Biomedical Engineering - Ph.D.

Application Deadline
TARGET DATES FOR FULL FINANCIAL CONSIDERATION:

Fall: January 15
OTHERWISE Rolling admission. Applicants are strongly encouraged to have a faculty advisor identified.

Application Checklist
Required by the Office of Graduate Studies:
  • Apply at: https://go.unl.edu/gradapp
  • $50 non-refundable application processing fee
  • One set of transcripts
  • Verification of english proficiency (non-native English speakers)
  • If not a US citizen and expect to obtain an F or J visa, financial information

Required by Biomedical Engineering
  • Entrance exam(s): GRE score optional
  • Minimum English proficiency: Paper TOEFL (min. 550), Internet TOEFL (79), IELTS (minimum 6.5)
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Personal statement of research interests
  • Resume



Biomedical Engineering at Nebraska is highly interdisciplinary, with collaboration among faculty and students from many UNL College of Engineering departments and from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. In addition, Nebraska biomedical engineering faculty and students work closely with area hospitals including Bryan LGH, Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, St. Elizabeth Hospital, and the Nebraska Heart Institute. Major emphasis is on employing engineering techniques to improve human health, by understanding both the engineering needs and the medical needs for the specific problem.

The Biomedical Engineering Ph.D. program is designed to facilitate interdisciplinary research. Students must have an undergraduate degrees in engineering or show strong academic competency in the quantitative and physical sciences. The core curriculum of 42 graduate-level credit hours includes:

  • 3 credit hours: statistics and experimental design
  • 9  credit hours: human biology
  • 30 credit hours: engineering/science electives
  • Dissertation


Admission to the Ph.D. program does not require a master's degree. However, a previous M.S. degree generally reduces the coursework and amount of time needed to complete a Ph.D. It also provides valuable experience in defining and managing a Ph.D. research project.

Entrance Requirements

  • All students, whether or not they have a master's degree, must have a B.S. in engineering, or show strong academic competency in the quantitative and physical sciences.
  • All students must show basic academic competency in the life sciences.
  • Specific prerequisites:
    • Engineering / Physical Sciences:
      • Mathematics through differential equations
      • Two semesters of (preferably) calculus-based physics
      • Three courses of advanced (junior-level or higher) engineering courses
    • Life Sciences:
      • One undergraduate course in either basic biology or introductory physiology, including a laboratory experience
      • One additional course in the biological sciences
  • Any deficiency courses must be completed before a student’s comprehensive examination, and those courses will not be applied toward the graduate degree program.