College of Engineering Biomedical Engineering Department

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Application Procedure

This web page supplements the BME Faculty Bylaws, and is meant to clarify the Graduate Application Procedure for incoming graduate students. Additional information may be found at the Graduate School website, the Graduate Catalog, or on the BME website. Click here for the BME Graduate Application Checklist.

The Graduate School at UConn Internal Fellowship Awards

In order for an applicant to be considered for one of the following fellowships, the applicant must select that they wish to be considered in SLATE. Recipients of these fellowships will be the most academically promising members of the entering class of graduate students at the University of Connecticut. The criteria used to select recipients include the following:

  • Evidence of scholarly or creative achievement highlighted by the department or program in their nomination and evidence that the department or program provides the environment necessary for success in the areas of interest highlighted by the applicant.
  • Evidence of any prior scholarly or creative achievement by the nominee, e.g., publications, presentations, exhibits, performances.
  • Evidence that the nominee has been successful at previous academic institutions, e.g., letters of recommendation.
  • Quantitative evidence of academic accomplishment, e.g., undergraduate grade point average, GMAT (when available).

The Jorgensen Fellowship (JF) is available to outstanding young scholars applying to doctoral programs. The award consists of a service-free fellowship providing a $20,000 annual stipend for five years.

In addition, to be eligible for either the fellowships below, applicants must demonstrate a commitment to enhancing diversity in higher education and/or a commitment to enhancing diversity in their field of study.

  • The Harriott Fellowship (HF) is available to outstanding young scholars applying to doctoral programs. The award consists of a service-free fellowship providing a $20,000 annual stipend for five years.
  • The Crandall Fellowship (CF) is available to outstanding young scholars applying to master’s programs. The award consists of a service-free fellowship providing a $20,000 annual stipend for two years (MFA is for three years).

For HF and CF fellowships students must submit a diversity statement through the SLATE application system. Students can demonstrate a commitment to enhancing diversity in higher education through participation in organizations or activities that (a) directly relate to increasing access to higher education and retention in higher education of individuals, regardless of age, race, sexual orientation, gender, nationality, cultural background, religion, or beliefs or (b) that help to ensure that individuals are welcomed and included in higher education environments regardless of age, race, sexual orientation, gender, nationality, cultural background, religion, or beliefs. Such organization and activities might include participation/affiliation with TRIO programs, cultural/affinity organizations/centers, volunteer experiences, and college or university committees focused on these goals. Students provide evidence of this commitment through research and educational experience reflected on their CV/resume (articles, presentations, internship, and research experience), in their personal statement, or in letters of recommendations.

1.0 APPLICATION SUBMISSION All graduate students should submit a complete online graduate application with application fee directly to the Graduate School at  https://grad.uconn.edu/admissions/apply-to-uconn/ Also, two Letters of Recommendation and a Statement of Purpose are to be uploaded when you apply online.  The Letters of Recommendation should be from individuals familiar with the academic and industry performance of the candidate. Letters of recommendation must be written within in one calendar year of the application submission. Graduate applications are received throughout the year and processed as they are received. Applications are only accepted for FALL admission.

Recommended deadline for submitting the completed applications are as follows:

  • January 1 for both full-time M.S. and Ph.D. applications for Fall admission.  Late applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis until all openings are filled.
  • Part-time Master’s applicants are considered bimonthly.

  **Please note that acceptance/deny decisions for the regular MS and PhD programs will not be processed (and applicants notified) until a minimum of 6-8 weeks after the submission deadline**

1.1 Expected Applicant Background Students with a B.S. or M.S. degree are eligible to apply to the Ph.D program. Students with a B.S. or M.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering are ideally suited for Biomedical Engineering Ph.D. studies at the University of Connecticut. Students with a B.S. degree in either engineering or physical sciences or mathematics are encouraged to seek admission to the Biomedical Engineering Ph.D. program at the University of Connecticut. Students with non-engineering B.S. degrees will ordinarily need to take at least the required undergraduate Biomedical Engineering courses at the University of Connecticut (BME 3500, 3600W, and 3700- see the undergraduate catalog at http://www.catalog.uconn.edu/ for course descriptions). Students with life science undergraduate degrees must normally take remedial course work in basic and advanced engineering and mathematics (two years through differential equations) and the required undergraduate Biomedical Engineering courses at the University of Connecticut.

