approved Supervisor.

The student shall make a public sixty minute presentation (45 minute presentation plus 15 minutes for questions) of their thesis research, normally immediately before the oral examination. Examining committee members should attend this presentation but should refrain from asking questions during the presentation. The maximum allowable two-hour examination period does not include the time spent on student presentation.

Students in the PhD program will not be admitted without funding from an interested supervisor. Please see the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program handbook for more details.

For information on awards, see the Awards and Financial Assistance section of this Calendar.