Bioengineering Ph.D. Program

Graduate Group Structure

The graduate program in Bioengineering is administered by the Bioengineering Graduate Group under the auspices of the SEAS Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. The Graduate Group is comprised of the Bioengineering primary faculty members as well as faculty from other departments and schools throughout the University. This unique composition gives students the opportunity to work in emerging and interdisciplinary areas that are relevant to Bioengineering. The current members of the BE graduate group and their research areas are listed on the Department’s website.

Bioengineering Overview

The first Biomedical Engineering Program in the nation began in the mid 1920’s as a collaboration between engineers and health professionals at the University of Pennsylvania.   The first Ph.D. in Bioengineering in the United States was awarded from Penn’s Bioengineering Graduate Group in 1953.  The Department of Bioengineering was formally approved by the University in 1973.  To date, over 450 individuals have received a Ph.D. from our program, including some of the most distinguished academic and industrial leaders in Bioengineering. Many of Penn’s graduates hold academic positions in Biomedical Engineering or related departments at Universities throughout the world, and have played a leading role in defining the field. Other graduates have entered the biomedical industry and have become the primary driving force behind one of the faster growing sectors of the economy in providing advanced biomedical products, which has saved lives and improved the quality of our healthcare system.

Today the Bioengineering department at Penn has 16 primary faculty, and more than 80 affiliated graduate group faculty who provide the core teaching and research environment for over 300 undergraduate and 120 graduate students.  The department has consistently been ranked as one of the best Bioengineering programs in the country for preparing students for careers in industry, medicine, academia, and other fields related to biomedical technology. The success of the program is due to the dedication of the faculty in conducting both excellent teaching and outstanding research.

Penn's academic curriculum in Bioengineering provides a solid foundation in science and develops powerful methods for understanding basic physiological processes. Combining the resources of the University of Pennsylvania's School of Engineering, School of Medicine, School of Arts and Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, School of Dental Medicine, School of Nursing, and the University Hospitals, the department is pioneering in a broad range of research areas in Bioengineering.

Goal and Philosophy

The Ph.D. curriculum provides training in engineering with focuses on biological and medical sciences. The program provides education in many areas of research, specific knowledge relevant to the student's research area, scientific and engineering fundamentals and current updates in the field of Bioengineering. The fundamental goal of Penn Bioengineering is to provide students with a broad, flexible curriculum that gives them experience with a wide range of subject areas and intellectual approaches, to prepare them to function creatively and independently in a diverse range of settings.

The Graduate Enviornment

The spirit and size of the Department of Bioengineering fosters a close interaction between the graduate students and the entire faculty. This enriches the quality of student-faculty communications and the academic environment to benefit both learning and discovery.  Every effort is made to create an environment of scholarship, creativity and learning, which is the very essence of graduate study.

Apart from offering advising, seminars, and informal meetings with the Department Chair and Graduate Group Chair to solicit student input and exchange information, the Department strongly supports the Graduate Association of Bioengineers (GABE).  GABE is a student-run association that represents the entire graduate student community in BE, and organizes both social and professional Bioengineering development events, sometimes in collaboration with the student chapter of BMES (Biomedical Engineering Society).

General Information

Penn Bioengineering Graduate Group offers students a broad education that enables them to work, develop, and lead in bioengineering practice and research: within either traditional engineering and research environments, or in non-traditional multidisciplinary environments at the interface between engineering and a diversity of fields, including medicine, the life sciences, business, and law.

Department of Bioengineering
School of Engineering and Applied Science
University of Pennsylvania
210 S. 33rd Street
Room 240 Skirkanich Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Phone No.: (215) 898-8501
Fax No.: (215) 573-2071
beoffice@seas.upenn.edu

Send Comments and Suggestions to:
beweb@seas.upenn.edu