1.2 Application Form and Preliminary Review of Applications An application form for graduate study is available online at: http://grad.uconn.edu/prospective-students/applying-to-uconn/  The BME graduate program does not require or review preliminary applications. Applicants are required to submit to the Graduate School:

  • two letters of recommendation (preferably from members of the academic profession)
  • official transcript:A physical copy of your official transcript(s) must be sent by mail in a sealed envelope by the institution(s) that you attended directly to the UCONN Graduate School at:The University of Connecticut Whetten Graduate Center 438 Whitney Rd. Extension U-1152 Storrs, CT 06269-1152**PLEASE NOTE:  You can apply without your “official” transcript. You can upload an unofficial transcript with your application so we can consider you while we are waiting for the “official” copy. If you are admitted, we will then need to receive an “official” copy right away.
  • a Statement of Purpose from the student describing their interest in biomedical engineering. You MUST indicate in your Statement of Purpose which of the six areas of concentration (track) you wish to pursue:
    • Biomaterials
    • Biomechanics
    • Biomedical Imaging and Biosensors
    • Bioinformatics and Systems Genomics
    • Neuroengineering
    • Clinical Engineering (the Clinical Engineering Internship has an application procedure that differs from the rest of the BME Graduate Program. Please see this link for more details.)

FAILING TO LIST YOUR PREFERRED TRACK(S) IN YOUR STATEMENT OF PURPOSE FROM THE ABOVE LIST WILL RESULT IN AN INCOMPLETE APPLICATION!

  • Any other information that might be helpful for evaluation purposes

On the application form, specify Biomedical Engineering in Field of Study. Choose “None” for Concentration. A graduate student who is admitted into the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program for a master’s degree will be assigned a temporary faculty advisor. All applicants must put the name of their preferred faculty advisor on their application, and applicants are encouraged to communicate directly with a potential major advisor at the time of the graduate application submission. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the Biomedical Engineering field of study, graduate research facilities in biomedical engineering are diverse, and can be found in the various academic departments of the biomedical engineering major advisors on the Storrs campus and at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington. For Faculty contact and research information, click here.

1.3 Required Documents In The Application Package

1.3.1 GRE GRE is waived for all applicants, to both MS and PhD programs.

1.3.2 TOEFL Students whose native language is not English must show evidence of proficiency in the English language by having earned a written score of at least 550 for the paper-based test, 213 for the computer-based test, or 79 for the Internet-based test on the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), administered by the Educational Testing Service, Princeton, New Jersey 08541-6151 The application for candidates not meeting this requirement are not released by the Graduate School until the minimum score is satisfied. If the IELTS test is taken, applicant score must be 6.5 or above.  **These minimum test scores are set by the University and MUST be met in order to be accepted. No exceptions!

1.3.3 Official Transcript Evaluation Form from the Graduate School The Graduate School provides an analysis of the transcript provided by the student and makes recommendation as to the admission classification of the applicant (Too Low for admission, Regular, Provisional (MS only) and Language Conditional). An analysis by the Graduate School translates the GPA from the student’s transcript to a 4.0 scale. The minimum GPA to be considered for entry into the BME Graduate Program is 3.0 out of 4.0. Most of the applicants who enter the program have substantially above a 3.0 GPA.

1.3.4 Application Processing Fee A non-refundable application fee must accompany the application. It may not be applied toward other charges. This fee must accompany every application submitted and may not be waived. The only exception is for individuals applying for the doctoral degree program after having completed a MS degree in BME from UConn.

1.3.5 Letters of Recommendation and Personal Statement An application package without Letters of Recommendation and a Statement of Purpose (which should include your preferred track choice(s) from the following: Biomaterials; Bioinformatics; Bioinstrumentation & Bioimaging; Biomechanics; Physiological & Biomedical Modeling; Clinical Engineering) will not be sent out for evaluation to the BME Graduate Admissions Committee until these items are received.

1.3.6 Exceptions On occasion, a student is admitted as a Provisional Graduate Student to the BME Master’s Graduate Program with a GPA slightly below a 3.0 due to extenuating circumstances. When this happens, a detailed memo is sent to the Graduate School by the BME Program Director with a request to waive the minimum GPA of 3.0. Provisional graduate students are not eligible for any financial assistanceand must maintain a GPA at or above a 3.0. When the provisional graduate student has completed 12 credit hours of course work with a GPA at or above a 3.0, the student is then admitted into the Regular Graduate Program and is then eligible for financial support.

2.0 FINANCIAL SUPPORT Financial support (graduate assistantship) is offered in the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program through research and teaching assistantships. Research assistantships are provided directly from the Biomedical Engineering faculty. Applicants should correspond directly with the faculty members that best match their research interests to learn about research assistantship opportunities. Teaching assistantships are only awarded to current graduate students with the necessary background for the course. There is no financial aid form used by the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program. More information can be found in the Graduate School website, and in the Graduate Catalog.

 

3.0 INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS Students who are not United States citizens or permanent resident aliens must meet additional requirements before their admission is finalized.

  • They must present documentary evidence of their ability to meet all expenses for at least the first year of study and an acceptable plan for financing the remainder of their program.
  • Students whose native language is not English must show evidence of proficiency in the English language by having earned either a computer-based score of at least 213 or a written score of at least 550 on the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), administered by the Educational Testing Service, Princeton, New Jersey 08541-6151. University policy requires that all graduate students who will be serving as teaching assistants will be required to present evidence of competence in spoken English. This may take the form of a score of 50 or better on the Test of Spoken English if the student does not hold a degree from an Anglophone college or university.

4.0 APPLICATION DEADLINES

Applications are only accepted for FALL admission. THE APPLICATION DEADLINE FOR ALL APPLICANTS IS JANUARY 1ST. 

**Applications received after this deadline WILL NOT be considered for that application term, but may be deferred/considered for the following year if requested by applicant. All credentials, including official transcripts covering all undergraduate and graduate work taken up to the time of application, as well as the non-refundable processing fee, must also have been received in the Graduate Admissions Office before being forwarded the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program. Because research assistantships are filled far in advance, prospective students are encouraged to submit their applications for admission as early as possible. Applications for the Clinical Engineering Internship are due by January 1st. Please see this link for more details.

5.0 GRADUATE ADMISSIONS COMMITTEE The admission process is managed by the BME Graduate Admission Committee. The current Graduate Admissions Committee consists of all members of the BME Graduate Program. The current Chair of the Committee is the BME Program Director. This committee develops criteria and streamlines the procedures for admission of students to the BME graduate program. Admission criteria must be voted on and approved by the BME faculty. Furthermore, selected members of the BME Graduate Faculty serve on the Graduate Admissions Committee as representatives from all BME tracks. A Graduate Admissions Chair is elected from this Committee, and the Committee assumes all responsibility for admitting graduate students. All applications are eligible to be reviewed by the entire Faculty. However only the Faculty in the BME track of the applicant are expected to evaluate the application. The Graduate Admissions Committee will decide on admissions based on Faculty input, and assign a major advisor for each graduate student upon consent of the Faculty member.

6.0 REVIEW OF GRADUATE APPLICATIONS The Graduate Application review form is used by the faculty to evaluate all BME Graduate Applications. On this form, faculty provide a qualitative description of the adequacy of the candidate and comments concerning GPA, TOEFL and past experiences are usually noted. Candidates without the prerequisite backgrounds (e.g., Biology Undergraduate BS Degree) can be admitted to the “Regular Program” as long as the minimum GPA and TOEFL requirements are satisfied, but remedial coursework is necessary before starting the Graduate Program. Students who do not meet the minimum standards are given the “Deny” recommendation. Typically, one faculty recommending “Deny” is sufficient for rejection of the application unless there are compelling reasons to further consider the application. Remedial coursework is listed that is required before the candidate begins the BME Graduate Program. Many times, students can take a few remedial courses concurrently with the BME Graduate courses. Students without a BME BS typically need to take some undergraduate life-science and BME courses (those with an Engineering BS) or BME (and others) courses (those with a life-science BS). The purpose of the remedial coursework is not to provide a BS degree in the area, but provide sufficient background necessary to complete the BME Graduate Program successfully.

  • Life Science Backgrounds. Students should all have a minimum of 3-semesters of calculus plus a course in differential equations. In addition, 1-year of chemistry, and at least a semester of biology and organic chemistry is required. Electrical Circuits (ECE 2001W), Materials Science & Engineering I (MSE 2101), Biomedical Engineering Measurements (BME 3500), Biomechanics (BME 3600W) and Biomaterials (BME 3700) are usually required. Depending on the track in BME, additional courses are also recommended (e.g., BME Technical Electives in the track).
  • Engineering Backgrounds. Preferably, students should have a background in Biology, Anatomy & Physiology, and Organic Chemistry. BME undergraduate courses: Biomedical Engineering Measurements (BME 3500), Biomechanics (BME 3600W) and Biomaterials (BME 3700). Depending on the BME Track, additional courses may be required (e.g., in Biomaterials, courses in cell biology, biochemistry, and genetics).

Please note that the course titles listed above are specific to the University of Connecticut. Please refer to the Undergraduate Catalog (http://www.catalog.uconn.edu/) for course descriptions and content. The Reviewer indicates preference for working or not working with the candidate. Funding available for a candidate that the Reviewer has identified a preference for working with is also indicated. Decisions as to who will be the major advisor when several Faculty wish to work with a graduate student are based on input from the candidate and the financial package given to the candidate.